No, Indigenous Canadians Don’t Just Need Jesus: Reconciliation Requires More

Indigenous CrossIn the quest for reconciliation in Canada, some Christians feel that the answer to the problem is Jesus.

They correctly observe, “We can’t change the past.” They may feel that even if all of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) 94 Calls to Action were carried out, it would not be enough to satisfy Indigenous people. They emphasize that “the answer to the hurt, the pain, the emotional wounds, the trauma, the tears…is still JESUS.”

Isn’t the Answer Jesus?

Reading the above quotes will make some people fuming mad. But, in order for Canada to move forward toward reconciliation, we must listen and respond to one another with patience and humility.

Other people who read the above quotes are probably saying to themselves. “Amen!” or (if their Canadian) “Yes, I know, eh?” And, in some respects, I agree with the sentiment—all people, including Indigenous people, can find hope, healing, and restoration in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the hope of the world!

Nevertheless, even if every Indigenous person found healing in Jesus, reconciliation would still be necessary between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. SO MUCH can be said, but this is only a blog post.

The Jesus Answer Alone is Insufficient

An analogy might be helpful here.

What if a foreign country (you pick a country) started sending lots of people to settle in Canada today? What if there were eventually so many of them that they decided to take control over your country? What if they replaced your system of government with theirs? What if they wouldn’t let you vote? What if they forbade you from forming political organizations?

What if they gave you a new name in their language? What if they forced you to live in a certain area and said that you couldn’t leave without their permission?

What if they took your children away to indoctrinate them in their culture and to “kill the Canadian in the child”? What if they wouldn’t allow you to practice your religion? And what if they wouldn’t let you speak your language any more? (These were all part of Canada’s Indian Act of 1876).

If this happened to you, would you feel like the answer to all this is Jesus? Jesus helps, but this “answer” is insufficient because there is a broken relationship not just with God, but also between people groups and nations. And a broken relationship between people requires reconciliation between people.

Let me put it another way, to go back to my questions above. Even if every person who lived in Canada before it was taken over was a Christian, and even if all these Christians (including you) forgave the foreigners who took over, I expect you would still think more needs to be done. And rightly so. In part because…

Reconciliation is Necessary, not Just Forgiveness

The “problem” is not just that Indigenous people need to forgive non-Indigenous people and heal. This would imply that the “problem” is only a problem that Indigenous people have a responsibility to address. Crucially, it implies that Indigenous people are “the problem”—they just need to heal and forgive.

And this implies that non-Indigenous people bear no responsibility to address the problem.

The real problem is that the relationship between Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people is not right. Reconciliation is necessary. This is even more so the case because…

The Problem is Not all “The Past”

Every Canadian needs to realize that the problem is not all in the past. The last residential school did not close until 1996. Yes, that is the (recent) past, but the results of this are still very much with us, as are the results of the last couple of centuries.

And it is not just that the results of the past are with us. There are still problems today. It is well known, for example, that First Nations schools are underfunded and that many reserves lack clean drinking water. And people are becoming more aware that Canada has “staggering rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.” Even the United Nations recognizes that Canada is continuing to fail Indigenous people… today.

This is not the past.

Reconciliation is still necessary, and…

Reconciliation Requires More than Jesus

This is true not only for Indigenous-non-Indigenous relationships in Canada, but also of our relationship with God.

Back in the first century, the Apostle Paul wrote that “God was in [Jesus] Christ reconciling the world to himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). However, he added that people needed to “be reconciled to God” (the next verse, 5:20).

What does this reconciliation with God require of us?

It requires repentance. Repentance includes an acknowledgement that we have done wrong.

However, repentance is not just confessing that we have done wrong. Moreover, for us to be reconciled to God, we can’t just be sorry for what we have done (2 Corinthians 7:9-11).

Repentance includes a call to action. It requires us to change. It requires us to turn away from our sinful actions, and to “turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance” (Acts 26:20, NASB)—in other words, to “prove they have changed by the good things they do” (same verse, NLT).

In summary, our reconciliation with God requires more than Jesus. It requires something of us. It requires us to repent—to acknowledge we have done wrong, to stop our sinful actions, and to do good. You might say it involves 3 calls to action.

Similarly, to address the broken relationship between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Canadians, it requires something of us. It requires us to acknowledge wrongs that have been and are being done, to stop sinful actions, and to do good. It requires truth and reconciliation. And it involves 94 Calls to Action and more.

Am I saying that Jesus can’t help us with this? No. I am simply trying to emphasize that reconciliation requires something of us—both Indigenous and non-Indigenous.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is Not Enough

Having a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is valuable. And it fulfills the TRC Call to Action #80. But, it was a relatively easy call to fulfil. The TRC had 93 other Calls for Action. Since the TRC reports were published in 2015, only 13 calls have been completed.

