Good evening... At least, it is evening for me while I am writing this blog entry. And, just to warn you, I am dping so on my phone. So, it will probably not be as pretty as it usually is. I hope you don't mind too much.
These last few weeks have been pretty long for me and our family. I have had several flare-ups with back, so that has made things even more challenging. My family also adopted another dog. A puppy, really. So, that brings another set of challenges to the mix.
My work with the Department of Corrections continues. Still see quite a mix of people who are sticking to change and those who are allowing their hearts to become even more hardened. It is both encouraging and depressing. On one hand, I see people seeking to better themselves and to find healing in their lives. But with others, they allow their fear and anger to fester and grow. They are physically alive, but emotionally and spiritully dead, consumed by bitterness.
Think g about this reminded me of an intestine incident that happened. I had to escorts a lawyer so that he could get a signiture. This particles inmate continued to ask questions, make comments, etc, for a good 20 minutes. The attorny finally was finished and we were able to leave.
During our walk back to the front entrance the attorney started apologin for the long, dragged out session that he had. I let him know that I appreciated the apology, but I was just doing my job. After over 8 years, I was used to things like that.
Our conversation eventually drifted to the topic of ethics concerning prison terms, how inmates are treated after being released from prison, etc. I shared with him that one of my favirile seminary classes had been on ethics. This really seemed to perk his interest.
Because of his interest, I told the attorney about an interesting book that I had done a paper on. In this paper, I examined the overall plot from a condensed, abridged view, and one from a well informed perspectives. The attorney really liked that approach and, as he left, stated that he was going to look for that book.
Looking back, I know that was a "God thing." That is, it was a very unique situation that God had set up so that He could touch someone's life through me. An otherwise irritating series of events that morning became a place of encouragement and blessing.
Isn't it amazing how God can take a situation that is negative and turn it into something good? Even though I have experienced it many times, God still surprises me with those experiences.
That has gotten me thinking about current events. There have been numerous terrorust attacks in Europe, brazen attacks on Law Enforcement Officers who are doing their jobs, etc. It is easy to start feeling depressed and hopeless just watching or reading about them. Especially in our information saturated world. But, the Bible Study that I led this evening was an encourager.
In both 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Paul directly addresses Christ''s second coming. Though persecution will grow, Crust will come again. No matter what we may experience, no matter how high of a cost, Christ will one day take us home.
That is the hope that we have. That God came into our world to not just redeem us, but to bring ourselves for His blessing. We will always ge
Showing posts with label broken hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label broken hope. Show all posts
Monday, July 25, 2016
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Games People Play
Please read:
- Philippians 2:1-18 NAS
- James 3:1-12 NAS
While I was growing up in the 70's and the 80's, my family and I would take a long vacation (one to two weeks) every summer. Most of the time we drive from one place to another. To help keep us occupied, my mom would sometimes read to us articles from the Kitchen Klatter Magazine that she would get in the mail. Other times she would read to us from a book. Two books that I remember very well (and still have) are 'Fuzzy Bones' and 'Fuzzy Papers'.
When my mom didn't feel like reading, I would sometimes entertain myself with reading my own books or playing a games like travel bingo. Other times we would play a game like going through the alphabet using the letters that we saw on billboards and license plates. All of these activities would help the time to pass more quickly, so that it would seem that we arrived at our destination sooner.
I have played numerous bard and board games over the years with friends and family. Just a few of them are Monopoly, Risk, Clue, Chutes and Ladders, Mr. Mouth, etc. Usually I have really enjoyed playing games with others. Games can be a great way to help people get to better know each other. It can also be a great way to have fun and help facilitate conversation. My kids are both getting to the age where they can join my wife and I in some games. And they have loved it! But, not all games are good.
A song that was popular when I was growing up was “Don't Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John & Kiki Dee. Unfortunately, I am sure that a lot of people have experienced this. A person would lead someone else on, manipulating their emotions in one way or another. Although not always, it would often be an issue of commitment from one person. Unfortunately that would often lead to great heartache. It is saddening that some people continuously do this with one person after another. After one person finally puts their foot down, the manipulator goes and finds someone else to lead around.
