Category Archives: Residential Schools

Jesus, the only real hope for the future of Canada & the World

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At the Baptist General Conference of Canada’s Celebration 2024, I made the statement — in the context of challenging Canadian churches and church leaders to reach out to their neighbours —

“There is no ultimate Canadian. But if there were, it would be Jesus!”

Of course, the quintessential Canadian does not exist. People have been trying to define what a Canadian is for generations but all definitions seem to come up short.

Perhaps the best explanation for our inability to do so comes from Pierre Elliott Trudeau who made the statement:

“What could be more absurd than the concept of an ‘all-Canadian’ boy or girl? A society which emphasizes uniformity is one which creates intolerance and hate. A society which eulogizes the average citizen is one which breeds mediocrity. What the world should be seeking, and what in Canada we must continue to cherish, are not concepts of uniformity but human values: compassion, love, and understanding.”

This Canada Day, let’s talk about Jesus as the only real hope for the future of Canada & the World.

Jesus Identifies as the Great “I AM”

Exodus 3:13-14 — “Then Moses replied to God, ‘Suppose I go to the people of Israel and say to them, “The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” What should I tell them?’ “God answered Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’”

Guess what? Jesus himself also used this same name to describe himself. We see this in John 8:12, 18, 24, 28, and 58. We know that that is exactly what Jesus was claiming because immediately after Jesus makes this statement they want to try to stone him to death for blasphemy.

Why is this important to Canada? Since the Scripture elsewhere describes Jesus as the light of the world and the King of kings, it makes sense that included within the world, and the other kings, is every other nation that has existed, exists today, and will exist in the future. If we’re looking for true leadership, if we’re looking for a true representation of what it means to live out the life of a citizen of our nations, we need to look no further than Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only real hope for the future of Canada and the world.

Jesus Knows When to Arrive — At Just the Right Time

The Bible is clear that Jesus arrival to the Earth was at exactly the right time. There are two ways we can look at time. One of them is Kronos time which is time as it flows from one minute to the next, from one hour to the next, from one day to the next, from one week to the next, from one year to the next, and so on. It flows inexorably towards the end. But there’s also a different kind of time that’s spoken of in the Bible and that is Kairos time. This means the right time.

Where this plays out in the Philippines is that I promise that I’m going to go to your birthday party and you’ve invited me several times and I’ve said, “Yes I’ll be there.” But then just as I’m about to leave for your birthday party, one of my relatives from the province arrives at my house and I need to entertain them. My plan to go to your birthday party is Kronos time. My plan to entertain my all-of-a-sudden houseguest is Kairos time.

Romans 5:6-8 — “When the time was right, while we were still weak human beings following our bad hearts and broken ways, the Chosen One died for us.”

2 Corinthians 6:2 — “At the right time I heard your cry…”

Galatians 4:4 — “But when the time was right, Creator sent his Son…”

Just as Jesus came at the right time for the people living in first century Palestine, living under the thumb of the Roman empire, Jesus also came for those who live today in Canada. Right from the beginning, it was God’s plan for the entire world to be saved. Jesus himself testifies to this in John 3:16-17, when he converses with Nicodemus in the middle of the night and he clarifies to Nicodemus that God sent his son to the entire world because of his love for that entire world. Guess what that world includes Canada!

Canada Needs Jesus

That means, as we extrapolate from Jesus, statement of God’s love for the world to our existence today that Canada needs Jesus just as much as the first century Palestinians needed Jesus. 

Canada needs Jesus because we as Canadians are enslaved by sin. Humanity was created with original righteousness, which then became slavery to sin after the incident in the Garden of Eden. This action affected all of Adam and Eve’s descendants — including present-day Canadians — their cultures, and even the physical world around them [I have written about that here]

Humanity’s story is one of repeated rebellion. From Adam and Eve to Noah, from Abraham’s family to Israel’s kings, Scripture records God’s faithfulness alongside humanity’s repeated failure. Canada is not unique in this respect. Like every nation, we need a Saviour.

It doesn’t get much better in the New Testament. Everyone trying to get it right whether it’s Jesus’ disciples, or the early churches — in whatever city you would like to choose. 

Canadians aren’t much better. In fact, in a recent survey, Evangelicalism was sometimes perceived to be more damaging than beneficial. Coupled with that is the church’s active participation in the Indian Residential School System and implications for us today. And looking inside the church itself we face questions such as How do we hang on to the next generation?

Christ Is the Quintessential Human

Oxford defines quintessential as: “representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class.”

the Scriptures are pretty clear that Jesus is a representative of humanity. This is clearly discussed in Paul’s epistle to the Romans. In chapter 5, he talks about these two atoms. He talks about Adam from the garden of Eden as being the first atom. And it’s because of this atom that sin came into the world and that laid to everyone having to die. Because while we were in Adam, we send. But then we also read about the second ad which is Christ. And it’s this Christ that brings salvation to the world — “If humanity died as the result of one person’s failure it is certainly true that God’s kindness and the gift given to the kindness of one person Jesus Christ have been showered on humanity.”

The first Adam represented humanity in the fall into slavery to sin and the second Adam, or Christ, represents humanity in their freedom from that slavery and their restoration back into a right relationship with God.

In some ways, this may be even saying that there are two quintessential humans both of them, Adams in somewhere and other. Adam being the first Representative of humanity at Christ being the second Representative of humanity, but the one who transforms that humanity into a redeemed and saved humanity.

As the Quintessential Human, Jesus Connects with Every Culture

If it’s indeed true that Jesus is the quintessential human that means that Jesus, as that quintessential human has something to say to every culture of the world. This means that just as Christ was able to enter the world of the Jewish man in the first century so too Christ can enter the world of the twenty-first century Canadian human. To be a representative of this quintessential person—to be the second Adam for us as Canadians.

And of course, this applies to every other culture of the world as well—

Filipino,

Vietnamese,

Georgian,

Russian,

Ukrainian,

Kurdish,

Azerbaijani,

and Iranian.

