The Longest Recipients of American Church Mission Are …

… Native Americans, according to Randy Woodley, who writes, “Native Americans, [who] have been the recipients of American church mission longer than any other people in the world and having scrutinized the message and the messengers for centuries, have something to say. The perspective of this book is rooted in redemptive correction and in putting out a call for true partnership through the co-creation of, not just new theological ideas, but the creation of whole new theological systems.”

Here’s an excerpt from the introduction to Randy Woodley’s new book Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision, which bows today (May 31):

“The Creator is calling us back to experience God’s love and care in the created world around us. The indigenous peoples of our own lands are the guides and theological interpreters of this too-long-awaited journey. Between my own mixed experiences as a child and having spent over half my adult life around indigenous communities, listening to indigenous elders, and so forth, I think I have found a kind of wisdom for living on this planet that transcends modernity’s purview. This book is an introduction that will begin to prepare western hearts and minds for a journey, hopefully from which one will find it difficult to return. My hope is that once we begin to live out shalom in the community of creation, we will not want to return. It is time for the people of the earth to return to creation. In doing so, we may find the heart of the Creator once again in our own hearts.”