The Wall: A Foundation for Christian and Native American Reconciliation by vstod

THE WALL: A Foundation for Christian and Native American Reconciliation

Victoria Stoddard

This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths: Where is the good way? Then walk in it and find rest for your souls."

Jeremiah 6:16

THE WALL: A Foundation for Christian and Native American Reconciliation

Victoria Stoddard

Contents 1.

Biblical Basis of Seeking Justice and Healing

Colonialism, Native Americans and Christianity

National Wounds

Using Christianity to Promote Healing

The Issue

Longstanding National Sins

"If you bring your gift to the alter, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave... and go you way. First be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift." - Matthew 5:23

As the United States was being founded there were many treaties made with Native American tribes that were never upheld. The Native American tribes also suffered large amounts of violence and oppression at the hands of our forefathers that has effects which carry into the modern day.

BIBLICAL BASIS

Biblical Basis

Joshua 9:3-5 & 11-20

2Â Samuel 21:1-6

Book of Joshua TREATY WITH THE GIBEONITES Joshua 9:3-5 & 11-20

When the children of Israel were taking the lands of Jericho and moving into the promise land a group of Gibeonites became scared and sought to trick the children of Israel into making a peace treaty with them. The Gibeonites pretended they came from far away, and asked Joshua to make a peace treaty. Joshua consented to the peace treaty, but soon after the Israelites found out they had been deceived. The Israelites wanted to kill the Gibeonites for their deceit, but the leaders of Israel said they could not. The children of Israel "Did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the Lord, the God of Israel."(Joshua 9:3-5) The leaders told the people that "we have given them our oath by the Lord... and we cannot touch them now.... this is what we will do to them: we will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them." (Joshua 9:11-20)

Book of Samuel PEACE TREATY BROKEN 2 Samuel 21:1-6

Many years after the original peace treaty was made, King David ruled over Israel. Duing his reign there was a famine that lasted three years. David asked the Lord why the famine was happening. God answered David and told him that "It is on account of Saul and his bloodstained house; it is because he put the Gibenoites to death." (2 Samuel 21:1-6) After hearing this King David asked the Gibenoites how he could rectify the injustices so that the Gibenoites would "bless the Lord's inheritance." (2 Samuel 21:2) The Gibeonites told David how he could atone for the situation, and David complied with their requests. After David fulfiled their requests, God once again answered the prayers on behalf of the land. (2 Samuel 21:5-6)

Relevency to Today "BE DOERS OF THE WORD" James 1:22

The nation of Israel was judged for not upholding their promises. In the United States today it isÂ estimated that over 90% of the treaties with Native American tribes were not fulfilled. Just as Israel was judged for not upholding their treaty with the Gibenoites, author Richard Twiss pondered if we were experiencing that same type of judgement in the United States today since we have not kept our promises. We are living in a nation that is actively oppressive to a group of people and not upholding its words. We have the ability to change through the power of God so we do not have any excuses to not do so. As we rectify these issues we begin to make the paths straight for the Lord, By doing so we can help others overcome the past impediments to accepting Christ.

Relevency to Today "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them." - James 4:17 A Christian Native American preacher, William Apess put it bluntly about why Christians should be concerend with seeking justice for the Native American community. Apess said: "I ask O ye Christians!! who hold us and our children, in the most abject ignorance and degradtion, that ever a people were afflicted with since the world begain- I say, if God gives you peace and tranquility, and suffers you thus go on afflicting us and our children, who have never even given you the least provocationWould He be to us a God of justice? If you will allow that we are MEN, who feel for each other, does not the blood of our fathers and of their children cry aloud to the Lord of the Sabbath against you, for the cruelties and murders with which you have, and do continue to afflict us?" (1)

Relevency to Today The Prophet Isaiah wrote “Declare to My people their transgression... for day after day they seek Me and delight to know My ways, like a nation that does what is right and does not forsake the justice of their God... The people wonder “why have we fasted and you have not seen? Why have we humbled ourselves and You have not noticed?” The Lord replied and said “Behold, on the day of your fast, you do as you please, and you oppress all your workers. You fast with contention and strife to strike viciously with your fist. You cannot fast as you do today and have your voice be heard on high.” The Lord continued: “Is this the fast I have chose, a day for a man to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Isn't this the fast that I have chosen: to break the chains of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and tear off every yoke? Isn't it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” Isaiah 58

Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do right; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Isaiah 32:17 The fruit of that rightousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

"For the cause of the oppressed and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the Lord. PSALM 12:5

I searched for a man among them to repair the wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land so that I should no destroy it. But I found none. EZEKIEL 22:30

Rebuilding the WallÂ The Book of Nehemiah NEHEMIAH'S BACKGROUND Nehmiah was alive when the remnant returned to Jerusalem after being exiled. The wall around Jerusalem was broken down, and Nehemiah sought to rebuild it.