But, that isn't the worse of it. There are those who are very good manipulators and play con games with others. But, instead of just misleading a person's heart, they use their charm and manipulative skills to take things from others. Things like money, healthy, and/or property. For them, it's a game with how much they can take from others and how many lives they can hurt, or even destroy, before they are caught. Many of these people go for years before they are stopped, leaving a trail of emotional, physical, and spiritual wreckage in their wake.
I have observed some very manipulative people in my life. And, it saddens me to say, there are many within the physical church. It could be a congregation that has very unhealthy dynamics, a lay leader who uses his/her position to manipulate others, or even a pastor who uses his/her position to take advantage of others. I have even seen youth, who don't like how a youth leader does things, to 'play games' to try and get rid of that person.
These 'games people play' can take the form of spreading false rumors, being argumentative with someone over petty things, character assassination, showing ill will towards those who support someone they don't like, or even making false accusations with law enforcement or with a church or denomination’s legal organization. I have read numerous articles over the years with how a person or group within a church destroyed a person's life through false accusations. Even though they were later found innocent of the charges, their reputation and, potentially their ministry career, was ruined.
The thing is, we don't just 'play games' with each other, we also try to play games with God. Think about it… How often have you gone through life making excuses for things you may have said or done that you knew displeased God? When you justify your actions, are you not trying to play games with God? Take a moment and read about why God choose David (1 Samuel 16:1-11 NAS and how God later confronted David (2 Samuel 12:1-15 NAS). In both examples, God shows us that He knows what is on our hearts, what our attitudes are. Whether we like it or not, we cannot lie to God. We can only believe the lies that we tell ourselves. And God will confront us about it.
While playing card games and board games can be a great and wholesome form of entertainment, not all games are good. God calls us to be honest with ourselves, with each other, and with Him. When we try to play games with others so that we can manipulate them, we are not just being selfish, but we are essentially lying to them (and to God) about what our real motives are. Let us strive to repent of when we are false with each other, and towards God. That way we can edify (to build up) each other and tear each other down.
- Philippians 2:1-18 NAS
- James 3:1-12 NAS
While I was growing up in the 70's and the 80's, my family and I would take a long vacation (one to two weeks) every summer. Most of the time we drive from one place to another. To help keep us occupied, my mom would sometimes read to us articles from the Kitchen Klatter Magazine that she would get in the mail. Other times she would read to us from a book. Two books that I remember very well (and still have) are 'Fuzzy Bones' and 'Fuzzy Papers'.
When my mom didn't feel like reading, I would sometimes entertain myself with reading my own books or playing a games like travel bingo. Other times we would play a game like going through the alphabet using the letters that we saw on billboards and license plates. All of these activities would help the time to pass more quickly, so that it would seem that we arrived at our destination sooner.
I have played numerous bard and board games over the years with friends and family. Just a few of them are Monopoly, Risk, Clue, Chutes and Ladders, Mr. Mouth, etc. Usually I have really enjoyed playing games with others. Games can be a great way to help people get to better know each other. It can also be a great way to have fun and help facilitate conversation. My kids are both getting to the age where they can join my wife and I in some games. And they have loved it! But, not all games are good.
A song that was popular when I was growing up was “Don't Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John & Kiki Dee. Unfortunately, I am sure that a lot of people have experienced this. A person would lead someone else on, manipulating their emotions in one way or another. Although not always, it would often be an issue of commitment from one person. Unfortunately that would often lead to great heartache. It is saddening that some people continuously do this with one person after another. After one person finally puts their foot down, the manipulator goes and finds someone else to lead around.
But, that isn't the worse of it. There are those who are very good manipulators and play con games with others. But, instead of just misleading a person's heart, they use their charm and manipulative skills to take things from others. Things like money, healthy, and/or property. For them, it's a game with how much they can take from others and how many lives they can hurt, or even destroy, before they are caught. Many of these people go for years before they are stopped, leaving a trail of emotional, physical, and spiritual wreckage in their wake.
I have observed some very manipulative people in my life. And, it saddens me to say, there are many within the physical church. It could be a congregation that has very unhealthy dynamics, a lay leader who uses his/her position to manipulate others, or even a pastor who uses his/her position to take advantage of others. I have even seen youth, who don't like how a youth leader does things, to 'play games' to try and get rid of that person.