Jesus Clearly Connects the Here and Now with the Not Yet

If Jesus, as the quintessential human, can connect with every culture of the world, that means that he actively connect the hero now with the not yet. Philippians chapter 2 famously speaks about Jesus, leaving his life as a rumour of the universe, taking the form of the servant becoming obedient and showing us what it’s like to be a true human. But in that action, he also connects this world with the world to come.

When I was growing up, my primary understanding of salvation was, will I go to heaven when I die or will I go to hell? It was a primarily future post death scenario. I didn’t expect to experience the joys of salvation until after I had died.

The reality is that Salvation isn’t just something to wait for until after we die. In John 8:1–11, Jesus meets the accusers and the woman where they are and tries to connect them to the gospel through the things that he says. He encourages the accusers to reflect upon their own lives and sinfulness. He encourages the woman by reminding her that she no longer needs to be a slave to sin, but that she can find a new way of living.

In John 9:1–12, people assume the man is blind because of personal sin. Jesus says that’s not the way to look at this man’s problems. Rather blindness serves as a reminder that we too may be blind but it’s OK for us to approach the light of the world who can illuminate us and who can give us sight.

How can we move beyond the question “If you were to die tonight, do you know where you would go?” because I would suspect that this is no longer the primary relevant question for Canadians. People are more concerned about daily needs. How can the church move beyond merely presenting hope for the future by providing hope in the here and now?

A question instead is what does Jesus offer to Canadians in the hero now even as we wait for the not yet?

Jesus Offers Illumination

If Jesus is the quintessential human can connect with every culture of the world, and if he can connect the here and now with not yet, it also reveals that Jesus can offer illumination for us to see the path we must follow in our life. This illumination is not nearly offered to those who are Jesus followers. It’s also an offer that Jesus himself makes to everyone in the world who is seeking illumination. Who is seeking enlightenment. Who is seeking direction for the path set before them.

In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I AM the light shining on this dark world. The ones who walk with me will not stumble in the darkness but will have the light that gives them life.”

I think it’s significant that here is one of the instances in the New Testament when Jesus directly identifies himself with Yahweh, the God of the people of Israel, who first revealed himself by this name when he offered to freedom from Egypt. When Jesus said those words, I am, he was signalling to his listeners that that God of salvation from your history is here with you today and is offering you salvation here and now.

In the context of Canada, it leads us to ask some questions: 

How does Jesus illuminate Canada?

Is the church illuminating Canada too?

Does the church live out the values of the kingdom?

What happens if the church hasn’t been successful? Can reconciliation happen?

Jesus Speaks Truth in Culturally Relevant Ways

If Jesus is the quintessential human, if Jesus can connect with every culture in the world, if Jesus can connect the hear and now with the not yet, and if he offers illumination to the world, that means he also speaks truth in culturally relevant ways. Is able to take this universal truth and reality that God loves the world and to distil that down into ways that understandable applicable, relevant in each culture of the world.

John 8:17–18 — “Your tribal law tells you it takes the word of two people to know the truth. So then, I speak for MYSELF, and the Father speaks for me also.”

John 8:28–29 — “When you lift up the True Human Being on the cross, then you will know that I AM who I say I am…”

I’m sure Jesus could see his listeners getting agitated as he kept referring to himself with that name I am. But Jesus continues with that because he knows that those that that name is culturally significant to his listeners. He wants to get his message across. He wants to speak as the one with ultimate authority into the lives of those people living in Palestine in those early days. So we continue using this name I am. Of course we know that it’s true. We know that Jesus himself is the great I am.

Which leads to the next questions on Canada Day: 

How do Canadians determine the truth?

What truth does Jesus represent?

Does the church understand how to determine the truth?

For example, in the Philippines we:

  • Consult the Bible.
  • Negotiate with family.
  • Ask advice from experts.
  • Follow the teachings of various religious congregations.
  • Reflect on matters and draw our own conclusions.

Is this the same process that Canadians would follow or would there be something different from this? What’s clear is that determining truth is not always the easiest thing to do is it?

Jesus Says He Is the Only Option

If all the previous things are true. If Jesus is the quintessential human, if Jesus can connect with every culture in the world, if Jesus can connect the here and now with the not yet, if Jesus offers illumination to the world, and if Jesus speaks the truth and culturally relevant ways, that means that Jesus is pretty unique. Jesus stands alone. Jesus stands apart from all of the other people saying they have the answer.

And Canadians are looking for the answers aren’t they? In some ways there’s a vast divide perhaps not even one divide but several divides as people think about the best path forward for Canada. What’s the best way is it to look back at some of the values we remember from when we are child and try to return to those? Is it to question everything that we’ve experienced in the past to see the injustice that have happened and so come up with a new path moving forward? Is it a combination of the two? Is it something completely different? It’s complex isn’t it?

Jesus understood the complexity of this and embrace it. His claim was that he was the only option. We see this in John 8:23–24 — “You are from below and belong to the ways of this world. I am from above…”

That’s a rather cryptic way of him saying I’m the one you people need.

And this touches on a truth that we see through the whole length breath and depth of scripture. That is that the Gospel is political. God wants no rivals. He wants to be the one to rule. And that’s not because of some ego trip that God is on. No it simply because he rules with love he has our best interest at heart. He doesn’t want to condemn us, but wants to save us. Therefore, he is the only logical choice for who we want to rule our lives, our nation, and the physical world around us.

More questions than answers:

How does Jesus serve as the way for Canadians?

Does the church point a clear way to that Jesus?

Jesus Says He Is Ultimate Reality

In John 8:58, Jesus States is true identity in a way that was immediately understood by those who were listening to him, and in a way that clearly declared who he was claiming to be. His statement “I was there before Father of Many Nations was born—for I AM” so infuriated his listeners that they wanted to kill him because Jesus was claiming to be ultimate reality. His earlier uses of the phrase I am were just circling around the concept without coming out and stating explicitly who he felt he was.