Nehemiah's Prayer Nehemiah prayed after he found out the wall was in disrepair. He asked God to hear his prayer and repented that he and the nation had been disobedient.

God put it in Nehemiah's heart to begin to rebuild the wall. Nehemiah traveled to Jerusalem and inspected the wall to see what needed to be repaired. He later got the help of many citizens of Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. All the people worked hard together to build the wall, each doing different tasks.

Applying These Principles Today The United States is like the broken down wall today. The original European Immigrants sought to establish a place governed by Christian values. Unfortunately, we have not upheld Christian principles in many ways.Â The United States was founded through the oppression of Native Americans. The Native American tribes experienced theft, murder, deceit, and cultural eradication as the United States was being founded. All of these actions went against the faith that the colonists were professing. As the Native American tribes encountered the missionaries, they were being oppressed and harmed by other colonists who considered themselves to be Christian. These past harmful actions still impact the Native Americans today.

02 Native Americans, Colonialism and Christianity

EUROPEAN COLONIALISM Imperialism and Christianity Early European immigrants included the Puritans, Pilgrims, Quakers, Angelician, and Cathlioc among others.Â Many of these early immigrants were fleeing religious persecution in Europe and moved to North America to find a place to worship God freely.

Many of the colonies were formed and governed with Christian ideals as a basis.

Upon landing in North America, John Winthrop, a founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony said: "We are entered into covenant with Him... we have taken out a commission...we have hereupon besought Him of favor and blessing.” “Now if the Lord shall please to hear us, and bring us in peace to the place we desire, then hath He ratified this covenant and sealed our commission and will expect a strict performance of the articles contained in it, but if we shall neglect the observations of these articles which are the ends we have propounded, and dissembling with out God, shall fall to embrace this present world and prosecute our carnal intentions seeking great things for ourselves and our posterity, the Lord will surely break out in wrath against us, be revenged of such a perjured people, and make us know the price of the breach of such a covenant.” This sermon then explained the only way which the nation can avoid the wrath of God would be “...to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God.” -John Winthrop "A Model of Christian Charity"

CHRISTIANITY AND COLONIALISM Some European immigrants attempted to evangelize to Native Americans. Missionaries visited Native American tribes to teach them about salvation in Jesus. Unfortunately, as these missionaries were preaching to Native American tribes many governmental officials and traders were also interacting with the tribes in unjust ways. For example, the traders and governmental officials encouraged Native Americans to partake in alcohol consumption during trade deals and treaty negotiations to take advantage of the tribal members.

CONFLICT Massacres of Native American Tribes

During the European colonization of North America the Native Americans were subjected to brutal massacres. Some sources indicate that nearly every state had a massacre committed within it. The Massacre of Gnadenhutten, the Sand Creek Massacre, and the Baker Massacre were all perpetrated by the government against peaceful Native American tribes. The Massacre at Gnadenhutten was done against a group of peaceful Christian Indians inside a Moravian Mission. The Sand Creek Massacre was perpetrated by a former missionary against a group of peaceful and surrendered tribal members from the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. The Baker Massacre was committed against a group of peaceful tribal members. These horrific events do not include every massacre that the Native Americans were subjected to.

CONFLICT Massacres of Native American Tribes

These injustices show how important it is to never deter from upholding the Christian values of peace, love and unity. If the perpetraters of these massacres had done so they would have been living up to the faith they professed and could have avoided the mass amount of bloodshed. Native American tribes still are healing from these events today. These massacres perpetrated by "Christians" are an example of the way that our sins can become stumbling blocks for others. These massacres also illustrate the importance of living up to your professed faith. These horrific events created stumbling blocks for people to accept Christ, many Native Americans have not accepted Christianity even into the present day.

WoeÂ to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by iniquity! HABAKKUK 2:21

Doctrine of Discovery The Doctrine of Discovery was derived from a series of papal decrees made by the Roman Catholic Church. This decree proclaimed that any area discovered by a Christian nation could be claimed by that nation if the area was not already inhabited by another Christian nation. This papal decree was used by the United States government to form the basis of the Federal Indian Policy. The government used this papal decree as a way to claim their right to the land in the United States and it worked to subvert the Aboriginal Title to the land. The government stole the title to the land through North America using this decree as a basis. This decree was originally from the Catholic Church but has been used to justify land theft in a nation that was formed with the intention to have a separation of Church and state.

Boarding Schools

Boarding Schools As the United States was being formed the government began efforts to assimilate the Native American tribes. The government worked with churches to institute boarding schools for Native American children. The children were forced to attend these schools and were kept away from their homes during their time in the school. The children were forced to not speak their original language or face punishment. The children had to cut their hair, wear anglo clothing styles, and have their original names changed. These schools also prohibited the children from partaking in any of their original cultural practices. The children at the boarding schools were punished harshly if they disobeyed any of the rules.

