In the book's section titled Unsettling Theology, Randy Woodley's text "Early Dialogue in the Community of Creation" seeks to help Western Christians understand Scripture through the lens of Indigenous teachings which, he says, can be key to healing our world. Woodley (Keetoowah Cherokee) serves as distinguished associate professor of faith and culture and director of intercultural and Indigenous studies at George Fox Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He and his wife, Edith (Eastern Shoshone), have four children and lead a local Native American gathering in their home in Newberg, Oregon.
This excerpt is from the first part of his chapter.
EARLY DIALOGUE IN THE COMMUNITY OF CREATION
(Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry ... pp 92-94)
(Buffalo Shout, Salmon Cry ... pp 92-94)
The body of meaningful theological dialogue between North American Indigenous peoples and settler-Christians is paltry, and mostly covered with deep scars. Indigenous peoples have been the recipients of the superabundance of Christian thought for over half a millennium, but most of the discourse has been directed at us, not with us. In spite of these colonial and paternalistic realities, we - both Indigenous and settler peoples - share something unique and primal. We all belong to a great community of creation, and we are participating in it together here on Turtle Island. Each of us, including every non-human creature in this land, has a vested interest in seeing this creation community living and working well together.
The kingdom of God as the community of creation
Jesus, in his ancient context of imperial occupation, was also concerned with creation's harmony, and used the phrase kingdom of God to communicate this idea. The metaphor was rightly understood by Jesus' audience in contradistinction to the kingdom of Caesar. God's kingdom was a Spirit-filled community living out the Creator's shalom purposes on earth. Of course, throughout Christian history this kingdom metaphor has been used to inspire action of diverse and even contradictory kinds, from the early monastic communities to the medieval Crusades, and from the Reformation to modern millennial movements. Fortunately, kingdom discourse has recently taken on a softer, less militant tone, and is referenced by newer Christian movements to describe a faith that is holistic, broad in scope and cooperative in spirit. I believe this fresh path in Christianity is a good starting point for dialogue with Indigenous peoples, for we have wisdom, stories, ceremonies, and theologies that might help us understand in deeper ways what Jesus meant by God's kingdom.
In our globalized and globally warming world, there is an urgent need for the Western church to recognize integrated constructs that encompass reciprocal relationships and the well-being of all things. The rapacious industrial-imperial situations that we live under nexessitates a theology that can combat the death-dealing impacts of this "Roman Empire". Perhaps engaging in biblical witness from an Indigenous perspective can help Western Christians do this, enabling us to revision Jesus' kingdom construct into what I call the "community of creation".
Jesus used kingdom language in his context because it made sense to the people and powers to whom he spoke. His kingdom goal was stated simply: "On earth as it is in heaven." In other words, heaven's economy is to be made manifest in creation. And what is heaven's economy? It is shalom, a Hebrew term often translated as "peace". But peace doesn't capture the depth of this word. Shalom is who the Creator is - the one God, a trinity of persons (from a Christian perspective) dwelling in harmony, mutuality, and deference toward one another and the creation. Shalom embodies wholeness, completeness, and love. It is strikingly similar to many Indigenous constructs of "harmony", which emphasize the interconnectedness and interdependency of all things, the need for balance, and the primacy of community. And if that is what Jesus' kingdom was about - radical shalom and harmony - it is helpful to translate this metaphor into something like community of creation, a phrase infused with Indigenous meaning, which more readily emphasizes that all living things are participating in this new peace that the Creator is bringing about through Christ. God's shalom community includes more than just humans. ...
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... For example, the classic New Testament phrase "For God so loved the world" is most often interpreted as addressing human beings. But a more faithful reading of this text, which a "community of creation" lens facilitates, is that God loves everything, that God sent the Son to heal and redeem the entire creation, human and nonhuman.
Both Indigenous constructs about harmony and Scripture's teaching on shalom articulate the Creator's preferred ways of realizing peace and balance. Both set forth practical steps for life as the Creator designed it. They both also require specific action when these life-ways are broken, for restoration and wholeness are the goal. Most importantly, they both originate in gratitude, always remembering that life in all its forms is a gift from the Creator.
- submitted by Gareth N