There is no ultimate Canadian.

But if there were, it would be Jesus.

Questions for the Canadian Church

Why did God rescue Israel from Egypt? Exodus 2:23–25 gives us the exact reason — “After a long time passed, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites still groaned because they were slaves. So they cried out, and their cries for help went up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the Israelites being oppressed and was concerned about them.”

Did you noticed those four concepts? God heard their calls for help, God remembered his promises, God saw the oppression, and God was concerned about them. 

I think we can say the same thing about Canada. God hears, God remembers his promise, God sees oppression, and God is concerned about Canadians.

How does Jesus exemplify this for Canada?

What is Jesus hearing from Canadians?

What is Jesus remembering about his promises to Canadians?

What oppression does Jesus see in Canada?

What is Jesus concerned about for Canadians?

How do we—as Christ’s body—exemplify this for Canada?

For some reason, God and his wisdom shows humans to be the messengers, bearing the good news of Jesus Christ as a ruler, two live out and teach the values of his kingdom, to love him, and love their neighbors, and to testify to the truth. That means these actions of God in hearing, remembering, seeing, and being concerned are also our actions towards the world around us.

What are we hearing from Canadians?

What are we remembering about Jesus’ promises to Canadians?

What oppression are we seeing in Canada?

What are we concerned about for Canadians?

The Right Choice for Reaching Canada

At the end of all of this, we are forced to make a choice about who we think Jesus is. After Jesus made his claim to be the great I am the people listening to him had two choices. One choice was to pick up rocks and start throwing them at him. The other choice was to submit to him as the great I am.

I always love Mark 8 where Jesus conducts a poll among his disciples as to who they think he is. I don’t think Jesus was surprised by any of their answers, so perhaps he’s asking the question so that it’s a catalyst for their them to think about it.

Here is the account from Mark 8:29–30:

“‘But who do you say I am?’ he asked.

‘You are the Chosen One!’ Peter answered.”

From this point on we see something different in scripture I think. Whereas prior to this Jesus was always saying don’t tell a whole lot of people about what’s going on. But after this, he no longer warns them to be silent. In fact, he commands them to be noisy!

Acts 1:8 “Instead, set your hearts and minds on the Holy Spirit, who will give you strong medicine when he comes. You will then tell my story in Village of Peace, in all the Land of Promise and High Place, and then to the farthest parts of the earth—to all languages, tribes, and nations.”

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is not a line of identity but a line of how far the good news extends. Can we say the message Jesus brings is good news for Canadians or not? Does Jesus have something to say to twenty-first-century Canadian lives? If Jesus brought God’s presence into a first-century Jewish community; If Jesus drew near to those in first-century Jewish society who were on the fringes; If Jesus was able to show his humility in a way that was understandable to first-century Jewish society; And if Jesus was able to proclaim good news to first-century Jewish society; 

That means that we can be God’s presence in twenty-first-century Canadian society. That means that we too can draw near to those in twenty-first-century Canadian society who are far from him. We too can show humility in twenty-first-century Canadian society. We too can proclaim good news in ways understandable to twenty-first-century Canadian society.

As a flawed human who is a slave to sin, I cannot be all that is needed for Canadians or any other national churches. I need to look to Jesus for that because only Jesus can truly be a human in any of these contexts.

So, when I say that Jesus is the quintessential Canadian, this is what I’m talking about: Jesus has a voice that Canadians need to hear today.

The one who is the Ultimate Reality is also the one who emptied himself. This is why Jesus can make himself known, be present, be powerless, and proclaim the good news in a way that is understandable to Canadians.

Photo by Hermes Rivera on Unsplash

Orange is more than just a shirt: It’s a call to live the life Jesus wants us to live!

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I’m wearing an orange shirt today. This is because September 30 in Canada is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation aka Orange Shirt Day. One of the ways that this truth and reconciliation is remembered is through the wearing of an orange shirt. Even though I am far removed from Canada and haven’t lived there for any length of time for 26 years, the shirt that I put on today reminds me of two key aspects to what it means to be a follower of Jesus: Truth & Reconciliation.

I should point out before we continue that I do have skin in the game. One branch of my family has a long heritage of both First Nations and Metis peoples and I am a citizen of the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan. My Great-great-great grandfather, the Maškēkowak Rev. James Settee, spent his life ministering through Manitoba and Saskatchewan, introducing people to the good news of Jesus Christ and how that good news can help transform their lives.

If you’re a longtime reader of this blog, you’ll realize that these two words are a key aspect to how I think that we need to frame our lives and our engagement as Jesus followers. The whole framework — that we call the functional church — includes the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Values of God’s Kingdom, Loving God and Neighbour, and Truthtelling.

Orange Reminds Me of Truthtelling at Both the Political and Theological Levels

The first is through truthtelling. Jesus came not only to represent the truth, but to be the Truth. And part of this truth means we need to reflect on ourselves, on the way we think, and on the foundations we’ve built, and to find ways that God wants us to change these for the better. Unfortunately, in the history of Canada, Jesus’ followers have not always exhibited the kind of truth that Jesus would have us exhibit. (This is by no means limited to issues in Canada). One of the truths we need to face is that it’s difficult for us to tie up our political beliefs with our biblical beliefs. Sometimes we connect following Jesus to our adherence with a specific political party or political ideology. One of the truths that some of our founding fathers believed was that First Nations identity was bad and this needed to be changed into something good. Thus we have residential schools that were explicitly designed to “remove the Indian from the child.” This is all clearly documented in the reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and also in quotes like this:

When the school is on the reserve the child lives with its parents, who are savages; he is surrounded by savages, and though he may learn to read and write his habits, and training and mode of thought are Indian. He is simply a savage who can read and write. It has been strongly pressed on myself, as the head of the Department, that Indian children should be withdrawn as much as possible from the parental influence, and the only way to do that would be to put them in central training industrial schools where they will acquire the habits and modes of thought of white men.