Boarding Schools At the boarding schools the children were subjected to harsh treatment. Unfortunately, some children were abused physically and sexually. At the same time, the children were forced to accept Christianity and participate in prayers. Many of the boarding schools were ran by churches and taught by nuns. The effects that these boarding schools had on the children are still causing an impact on the Native American community today. Due to the abuse that the children experienced at these schools they have been more susceptible to things like drug and alcohol dependency and lasting mental health impacts. These susceptibilities further impact the next generation as well since the children who had attended boarding schools then become parents themselves. When these former boarding school attendees have children the lasting effects of the boarding school can potentially impair their ability to care for their children.

Forced Removals As the United States was expanding the government made many treaties with the Native Americans. The government made promises to the tribes in these treaties and in exchange the tribes agreed to move to the west and give up their land in the east. Many times the tribes were forced to accept the treaties with the threat of violence. There were other times when the tribes were deceived into giving up their land. The government also failed to uphold many of the promises that were made to the tribes in the removal treaties.

03 National Sins

"Richard Adams points out the hypocrisy of those who used the guise of Christianity to gain control of Indian homelands, the broken promises in countless treaties, and the frustration of being denied justice in a country that prides itself on 'Justice for All.' RICHARD C. ADAMS

National Sins Massacres and Murders As the United States was forming the Native Americans faced hostility from the settlers and government. This hostility caused massacres and murders of many Native Americans. Many of these massacres have not been atoned for.

LandÂ Theft The land of the United States was taken unjustly many times using deceit, trickery, or bloodshed. The government acknowledged that they unfairly took the land, but prohibited the Native Americans from receiving justice, or getting their land back.

Multiple Forced Removals Many Native American tribes were forced to move several different times. Some tribes were forced by the government to abandon their original homeland and move west. Later the majority of tribes were forced to move onto reservations. There were some tribes who were forced to leave their homes en haste at gunpoint or with the threat of violence.

Not upholding treaties The Federal Government made many promises in treaty agreements and it has not upheld many of them. By some estimates, over 90% of treaties have not been upheld. Just as the example of the Isrealites and Gibeonite treaty showed, we can see how God judges nations who do not uphold their treaty promises. Furthermore, the Native American communities throughout the United States face unequal living conditions due to prior treaty promises not being upheld.

Generational Trauma The harmful actions committed against Native American communities have caused generational trauma. Certain conditions that the Native Americans face today were caused by prior interference into the Native communities. Unresolved harmful events from the past still affect these communities today. Things like mental health issues, alcohol and drug abuse issues, unequal living conditions, along with other issues all create an environment that negatively impacts the Native American communities throughout the US.

God is a God of justice He is no respecter of persons. We must examine if our actions- either through passivity, inaction, or active efforts are causing others to suffer.Â In the United States we have the ability to speak out against oppression and seek to change the system. We have a responsibility, like King David to seek to promote healing and reconciliation between the United States and the Native American tribes. We can help the tribal members seek justice, and help them to obtain equal living conditions, facilities, and oppoutunities compared to those in the US in general.

You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come ls rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so we will no longer be a disgrace. Nehemiah 2:17

04 USING CHRISTIANITY TO PROMOTE HEALING

Foundational Principles of Christianity include: Truth Love Justice Peace & Reconciliation

We should seek to live out these principles in our daily walk with God, and with our fellow man. These principles can also be applied to providing assistance to Native Americans to help them achieve justice and peace . Christian values can also help to promote and reconciliation and healing between Native Americans and nonNative individuals.

The treatment that the Native American communities experienced as the United States was being founded and afterword have never been atoned for. These actions committed against Native Americans are not only a scar on the relationship between Native Americans and non-Natives, but are also a stain on our country, and on the ability for many Native Americans to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. These prior actions were sinful actions committed against the Native American communitities, and these actions need to be atoned for if we desire to seek God's favor on our country.

TRUTH, PEACE,AND RECONCILIATION Four Healing Steps 1 Confession- State the truth and acknowledge past harmful actions 2 Repentance- Turn from wrong actions, and seek to show love instead 3 Reconciliation-Â Asking for forgivness, and pursuing fellowship with those who were enemies before 4 Restitution- Seeking to restore what was damaged in the past, seeking justice, and attempting to influence those who are in the power to act

IfÂ My people who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

(1) Willie J. Harrell, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sons of the Forest: The Native American Jeremiad Materialized in the Social Protest Rhetoric of William Apess, 1829-1836,â&#x20AC;? Americana E-Journal of Amerian Studies in Hungary, accessed April 17, 2020. http://americanaejournal.hu/vol7no2/harrell

You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come ls rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so we will no longer be a disgrace. Nehemiah 2:17

04 USING CHRISTIANITY TO PROMOTE HEALING

Foundational Principles of Christianity include:

Truth Love Reconciliation Justice Peace

We should seek to live out these principles in our daily walk with God, and with our fellow man. These principles can also be applied to seeking justice, peace and reconciliation in the US between Indians and nonIndians.