Having one day for truth and reconciliation is not enough. The government of Canada must do more. You must do more. I must do more.

What does reconciliation look like? Click here to read an answer.

What can we do? To start, we can keep government accountable. And each person can do what is in their power to help fulfill the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action.

I’ve also listed some links with ideas of what you can do at the bottom of my last post.

Reconciliation will take time. It will take patience. As Murray Sinclair has said, “It took seven generations to get to this point where we are at, and it could take seven generations to make things better.”

Reconciliation is possible.

Jesus help us.

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Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.

 

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8 thoughts on “No, Indigenous Canadians Don’t Just Need Jesus: Reconciliation Requires More

  1. I appreciate how you identified our responsibilities to the Indigenous communities, by holding our government accountable. I have long advocated for Christians to write the MP’s and MPP’s about their concerns about our government, as well as to let our MP’s and MPP’s know when they are doing good.

    What I have observed within congregations is that we love to get upset and sign petitions when it affects the church, but Christians are unwilling to take the time to form relationships with the government officials who represent them. All but one of my political representatives know me by name when they see me out in public, and they will comment on my concerns or thank me for my encouragement. The one who does not know me is new and we have not yet had the opportunity to meet.

    It does not surprise me then that when Christians are disconnected in their relationship with our political leaders, we are at the same time disconnected from the concerns of others. The result is that we hold a selfish and narrow view of the realities around us. I believe this begs the question: Do we as Christians truly understand that Christianity is all about relationship with God and others?

  2. Indigenous peoples in Canada are Canadians just like us . They should not be a separate identity. They should vote. Have their own political party if so desired. They should be equipped to fight for their rights like anyone else. Stupid non-christian politicians of the past and of the present need their buts kicked. Problem is who was/is responsible?
    They have hidden themselves in history.
    Indians should vote for those who protect their interest. But they also should work just like everyone else, pay their taxes, obey the law and earn all the same rights, privileges, etc.that we have.
    Do not just pray for Indians. Love them. My wife and did so and adopted to young metes girls in their preteens.They still love us and keep in touch. One has become a born-again Christian. PTL !!!!!

  3. Hi Andrew, thanks for posting this.
    I hope that church history will look back at our times as an age of “Accountability” and that we will do whatever it takes to finally reflect the Jesus we say we follow. I believe that humility needs to be the revival we need within the assembly of the lives of Jesus followers. I’m sadly glad that this is happening and that Jesus is finally being reclaimed from the church. We have a lot of work to do for our indigenous sisters and brothers who have been so verily neglected and wounded. I pledge my life to change in this way. May God grant us grace to persevere in kindness.

      • I am a born again indigenous woman (I am not an INDIAN).
        I agree Jesus is the answer for Indigenous people. But most Indigenous people would disagree because they believe it was the Church that did the damage in residential schools specifically the roman catholic church. Many do not know the catholic church is not the same as the evangelical church the teaches about Jesus Christ.
        Point #2 The Bible says in the last days nation will rise against nation, I interpret this to be RACISM which is prevalent in the white church. I’ve experienced this, if reconciliation is for the indigenous person to turn to Jesus, then the church must learn not to be racist. As Christians, I challenge you to body go into reserves and reach out to people, even if it’s just to bring a coffee….see what Jesus can do!

      • Just came across your article – excellent overview of the issue as Christians for Christian! I do hope the church as body will be curious and lean into the what has happened in the past before we can talk about going forward. Thank you for shedding light to some of those core points – hopefully it will be the body of Christ that will be the beacon of light and provide leadership to our generations for justice, truth and reconciliation movement toward Indigenous people. Please keep writing and speaking about it!

  4. As an American, I felt like you were supposing the very things that are presently happening to us, as Christians and patriots, in the US–and I can tell you, no matter what, ONLY Jesus will be able to sort this out when He comes again, in the meantime, all we can do is take up our cross and follow Him. These problems, the ones you are facing in Canada, the ones we are facing here, and the ones the world are facing are insurmountable on this side of the dispensation–in my humble opinion. In the meantime, let’s pray Pastor Art out of prison and for the Lord’s speedy return! I really like your blog.

  5. The answer truly is Jesus, just not the low level of understanding as perceived by the people.

    Jesus stated we, that means you and me, shall do even more than what He did. John 14:12-31.

    Last time I checked Jesus asked a dead person to come out of the grave. Now He shows us the dry bones.

    It is time. We need to start actually doing “Jesus” and not man’s misguided excuses.