John A. MacDonald, 1883

This was not merely a political failure; it was a theological one. These political ideas, in turn, fostered and were justified by a flawed theology. What do I mean by that? There are several theological flaws at play here.

Flawed Understanding of Politics and Theology

The first, of course, is that it represents a marriage between politics and theology where political theory is prioritised over theology rather than the other way around. All of life needs to be informed by scripture.

Where do we see this today? It happens when we assume a political party’s platform is synonymous with God’s will, or when we dismiss a fellow believer’s faith because they vote differently.

Humans Were Created Originally Righteous

The Bible clearly teaches us that humans were originally created good. It was only after a specific choice to rebel that sin entered into the world. I’ve written a little bit about that here. That means we cannot look at people from another part of the world who may have different cultures or different languages or different political structures or different technological levels, and say that somehow because they’re not as developed as we are, they’re not worthy of receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ on their own terms. The message of Jesus must be communicated in a way that is understandable to them. There is no command in scripture for us to transform other peoples’ cultures for them. In fact, each person in each culture is called to do their own internal transformation as their own minds are renewed.

Recognizing that truth is the foundation for repentance, healing, and reconciliation.

Imago Dei

The very first words after the creation story in Genesis 1:27 declare that all peoples on the earth are in the image of God.

“So God created humans in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female.”

The very truths of the Bible condemn the attempts of others to erase languages, traditions, and identities as not only cruel, but also as a denial of Scripture itself. The Good News of Jesus Christ is not an attempt to replace a lost image, but rather a call for all peoples to be reconciled to God and, in that process, to restore and renew their own cultures in Christ, purifying and elevating what aligns with God’s truth and rejecting what does not (Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 4:24).

The truth of the Bible is far from this idea and clearly teaches that the image of God was not erased by the Fall. Genesis 9:6 plainly states human life is sacred because people still bear God’s image. James 3:9 warns against cursing others because they still reflect God’s likeness. Paul describes men and women as God’s image-bearers in the present tense (1 Corinthians 11:7). The truth runs through the whole Bible: every person, every people, every culture carries this dignity.

One tragedy of the residential schools was deeply theological because of the idea that First Nations peoples were somehow less than fully human, or less than fully made in the image of God. This has been framed as “robbing communities and individuals of their cultural and spiritual identity.”

Heaven Will be Explicitly Multicultural

The truth of the matter is that God accepts people from every tribe, language, nation, and people in the world and each of these groups will be represented in heaven. There’s this great image from Revelation 7:9-10 that sees John open his eyes to the reality of the kingdom of God that contains all of these People.

“After this I saw a great crowd of people, too many to count, from every nation, tribe, clan, and language. They were standing before the seat of honor and before the Lamb, dressed in pure white regalia, holding palm tree branches in their hands. They lifted their voices and shouted, ‘The power to set us free and make us whole belongs to the Great Spirit who sits upon the seat of honor, and to the Lamb!’” Book of the Great Revealing 7:9-10

The truth is that we need to work towards a more intentional welcoming of people from all nations into God’s Kingdom, not as peoples whose cultures have been stripped away in favour of our own, but as peoples whose cultures express God’s goodness and love. Maybe these new perspectives will reveal to us that our own culture is flawed and in need of transformation. Unfortunately, for many, this is a very scary prospect because it means that we all need to admit our flaws and work towards repentance and restoration. The culture that we may want to protect; the way of life that we may want to preserve may in fact not be worth protecting or preserving because of their built-in flaws. Maybe instead of preservation we need to work towards growth.

This isn’t just a historical error. We see it when we dismiss other cultures as “unreached” because they lack Western infrastructure, or when we implicitly value some lives over others based on nationality, wealth, or social status.

Wearing Orange not only reminds me of my commitment to truth, it also reminds me of something else.

Orange Reminds Me Of Reconciliation

The second word that this orange shirt I’m wearing reminds me of is reconciliation. There is good news, even in light of the fact that we have made mistakes in the past there is good news because God is working to reconcile us to himself. He has even indicated that Jesus followers are to be agents of this reconciliation. We are to find ways to connect to God with people and people with God. We are to find ways to bring Hope to a world that is hopeless. We must find ways to help others be lifted up as they journey towards God.

But as I was reminded today, in conversation with my Spiritual Director Len Thompson, we may not always see the fruit that we are looking forward to. Len reminded me of Hebrews 11 and 12 where all of these great heroes of our faith worked very hard to establish God’s Kingdom here on earth, but they did not yet experience that kingdom during their own lifetimes. Each had a contribution to make to establishing the Kingdom but the establishment of that Kingdom supersedes any one lifetime or era. What’s especially significant for us today — as pointed out by Andrew Walls — is that we too are waiting to see that Kingdom established! This not only means that you and I each have our own contribution to make, it also means that our contributions are essential!

The legacy of this theological failure isn’t confined to history books. It echoes in the ongoing trauma of survivors, the systemic inequalities Indigenous people still face, and in our own complacency. So, what’s the next step for us, right now?

What’s the next step?

So, today, feel free to wear an orange shirt. But it’s not merely enough to just wear an orange shirt. We are called to be truth-tellers and reconcilers today, and this historical example shows us what happens when we fail that call. Here’s how we can live it out now.

  • How can I apply the truth of God to my life? To my society’s life? To my use of the land?
  • How can I be an agent of reconciliation today? Encourage individuals to return to a right relationship with God? Reshape my society so that it has a proper relationship with God? Improve my relationship with the land in a way that God desires?

Will you join me in being a truth teller? Will you join me in being an agent of reconciliation?

If Orange Shirt Day is painful for you, help is available. Call the 24-hour national Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1 (800) 721-0066.

Speaking into truth & reconciliation, how would you apply Jesus’ words, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off”??

