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Welcome to What Matters Most, episode 8 of our fifth season with Rev. Dr. H. Daniel Zacharias and Dr. T. Christopher Hoklotubbe. Rev. Dr. H. Daniel Zacharias is Associate Dean, Professor of New Testament Studies at Acadia Divinity College, and Liaison to NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community and Dr. T. Christopher Hoklotubbe (Choctaw) is Director of the Indigenous Theological Circle and the Associate Professor of Indigenous Theological Studies, at Bexley Seabury Seminary and NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community. In this episode I speak with Danny and Chris about their book Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation and the book delivers on the promise of its title and subtitle. This book is about reading the Bible with and through Indigenous traditions and viewpoints. This is a powerful book, drawing on academic methods, but also allowing indigenous experiences, stories and history be the lens through which the Bible is read. I found it an emotional experience at times reading the book and at one point in our conversation I found that emotion overwhelmed me, which surprised me. I wondered whether to take that portion out, but Kevin encouraged me to keep it in as it was a genuine response to the stories of suffering and loss that indigenous people have experienced throughout many centuries. The resilience that indigenous peoples have displayed in light of oppression and persecution is an even bigger part of their story. As is the joy and humour you will hear from Danny and Chris.

This episode was a powerful learning experience for me, both in reading their book, Reading the Bible on Turtle Island, and listening to Chris and Danny discuss their work as indigenous biblical scholars. I encourage you to buy the book! I also appreciated the good humour that was always on display with each other and the humility with which they presented their work. Their book is a serious work of biblical scholarship, which delves into painful episodes of physical and cultural genocide that were perpetrated by the same people who brought them the Bible. As they wrote in their book, “We also live within the reality of colonization and the brutal legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery. We do not leave these historical realities behind as we encounter Scripture. Indeed, it was this sacred text that was often used to justify the theft of Indigenous lands and the practice of cultural genocide. These are realities that Indigenous peoples live with every day.” (16). Those of us who are not indigenous to turtle island are only beginning to reckon with the truth and reconciliation that is essential for healing and growth. Those of us who are Christians must learn from indigenous Christians and from indigenous scholars about what it means to truly accept the Gospel.

When we learn the Bible from scholars like Danny and Chris, “this grounded framework can often emphasize previously unnoticed elements within biblical prose and narratives or resignify the meaning of technical terms or narrative elements and figures” (18). We need to pay attention to the land we live on, we need to pay attention to all of our relations, we need to have the mindset of caring for all from the least to the first. When we take these key elements of indigenous thought, lo and behold, we find a way understanding the Bible more fully in its original contexts.

This podcast emerges from the Centre for Christian Engagement at St Mark’s College, the Catholic college at UBC, a centre that explores the Christian and Catholic intellectual tradition and seek to learn from others, other Christians, other religious traditions, and those who do not claim any particular or formal religious affiliation.

Thanks again for listening and remember what matters most!

John W. Martens