These 'games people play' can take the form of spreading false rumors, being argumentative with someone over petty things, character assassination, showing ill will towards those who support someone they don't like, or even making false accusations with law enforcement or with a church or denomination’s legal organization. I have read numerous articles over the years with how a person or group within a church destroyed a person's life through false accusations. Even though they were later found innocent of the charges, their reputation and, potentially their ministry career, was ruined.
The thing is, we don't just 'play games' with each other, we also try to play games with God. Think about it… How often have you gone through life making excuses for things you may have said or done that you knew displeased God? When you justify your actions, are you not trying to play games with God? Take a moment and read about why God choose David (1 Samuel 16:1-11 NAS and how God later confronted David (2 Samuel 12:1-15 NAS). In both examples, God shows us that He knows what is on our hearts, what our attitudes are. Whether we like it or not, we cannot lie to God. We can only believe the lies that we tell ourselves. And God will confront us about it.
While playing card games and board games can be a great and wholesome form of entertainment, not all games are good. God calls us to be honest with ourselves, with each other, and with Him. When we try to play games with others so that we can manipulate them, we are not just being selfish, but we are essentially lying to them (and to God) about what our real motives are. Let us strive to repent of when we are false with each other, and towards God. That way we can edify (to build up) each other and tear each other down.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Thoughts on a Great Injustice
Red Cry Behind The Lakota Tribe - Documentary Films
Several years ago, I bought a book by a man named Richard Twiss, who co-founded Wiconi International. It is titled One Church Many Tribes - Following Jesus The Way God Made You. Although I didn't finish it, I had read several chapters of the book and it really got me thinking about the many experiences that Richard had growing up. Honestly, I have had to start over several times because I would read for a while, then get distracted by something else and, months later, start over again. But, I digress...
Around the time that I first started reading that book, I bought a DVD set that was about the Indian Wars. What was unique about this DVD set is that it looked at the history from three perspectives. One was purely historical, about the different Plains Tribes from Texas on up into the Dakotas, how different Tribes migrated from one part of the country to another, etc. One was purely from the US Government perspective. The third one was purely from the Native American perspective. Although a lot of the information overlapped, there was a lot that was different. This was especially the case from the Native American perspective. The one thing that really stood out to me was how many times the US Government made a treaty with various Tribes. And then, out of greed for more land, we (as a Nation) broke our promise, 'made a new treaty' the took more from one Tribe or several Tribes.
I did a word search for the word “justice” with an on-line Bible Study site, using the New American Standard Bible (NASB) translation. I was also only looking in the Old Testament. Want to know how many results I got for the Old Testament alone? I got 129 results! Think this is something that is important to God? I think so. No, I don't 'think so.' I know that justice is very, very important to Him. As a holy and righteous God, He seeks out and demands true justice. What many will call 'Divine Justice.' God is just as loving and forgiving as He is holy and righteous. Here are just a few examples:
- Exodus 23:1-9 NASB
- Deuteronomy 16 NASB
- Deuteronomy 27 NASB
- Proverbs 2:1-15 NASB
- Jeremiah 7:1-15 NASB
Like I said, that is just a very brief sampling of the times that 'justice' is used in the Old Testament. To get a good understanding of God's sense of justice and how all of us as sinners stand before Him, read Romans chapters 1-7. Paul does not mince words as he explains what our fallen condition is, that we all deserve God's wrath for rebelling against Him in thought, word and deed each and every day. But, because of His great love for us, God became a Man, Jesus, and took our sins upon Himself and took our place. Think about it… While we were yet sinners, enemies of God, Christ chose to take our place (Romans 5:5-11). I encourage you to read that passage slowly a couple of times and let it sink it.
Because God is holy and righteous, when we choose to mistreat other people, we are showing gross disrespect towards our Creator. As it is written in Genesis 1-2, God created all people in His image. That is, with the same kind of characteristics as what He possess. The ability to love, the desire to create, the desire to be in relation with others, etc. We are all made in the Image of God. We are all His creation.
I have worked with the Nebraska Department of Corrections for over 7 years. Although there are many Hispanic and African Americans there, I have noticed that there is a large number of Native Americans in prison, too. As I spent time reading Richard Twiss' book, I found an opportunity to talk with one of the Native American inmates. I asked him a number of questions about his culture and shared what little I knew. I can still remember the initial look of shock on his face. Here was one of the 'guards' that not only wanted to treat him as a fellow human being, but was genuinely interested in learning more about his culture. At first, he did not want to talk with me, and I respected that. But, after about a month or so, he and a few others became more willing to talk with me and answer various questions that I had about their culture. This particular individual has never forgotten that.