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Last week I posted some thoughts on truth and reconciliation on Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. My thoughts centered around Mark‬ ‭9:42-50‬ ‭GW‬‬, and how these verses about protecting children’s faith is in the context of the verses that talk about dealing with sin our lives. If your hand cause you to sin cut it off. If your foot causes you to sin cut it off. If your eye causes you to sin pluck it out. I realize that the sins of the hand, the foot, and the eye are central to the legacy of the abuse suffered through Indian Residential Schools.

Krystal Wawrzyniak, one of my colleagues at BGC Canada and currently seconded to Indian Life Ministries, asked, “I’m curious about your thoughts surrounding the application of ‘if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off,’ or the foot or eye. Speaking into truth and reconciliation, how would you apply this??” I did respond to Krystal on Facebook but thought it might be a good idea to flesh out some of my ideas in another blog post.

First off I need to say that the best approach is to listen because it’s only through listening to Others’ stories that we can both understand them and see the things that need to be changed in ourselves.

It’s also important to examine ourselves to see if we can find areas that need change. This happens through reflection and through listening. I think that because few of us were directly involved in the Indian Residential School system (the last school closed in 1996) we can’t simply call for repentance on a personal level. The areas where change needs to happen (ie. the parts that need to get cut off) are the systems and structures that still exist in our society — including our churches and theology — that are a part of the framework that led to Indian Residential Schools. These need to be excised from our identity as both Christians and Canadians.

On the national level this might include how the doctrine of discovery and the Treaty of Tordesillas — which blended religious and commercial interests — continues to impact Canadian institutions such as the Indian act, unclean water on First Nations, and unequal access to health care. Other issues include how the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and the Overrepresentation of Indigenous People in the Canadian Criminal Justice System reveal problems with the justice system.

On the theological level we need to revisit our understanding of God’s prevenient grace, get rid of our theological superiority that prioritises theologies from the Global North over and above those of the Global South, and read the Bible through the eyes of the Other. Jose de Mesa’s hermeneutics of appreciation is a good starting point for this and will teach us how to listen.

Ka Jose de Mesa (1946-2021) was a Filipino lay theologian who worked for many years on issues surrounding contextualisation and theology. In his Mga aral sa daan: Dulog at paraang kultural sa Kristolohiya he develops a hermeneutics of appreciation as a way to correct errors he saw in how the church crossed cultures.

The “Hermeneutics of appreciation” is presented as a series of attitudes that serve as guides for those engaging in cross-cultural interactions. How can we apply them to the Indian Residential School issue?

Attitude #1: Presume the cultural element or aspect under consideration to be positive (at least in intent) until proven otherwise. Indian Residential Schools were designed to do the exact opposite of this — to remove all traces of “Indian” from the children who were forced to attend. There is certainly nothing positive about this. A better approach would be to recognise that the Kingdom of God consists of people from “every nation, tribe, people, and language” and that includes First Nations and Metis peoples.

Attitude #2: Be aware of your own cultural presuppositions and adopt the insider’s point of view. When we look back at some of the statements made by the proponents of the Indian Residential School system we can’t help but wonder what they were thinking? To people living and thriving in the postmodern world of 2021’s Canada, the ideas of our forefathers are more than odd — they are offensive. But did they know that? Did they realise the meaning of statements like “Kill the Indian, save the man” and that ideas of assimilation were actually cultural genocide? It’s hard to believe that they didn’t realise these things. Knowledge of de Mesa’s Attitude #2 would have gone a long ways towards developing a true understanding between the various cultures.

Attitude #3: Go beyond the cultural stereotypes. It is obvious that the use of terms such as “Indian problem” and “dirty Indian” that stereotypes were the only standard of practice in these schools. As Duncan Campbell Scott said when developing his policies, “I want to get rid of the Indian problem. I do not think as a matter of fact, that the country ought to continuously protect a class of people who are able to stand alone. . . . Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic and there is no Indian question, and no Indian Department, that is the whole object of this Bill.”

Attitude #4: Use the vernacular as a key to understanding the culture in its own terms. Indian Residential Schools made a concerted effort to eliminate the various languages of the First Nations. A deeper understanding of language always leads to a deeper understanding of culture.

Unfortunately, nothing about the experience that First Nations and Metis peoples have had with either the government or the church in Canada seems to reflect these attitudes. Let’s hope that we can work towards changing some of these attitudes as we work towards truth, healing, and reconciliation.

Help is available. Call the 24-hour national Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1 (800) 721-0066.

Feedback is always welcome. 

Sharing is what friends do.

Image by Liviu Florescu on Unsplash.

Scripture is taken from GOD’S WORD®.
© 1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God’s Word to the Nations Mission Society. 
Used by permission.

Learning Jesus’ thoughts about Little children on Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

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This is my second post on connected to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation this week. You can read the first one here. It comes from my reflections on Mark 9 where Jesus is talking about the importance of children in his Kingdom. He says,

“These little ones believe in me. It would be best for the person who causes one of them to lose faith to be thrown into the sea with a large stone hung around his neck. So if your hand causes you to lose your faith, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life disabled than to have two hands and go to hell, to the fire that cannot be put out. If your foot causes you to lose your faith, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. If your eye causes you to lose your faith, tear it out! It is better for you to enter God’s kingdom with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell. In hell worms that eat the body never die, and the fire is never put out. Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good. But if salt loses its taste, how will you restore its flavor? Have salt within you, and live in peace with one another.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭9:42-50‬ ‭GW‬‬

This verse has a new significance seeing as I’m reading it on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, formerly known as Orange Shirt Day. Orange Shirt Day was designed as a memorial for children with the slogan “Every Child Matters” and it relates to the terrible conditions of the Canadian Indian Residential School System that affected 150,000 First Nations and Metis people across the country up until as recently as 1996. Of course, even though the last residential school closed in 1996, the legacy of these residential schools lives on today.

