Hey everyone, 

This Thanksgiving, we sit with the tension of acknowledging sacred practices of gathering with loved ones to share a meal and give thanks while also mourning the ways that the mythology of our nation is constructed to bless and celebrate a history of land theft and genocide. As children of empire, we must learn to recognize the tendency to couch our violence against others in the language of divine blessing. As citizens of the Kingdom of God, we must learn to repent and grieve with our Indigenous brothers and sisters, further committing ourselves to seek justice and reparations.  We hope these resources will challenge and spur you on in that journey.  

Jonathan’s recommendations: 

• In a TV segment titled “How Did We Get Here?” comedian Amber Ruffin breaks down why we celebrate Native American Heritage month and why Thanksgiving is a complex, intentional tactic of erasure. From disease, land theft, war, and broken treaties to child removal, boarding schools, and legal challenges that persist to this day, the genocide of Native American peoples is an ongoing process in this nation. Followers of Jesus must never exchange the truth for a lie, call darkness light, or forsake opportunities to lament and confess. We are to pursue justice and reconciliation lest we preserve a status quo that privileges the wealthy, well-connected, and powerful. This year, as we gather and this month, as we reflect, may we dwell on what’s real and reject myths of White American Folk Religion that force Native people to conform to the lie of whiteness.