As I have mentioned before, I love theology and I enjoy reading about other cultures, even experiencing them when I have the opportunity, and I also enjoy reading history. Not just biblical history, but US history and the history of other countries. Although I find history fascinating, it can be discouraging, too. Why? Because I will read how a country elected or allowed a group of people who talked sweetly but had corrupt values lead them. Though it wasn't always evident in the beginning, eventually the leadership would express their 'true colors.' It was true in Ancient Israel, it was true with Rome, it was true in German in the 1930's, and it has been true within the US.
If one does a quick search on Native American Treaties, you will find many sites. Just a few that I found quickly are:
The Avalon Project Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy, Yale Law School, Broken Promises On Display At Native American Treaties Exhibit, and Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties. Vol. II (Treaties) in part. Compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler. Washington : Government Printing Office, 1904.
Again, that is just a few results from my search. I know that some of you will say, “With the winner goes the spoils of war.” Okay… A nation wins a war against another nation and makes a Treaty, something that is a legal and binding document for both sides. Now, the conquering nations decides that they want more and either provoke a fight or 're-negotiate' the Treaty so that they get more and the conquered country gets less. Do you think that this is something honorable in God's eyes? Do you think that it is something that He can bless? I do not think so. No... It's not, "I don't think so." It is, "I know that it is so!"
In Richard Twiss' book, “One Church Many Tribes,” he puts forth the idea that part of the problems that we are having in this nation are because of deeply rooted spiritual disobedience. When people hear this, they think about the Civil War and the mistreatment of African Americans. While I was in seminary, I took an ethics class where one of the main authors that we read was Frederick Douglass, the Civil Rights Activist (c. 1818–1895) (http://www.biography.com/people/frederick-douglass-9278324 and http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass). I still have these books and look through them from time-to-time because of what I have learned looking at life through his eyes. But yet, what the African Americans have suffered is not the same as the genocide that the Native Americans have suffered. I am not the one referring to their plight as genocide, that is what many Native Americans have perceived. And, because of this repeated gross injustice and treaty breaking, instead of receiving God's blessings we are inheriting His correction and justice.
Over the years, I have watched quite a few documentaries on various Native American leaders, and I have been able to read a few books. The video link that I put at the beginning of this blog entry is just the latest of stories, videos and books that I have seen. But, let me share what I have experience…
I was born near Rapid City, South Dakota. My adopted Father's parents used to live there and I still have family from my biological Mother and biological Father's side living the area. While growing up, my parents and I would visit South Dakota almost every year. My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Custer State Park. And, after I returned from a deployment to Iraq in 2011, my wife, son, and I spent about two weeks vacationing in various parts of South Dakota. One thing we love to do together is visit various historical monuments, State Parks, National Parks, etc. It is a shared love for history, whether it was good or bad, that we want to learn from and teach our children.
Well, we stayed in Wall Drug, SD, for a number of days. Because of the numerous documentaries that we had watched as a family concerning the growth of our Nation and how it treated the Native Americans, one of our priorities was to visit museums about their history and plight. We walked into one museum in Wall Drug that was specifically about the Massacre at Wounded Knee. I was the last one to leave. Both of us had felt a very, very strong presence of anger in that museum. She took our son out and waited in the car while I spent a little more time looking around. I have experienced a lot of spiritual oppression in my life, but that was one of the worse experiences that I've had in a long time. It was that overwhelming!
Although that was the worse spiritual experience that we had during our vacation, it wasn't the only one. On several occasions, we could sense an angry, sometimes even extremely demonic presence. This was usually because of what had been allowed to happen in that area. We were a bit disappointed that we were not able to drive all the way to Wounded Knee. Both of us were very interested in visiting it. But, though we felt really uncomfortable at times driving through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. We could tell that many there did not like us being there. But, it is an experience that I am thankful for. I was able to see for myself a lot of the gross poverty that many have to live in. Though most of the people that we interacted with treated us respectfully, I could tell that at least some of them did not want us there, maybe even wished us ill. I do not know for sure.