I didn’t notice, until I read it this morning, the context of this verse and how this verse about protecting children’s faith is in the context of the verses that talk about dealing with sin our lives. If your hand cause you to sin cut it off. If your foot causes you to sin cut it off. If your eye causes you to sin pluck it out. I realize that the sins of the hand, the foot, and the eye are central to the legacy of the abuse suffered through Indian Residential Schools.

Could we interpret it this way? If our hand causes us to sin by removing children forcibly from their families for the purpose of eradicating their culture then we need to cut that hand off. If our foot causes us to sin by standing on the necks of God’s children then we need to cut that foot off. If our eye causes us to sin because we are looking at children with the sinful desires, then we need to pluck that eye out!

The same can be said for our society, whether that is culture, theology, doctrine, ideology or practice. If our systems seek the eradication of Others’ cultures, if they cause us to oppress the helpless, if they cause us to lust after them, then we need to cut off and pluck out those parts of our society, whether that is culture, theology, doctrine, ideology or practice.

What is the stated destination for people who act in this way? Quite simply it is hell. Hell isn’t something we talk about a lot but I would suspect that there’re very few people who wouldn’t see hell as a suitable destination for people involved in the abuse and mistreatment of children.

The passage also provides a way forward — to be salt. Saltiness is a positive biblical trait. Salt provides flavour. Salt acts as a preservative. Salt creates buoyancy in water. And salt brings peace to the world. But it seems as if our salt has lost its flavour. What will we do to restore that saltiness?

Today on the national day for truth and reconciliation remember that every child matters.

Help is available. Call the 24-hour national Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1 (800) 721-0066.

Feedback is always welcome.

Sharing is what friends do.

Image by Neeta Lind on Flickr. Some rights reserved.

Thoughts on Truth and Reconciliation for Orange Shirt Day

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Eva and I spent a couple of hours on Saturday looking for Orange t-shirts. We went to several stores in the area but were surprised that there weren’t any for sale. Eventually we ended up at the Wanuskewin Gift Shop on Broadway in Saskatoon where we found a few shirts in 3X and 4X sizes! We were extremely pleased that we found something even if they are far too large.

“What’s the big deal about orange t-shirts?,” you may ask. Phyllis Webstad tells the story of the orange shirt that inspired Orange Shirt day. As she says,

“I went to the Mission for one school year in 1973/1974. I had just turned 6 years old. I lived with my grandmother on the Dog Creek reserve. We never had very much money, but somehow my granny managed to buy me a new outfit to go to the Mission school. I remember going to Robinson’s store and picking out a shiny orange shirt. It had string laced up in front, and was so bright and exciting – just like I felt to be going to school! 

When I got to the Mission, they stripped me, and took away my clothes, including the orange shirt! I never wore it again. I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to me, it was mine! The color orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying and no one cared.”

Today Orange Shirt Day has become the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. I have already written on truth and reconciliation here, here, and here. Eva and I wanted to participate this year but I had a couple of questions, the most prominent of which is a logistical one: How can I be involved in Orange Shirt Day without also profiting from it? I would hate to be a participant in some kind of cultural appropriation and it would be an even greater shame for the oppressors to further profit from the day. For example, the Hudson’s Bay Company recently came under fire for selling Orange Shirts. This is especially poignant given the company’s history in Canada. Fortunately, the Company had followed the proper procedures, as outlined in the Orange Shirt Society’s guidelines. But that isn’t the case for every company doing this.

The next question I had was how do I go about the process of reconciliation particularly in a culturally appropriate way. I am working on a post about conflict resolutions in the Bible. Most Christians assume that Matthew 18 is the only way to do things. I happen to disagree with this but let’s agree with this for argument’s sake. What would that entail when it comes to truth and reconciliation in Canada? Since Mt 18 is all about bringing the offending sibling back into fellowship we need to recognise that that is us!

Us. I will say that my family history is full of discrimination and persecution. My father’s side has roots in the Mennonites who moved around the world trying to find places where their pacifism would be acceptable. They moved from the Netherlands to Prussia to the Ukraine and eventually ended up in Canada. My mother’s family has roots in the First Nations particularly in how the fur traders interacted with First Nations women that lead to a group of people known as country born. But in spite of this history of discrimination and persecution, I have grown up completely separated from those identities and live a life of privilege. So when I say that we are the offending sibling I am including myself in that. This is especially true for those involved in churches when talking about residential schools.

What can we do to foster truth and reconciliation? I can think of a couple of options that will lead toward reconciliation.

In reconciliation, the offenders don’t set the agenda. Rather, as the offending party we must place ourselves in a position of powerlessness. It’s not enough to apologise. Often when giving an apology I find myself frustrated that the offended party wants to talk more about how offensive I have been. All this shows is that I am not truly apologetic and I don’t want reconciliation. This is particularly hard when it comes to corporate evil. The Canada we know has been built in part on a flawed foundation that is in need of renovation. What does that renovation look like? Ask someone who is affected by the flaws to find out.

In reconciliation the offenders need to listen. We need to be humble and submissive and to listen to the stories of those we have offended because that is the only way for us to experience their pain. Let’s start this process by listening and watching as Phyllis Webstand tells us her story.

But as Phyllis says, her story is not unique. Another part of the reconciliation process is to find someone in our own community who we can share stories with. Only by sharing stories can we find truth and reconciliation!

Help is available. Call the 24-hour national Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1 (800) 721-0066.

Feedback is always welcome.

Sharing is what friends do.

Image by Rod Long on Unsplash. Video by orangeshirtday.org.

Thoughts on drought in a very dry year. Is this drought a call for justice?

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Saskatchewan is in the middle of a drought. A drought in its simplest form is when there isn’t enough rain to make the crops grow. The lack of snow and rain over the past year, coupled with record-high temperatures, have succeeded in drying out the soil to the point where crops are not growing. It isn’t the first drought to hit Saskatchewan and probably won’t be the last. Some say that drought is a direct result of climate change, which some say is caused by human activity.

The plight of the Saskatchewan farmer has more meaning for me this year since my wife and I have been spending a lot of time on the farm. It makes me want to find ways to help.

The Bible says that drought can at times be a sign of God’s judgment against structural evil. It got me thinking. Is it possible that the current drought is connected with recent revelations about Canada’s founding principles? For those unaware, headlines in Canada have been dominated by stories of the Indian Residential School System, an official policy by the Government of Canada and church groups to “remove the Indian” from First Nations children — basically the government of Canada had a policy of cultural genocide against First Nations peoples in an effort to both make them better citizens and to convert them to Christianity. North American society has also been rocked over the past several years with calls for justice for the systemic mistreatment of women, for systemic racism, for legacies of slavery, and for other historical injustices. I have written about some of these things here, here, and here.

At this point I need to offer some clarification lest I be misunderstood: As I have written elsewhere, structural and natural evils are different from personal evil. Structural evil is a system or pattern of beliefs or activities in an organization or culture that hinders or opposes the advance of God’s kingdom in this world. Natural evil includes things like famine, drought, disease, wild animals, floods, storms, and disease. So any judgment on structural or natural evil is not on individual farmers for their sins but on society as a whole for its sins.

But even though the reasons may be systemic, the impact is indeed personal. There are mental stresses associated with farming and drought. Farmers are extremely resilient. I recall a conversation I had with someone in the Ag industry in Saskatchewan a few years ago. He said he respects how farmers are able to do everything that they can to grow good crops but the fact remains that a major part of farming is out of their control — namely the weather — and that they continue to do it year in and year out regardless of how the previous year went.

In times like this, Christians like to quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 which reads, “However, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, search for me, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear ⌞their prayer⌟ from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their country” (God’s Word).

Of course Canada has never claimed to be Christian nation so I am genuinely not sure how this verse can be applied today, but the Bible gives many examples of God’s interest in the nations including both blessings and curses.

The very first mention of natural evil in the Bible is in the context of farming. Adam was told by God in Genesis 3:17-19:

”The ground is cursed because of you. Through hard work you will eat ⌞food that comes⌟ from it every day of your life. The ground will grow thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat wild plants. By the sweat of your brow, you will produce food to eat until you return to the ground, because you were taken from it. You are dust, and you will return to dust” (God’s Word).

So it’s not completely crazy to assume that the land responds to structural sin, meaning that even if the 2 Chronicles 7:14 quote isn’t entirely apropos for today’s world, it might be apropos for drought situations since the immediate context of the verse is drought brought upon by society’s sins.

In any case, what would “humble themselves and seek my face” mean in light of the new call for social justice?

One aspect would have to include repentance. Repentance is hard to do because it involves not only humility but admitting that we are wrong. I don’t know about you but I don’t like doing that. So just at that level repentance is problematic. How much more public repentance?

Another aspect would have to be renovation. Repentance also includes making sure the future is better. It means changing the way I think and act. It means rectifying the past — rectification means rebuilding or renovating those past actions that I want to repent from. Renovation is hard because it starts with tearing things down. Some use the word “deconstruction” for this — a rather complex term that we don’t have time to go into today. I will say this, though. While deconstruction may include the use of a sledgehammer, it also has a level of control. It’s not mere demolition but needs to have some order to it, it needs to be systematic, and it needs to be useful.

The Bible does speak of a generational aspect to sin, which connects us to the sins of the past even if we weren’t present during those times. The lives we live today may have been directly impacted by decisions made by our progenitors and that means that we may still benefit from their sins.

Reconciliation also has to be a part of it. To be reconciled is to have a restored relationship. It is what happens when people humble themselves, repent, and renovate.

So then, how can we help farmers? We need to make some decisions. What does our nation need to repent from? What do we need to tear down? What do we need to renovate? How can I participate in building a new nation?

Maybe we can start here:

  • Revisit “truth.” Is what I think to be true actually the Truth?
  • Repent & Ask Forgiveness.
  • Practice Reconciliation.

Feedback is always welcome.

Sharing is what friends do.

Image by Maud Correa on Unsplash.

Of Governments and Hope: Where should I look for hope?

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The Bible doesn’t really have all that great a view of governments. Certainly we are to obey governments but that’s not what i mean. The bible’s best option for human governance is always presented as being God.

We see this throughout the story of Israel in the Old Testament. Israel is freed from Egypt because Egypt’s government had enslaved them. God then led them through the wilderness to the Promised Land.

We see this in the story of Israel’s first king — Saul — a move that God saw as being a rejection of his rule, and even the most cursory of reads of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles shows us the failure of this system.

We also see this in the choice of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to use the term “gospel” when identifying their story type; gospel or good news being the term Roman Emperors used to describe their own ascension to the throne. The four are in essence saying, “Jesus is a better emperor than Rome’s!”

That’s why government in the Bible is often referred to as an animal (most translations maintain the archaic expression “beast,” but as I’ve said here and here that that leads to strange interpretations). What this means is that we shouldn’t be surprised when the government tears us to pieces. The example in Canada at the moment is the whole Indian Residential School system (which I have written about here, here, and here) but I am sure we can come up with countless other ways governments around the world mess things up. Some organisations —such as Transparency International, Amnesty International, and Wikileaks — exist merely to evaluate the level of mess that governments make. Of course in the Biblical examples we also see some animals that have fatal wounds but don’t die, perhaps indicating domesticated governments who aren’t as powerfully bestial.

This is of course the danger of identifying any human political theory or system with God’s way. One recent Facebook conversation I had highlighted this. My friend pointed out the abuses that more leftist firms of government were guilty of, including the top echelons becoming rich while the rest remained poor. Of course the same could be said for rightist governments and their billionaires. Apart from this there are the similarities between parties on a vast range of issues — their differences are often highlighted but their end policies often end up being the same.