Going back to my experiences with the Nebraska Department of Corrections… After building a positive relationship with several of the Native American inmates, the became willing to share some of their stories as to why they were in prison. A lot of it stemmed from their sense of worthlessness because of how they, as a people, have been treated. Many have a sense that there is no hope, especially while trying to maintain a connection to their religious heritage and native language. The sense that many of them have is, unless they 'truly become white' and give up their heritage, they will never be accepted as a person. Is this not discrimination?
Not only is this a US Government problem with abusing them as a people. We as the Body of Christ have done the same. I am not advocating that we not share the Gospel of Christ with them. Far from it! God calls all Christians to share the hope that we have because of what Christ did for us. However, we show them great disrespect, no are racist to them, by demanding that they get rid of all their heritage. I have had the privilege of worshiping God in many different churches over the years. Although my preference is usually a liturgical service, I have experienced God's presence in a Catholic Mass before, amongst African American brothers and sisters in a Gospel service, etc. I have not been able to witness a Native American style of Christian worship, but I would like to some day.
When I was a sophomore at Centre College, I was invited to a student led Bible Study. I had been invited there the year before, but had no desire to attend. This is a preacher's kid, someone who grew up being very active in his Dad's church, saying this. But, this time, I decided, “What the heck?! What do I have to loose but maybe an hour or so of my time?” It wasn't the songs that made me want to come back again. It wasn't the content of the Bible Study. Nor was it all the different personalities, per se. What floored me was the fact that each of the members came from extremely different backgrounds. There was at least two Catholics, several Independent (Baptist), at least one who was Methodist, and several other denominations. Instead of using their differences of understanding Scripture to separate them from each other, they used it as a way to look at a passage of Scripture in a fresh way. Although they sometimes agreed to disagree on how they understood a passage to say, they found more common ground than not. It was this mutual love for each other and desire to learn more about God by learning from others that made me want to come back. It was in that group that I finally got honest with God and with myself and gave my life to Christ.
Why do I add that here? Not only have we as a Nation shown Native Americans gross injustice, but so have we as the Body of Christ. And, I agree with Richard Twiss and several other Christians that I have read, in that as a Nation, we very well may not experience true healing from God until we repent of this. No matter what the color of our skin is, we are all created by God, in His image. Although not every custom and every tradition honors God, that is no excuse to demand that any group of people, be it Native Americans in America, Chinese believers in China, Japanese believers in Japan, etc., have to give up all of their traditions and customs. Not everything that has come out of Europe has been God-honoring, though many want to believe they were. The Spanish Inquisition, the wars between Catholics and Protestants, the Holy Wars/Crusades into the Middle East, are just a few examples that I can quickly think of. Because of our sinful nature, we will make mistakes. However, when we realize that we have made a mistake, we have an obligation to change it. To change our attitudes and our behaviors. What are you willing to do?
Several years ago, I bought a book by a man named Richard Twiss, who co-founded Wiconi International. It is titled One Church Many Tribes - Following Jesus The Way God Made You. Although I didn't finish it, I had read several chapters of the book and it really got me thinking about the many experiences that Richard had growing up. Honestly, I have had to start over several times because I would read for a while, then get distracted by something else and, months later, start over again. But, I digress...
Around the time that I first started reading that book, I bought a DVD set that was about the Indian Wars. What was unique about this DVD set is that it looked at the history from three perspectives. One was purely historical, about the different Plains Tribes from Texas on up into the Dakotas, how different Tribes migrated from one part of the country to another, etc. One was purely from the US Government perspective. The third one was purely from the Native American perspective. Although a lot of the information overlapped, there was a lot that was different. This was especially the case from the Native American perspective. The one thing that really stood out to me was how many times the US Government made a treaty with various Tribes. And then, out of greed for more land, we (as a Nation) broke our promise, 'made a new treaty' the took more from one Tribe or several Tribes.
I did a word search for the word “justice” with an on-line Bible Study site, using the New American Standard Bible (NASB) translation. I was also only looking in the Old Testament. Want to know how many results I got for the Old Testament alone? I got 129 results! Think this is something that is important to God? I think so. No, I don't 'think so.' I know that justice is very, very important to Him. As a holy and righteous God, He seeks out and demands true justice. What many will call 'Divine Justice.' God is just as loving and forgiving as He is holy and righteous. Here are just a few examples:
- Exodus 23:1-9 NASB
- Deuteronomy 16 NASB
- Deuteronomy 27 NASB
- Proverbs 2:1-15 NASB
- Jeremiah 7:1-15 NASB
Like I said, that is just a very brief sampling of the times that 'justice' is used in the Old Testament. To get a good understanding of God's sense of justice and how all of us as sinners stand before Him, read Romans chapters 1-7. Paul does not mince words as he explains what our fallen condition is, that we all deserve God's wrath for rebelling against Him in thought, word and deed each and every day. But, because of His great love for us, God became a Man, Jesus, and took our sins upon Himself and took our place. Think about it… While we were yet sinners, enemies of God, Christ chose to take our place (Romans 5:5-11). I encourage you to read that passage slowly a couple of times and let it sink it.
Because God is holy and righteous, when we choose to mistreat other people, we are showing gross disrespect towards our Creator. As it is written in Genesis 1-2, God created all people in His image. That is, with the same kind of characteristics as what He possess. The ability to love, the desire to create, the desire to be in relation with others, etc. We are all made in the Image of God. We are all His creation.
I have worked with the Nebraska Department of Corrections for over 7 years. Although there are many Hispanic and African Americans there, I have noticed that there is a large number of Native Americans in prison, too. As I spent time reading Richard Twiss' book, I found an opportunity to talk with one of the Native American inmates. I asked him a number of questions about his culture and shared what little I knew. I can still remember the initial look of shock on his face. Here was one of the 'guards' that not only wanted to treat him as a fellow human being, but was genuinely interested in learning more about his culture. At first, he did not want to talk with me, and I respected that. But, after about a month or so, he and a few others became more willing to talk with me and answer various questions that I had about their culture. This particular individual has never forgotten that.
As I have mentioned before, I love theology and I enjoy reading about other cultures, even experiencing them when I have the opportunity, and I also enjoy reading history. Not just biblical history, but US history and the history of other countries. Although I find history fascinating, it can be discouraging, too. Why? Because I will read how a country elected or allowed a group of people who talked sweetly but had corrupt values lead them. Though it wasn't always evident in the beginning, eventually the leadership would express their 'true colors.' It was true in Ancient Israel, it was true with Rome, it was true in German in the 1930's, and it has been true within the US.
If one does a quick search on Native American Treaties, you will find many sites. Just a few that I found quickly are:
The Avalon Project Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy, Yale Law School, Broken Promises On Display At Native American Treaties Exhibit, and Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties. Vol. II (Treaties) in part. Compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler. Washington : Government Printing Office, 1904.
Again, that is just a few results from my search. I know that some of you will say, “With the winner goes the spoils of war.” Okay… A nation wins a war against another nation and makes a Treaty, something that is a legal and binding document for both sides. Now, the conquering nations decides that they want more and either provoke a fight or 're-negotiate' the Treaty so that they get more and the conquered country gets less. Do you think that this is something honorable in God's eyes? Do you think that it is something that He can bless? I do not think so. No... It's not, "I don't think so." It is, "I know that it is so!"
In Richard Twiss' book, “One Church Many Tribes,” he puts forth the idea that part of the problems that we are having in this nation are because of deeply rooted spiritual disobedience. When people hear this, they think about the Civil War and the mistreatment of African Americans. While I was in seminary, I took an ethics class where one of the main authors that we read was Frederick Douglass, the Civil Rights Activist (c. 1818–1895) (http://www.biography.com/people/frederick-douglass-9278324 and http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass). I still have these books and look through them from time-to-time because of what I have learned looking at life through his eyes. But yet, what the African Americans have suffered is not the same as the genocide that the Native Americans have suffered. I am not the one referring to their plight as genocide, that is what many Native Americans have perceived. And, because of this repeated gross injustice and treaty breaking, instead of receiving God's blessings we are inheriting His correction and justice.
Over the years, I have watched quite a few documentaries on various Native American leaders, and I have been able to read a few books. The video link that I put at the beginning of this blog entry is just the latest of stories, videos and books that I have seen. But, let me share what I have experience…
I was born near Rapid City, South Dakota. My adopted Father's parents used to live there and I still have family from my biological Mother and biological Father's side living the area. While growing up, my parents and I would visit South Dakota almost every year. My wife and I spent our honeymoon in Custer State Park. And, after I returned from a deployment to Iraq in 2011, my wife, son, and I spent about two weeks vacationing in various parts of South Dakota. One thing we love to do together is visit various historical monuments, State Parks, National Parks, etc. It is a shared love for history, whether it was good or bad, that we want to learn from and teach our children.