Regardless of the level of wildness in government, it is clear that something else is needed. So what’s the solution? I see at least two:

Lamb of God. The Bible describes Jesus as being more like a lamb than an animal. Certainly He is also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, but in the context of the animal or beast language used in some parts of the Bible, Jesus as lamb is contrasted. No one in the created world — animals included — is found worthy to get God’s plan rolling: “” Eventually it is the lamb who was slain who is able to open the seals.

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will rule as king forever and ever.” It’s the phrase “has become” that I would like to focus on. How does this process happen? There are some that view eschatology as something God does at the end of time. Our only tole as humans is to be the cause of the end because of our unbridled wickedness.

But I wonder if that is indeed the way things are meant to happen? If our wickedness brings about the end, is it possible for us to work together with God in the transformation of the kingdom?

Certainly God has included humans in his plans. Jesus did after all commission his human disciples (including us) to make disciples of all nations. Whose disciples are these to be? Jesus’ disciples of course. What will these disciples do?

Disciples are filled with the spirit, whether that means being empowered to do the work of God, to a way to cope with the troubles of the world without using addictions.

Disciples reconcile people to God and to each other. Paul talks about the ministry of reconciliation that we have on earth. This reconcilition imitates what God through Jesus began. He then says that “has given us this ministry of restoring relationships” as well.

Disciples bear fruit. We often interpret this to mean make disciples but fruit in the Bible more often than not refers to a personal transformation. This is best exemplified in lists of comparisons, most famously enumerated in Galatians 5, but also found elsewhere.

Disciples continue Jesus’ Isaiah 61/Luke 4 tasks of proclaiming Good News, forgiving others, giving sight to the blind, and freeing the captives.

Unfortunately the church hasn’t always been successful at fulfilling these tasks. What’s also unfortunate is that I have not always been successful at fulfilling these tasks. We have a lot to work on, both corporately and as individuals, in the process of working together with God for the transformation of our societies.

I wonder what we should work on first?

Feedback is always appreciated.

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Image by Bill Fairs on Unsplash.

Oh no, Canada: Reflections on Canada on Canada Day

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Reflection is good for the soul because it causes us to look back on events that we normally view on default and look at them with new eyes. Canada Day is one of these things, especially in light of a recent push to reconcile history with the past. Even using the term “default” is actually problematic because what may be default thinking for me is different for someone else. The history that I read may be different from the history someone else reads. My understanding of the past is also almost certainly different from the actual past.

Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission identified the residential school system as a form of cultural genocide. What we are beginning to realise is that some form of physical genocide may also have been happening. Certainly the past was a lot more dangerous than the present, with diseases like TB and the influenza pandemic of 1918 taking many lives, but there are also documented cases of abuse and death at the very hands of those entrusted with the care of these young First Nations children. What makes things worse is that it doesn’t seem to be merely a government issue (and governments do tend to be animal-like), but also a church issue. This is because churches were an integral part of the Residential School system.

Because of these issues there have been calls to rethink Canada Day. After all, why celebrate the country when the country is built on such shameful actions that has made some many mistakes? Some communities are cancelling Canada Day celebrations, while others are planning alternative events to help incorporate victims of Residential Schools into Canada’s story.

So what is the answer? I think it lies in the concepts of Truth, reconciliation, and repentance.

Truth. This is the debate between history and the past (that I have discussed elsewhere). In a nutshell, history is “texts” about the past from a certain perspective. Texts can include writing of course but can also include any aspect of society (citation) including statues, memorials, and events like Canada Day. The past is the actual events that have happened and are being interpreted when doing history. History changes all the time as new perspectives create new interpretations but the past remains the same.

Reconciliation, or restoring relationships, is supposed to be a major part of the church. After all, God has given the church the “ministry of reconciliation.” Relationships need to be restored people and God but relationships between people and other people also need restoration. The church has emphasised the first aspect throughout the years — and in many ways this emphasis may have led to the residential school disaster by ignoring God’s command to love our neighbour as we love ourselves — but hasn’t worked as hard on the restoration of interpersonal relationships. We haven’t been as good at this part as we could have been.

“What about forgiveness?” some may ask. Forgiveness does need to happen, as Matt Stovall, writing from a First Nations’ perspective, points out in his great FB post on this. However, forgiveness works best when it is coupled with repentance, which means the church, as the offending party, needs to repent and ask forgiveness.

So what needs to be reflected upon this Canada Day? Where does reconciliation need to happen? Where does truth need to be reevaluated? How can I ask forgiveness?

On Canada Day, let’s reflect on Canada and repent of our sins. Our eyes are finally opening to the our ugly past. How will we make a better future? Listen to someone’s stories of their residential experience. Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report. Read Dr. Peter Bryce’s 1907 Report on the Indian schools of Manitoba and the North-West Territories. Read about residential schools, reconciliation and the experience of Indigenous peoples.

On Canada Day, let’s reflect on the church and repent of our sins. It’s quite simple. For church insiders there is a wide range of church types and theologies, that are unknown and even meaningless to church outsiders. The specific churches involved in the Residential School System cannot be separated in people’s minds from the idea of “church.” As I have said elsewhere, “even if we weren’t physically present during these atrocities, we are still complicit in them because people bearing Jesus’ name did these things. Don’t we also bear Jesus name?” So as churches we need to seek ways to ask forgiveness. We need to reflect on the theologies that we hold that led to the whole Residential School system. We need to find ways to connect with First Nations People. We need to reflect on what repentance looks like for you and me.

On Canada Day, let’s reflect on Truth and repent of the untruths and half-truths we have believed instead. I have written elsewhere on truth. Suffice it to say, none of us has a complete understanding of absolute truth. Don’t get me wrong— I do believe in absolute truth but at best I can say we are approaching absolute truth. That means that part of the way forward includes reflecting on the truths that I know and how those truths coincide with the truths that others know and changing our truths so the future is better than the past.

Feedback is always welcome!

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Remember, sharing is what friends do!

Image by Derek Thomson on Unsplash.