Well, we stayed in Wall Drug, SD, for a number of days. Because of the numerous documentaries that we had watched as a family concerning the growth of our Nation and how it treated the Native Americans, one of our priorities was to visit museums about their history and plight. We walked into one museum in Wall Drug that was specifically about the Massacre at Wounded Knee. I was the last one to leave. Both of us had felt a very, very strong presence of anger in that museum. She took our son out and waited in the car while I spent a little more time looking around. I have experienced a lot of spiritual oppression in my life, but that was one of the worse experiences that I've had in a long time. It was that overwhelming!
Although that was the worse spiritual experience that we had during our vacation, it wasn't the only one. On several occasions, we could sense an angry, sometimes even extremely demonic presence. This was usually because of what had been allowed to happen in that area. We were a bit disappointed that we were not able to drive all the way to Wounded Knee. Both of us were very interested in visiting it. But, though we felt really uncomfortable at times driving through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. We could tell that many there did not like us being there. But, it is an experience that I am thankful for. I was able to see for myself a lot of the gross poverty that many have to live in. Though most of the people that we interacted with treated us respectfully, I could tell that at least some of them did not want us there, maybe even wished us ill. I do not know for sure.
Going back to my experiences with the Nebraska Department of Corrections… After building a positive relationship with several of the Native American inmates, the became willing to share some of their stories as to why they were in prison. A lot of it stemmed from their sense of worthlessness because of how they, as a people, have been treated. Many have a sense that there is no hope, especially while trying to maintain a connection to their religious heritage and native language. The sense that many of them have is, unless they 'truly become white' and give up their heritage, they will never be accepted as a person. Is this not discrimination?
Not only is this a US Government problem with abusing them as a people. We as the Body of Christ have done the same. I am not advocating that we not share the Gospel of Christ with them. Far from it! God calls all Christians to share the hope that we have because of what Christ did for us. However, we show them great disrespect, no are racist to them, by demanding that they get rid of all their heritage. I have had the privilege of worshiping God in many different churches over the years. Although my preference is usually a liturgical service, I have experienced God's presence in a Catholic Mass before, amongst African American brothers and sisters in a Gospel service, etc. I have not been able to witness a Native American style of Christian worship, but I would like to some day.
When I was a sophomore at Centre College, I was invited to a student led Bible Study. I had been invited there the year before, but had no desire to attend. This is a preacher's kid, someone who grew up being very active in his Dad's church, saying this. But, this time, I decided, “What the heck?! What do I have to loose but maybe an hour or so of my time?” It wasn't the songs that made me want to come back again. It wasn't the content of the Bible Study. Nor was it all the different personalities, per se. What floored me was the fact that each of the members came from extremely different backgrounds. There was at least two Catholics, several Independent (Baptist), at least one who was Methodist, and several other denominations. Instead of using their differences of understanding Scripture to separate them from each other, they used it as a way to look at a passage of Scripture in a fresh way. Although they sometimes agreed to disagree on how they understood a passage to say, they found more common ground than not. It was this mutual love for each other and desire to learn more about God by learning from others that made me want to come back. It was in that group that I finally got honest with God and with myself and gave my life to Christ.
Why do I add that here? Not only have we as a Nation shown Native Americans gross injustice, but so have we as the Body of Christ. And, I agree with Richard Twiss and several other Christians that I have read, in that as a Nation, we very well may not experience true healing from God until we repent of this. No matter what the color of our skin is, we are all created by God, in His image. Although not every custom and every tradition honors God, that is no excuse to demand that any group of people, be it Native Americans in America, Chinese believers in China, Japanese believers in Japan, etc., have to give up all of their traditions and customs. Not everything that has come out of Europe has been God-honoring, though many want to believe they were. The Spanish Inquisition, the wars between Catholics and Protestants, the Holy Wars/Crusades into the Middle East, are just a few examples that I can quickly think of. Because of our sinful nature, we will make mistakes. However, when we realize that we have made a mistake, we have an obligation to change it. To change our attitudes and our behaviors. What are you willing to do?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)