Native and Christian: Indigenous Voices on Religious Identity in the United States and Canada [Paperback]

James Treat (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415913748 | ISBN-13: 978-0415913744 | Publication Date: November 23, 1996 | Edition: 1

Native and Christian is an anthology of essays by indigenous writers in the United States and Canada on the problem of native Christian identity. This anthology documents the emergence of a significant new collective voice on the North American religious landscape. It brings together in one volume articles originally published in a variety of sources (many of them obscure or out-of-print) including religious magazines, scholarly journals, and native periodicals, along with one previously unpublished manuscript.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This excellent anthology of 21 recent essays by writers from the U.S. and Canada covers a wide range of perspectives on religious identity, while documenting what editor Treat refers to as a "significant new collective voice on the North American religious landscape." The authors write in a variety of styles and from diverse tribal, denominational, and academic backgrounds. All write out of their experience of various Christian traditions, but all affirm their identity as "native" people and challenge historical constructions of Christianity in North America." Some of the essays (e.g., those by George Tinker, Steve Charleston, Robert Allen Warrior, and Vine Deloria, Jr.) are already widely known. Others (including Emerson Spider's account of the Native American Church of Jesus Christ), are destined to receive great acclaim. This invaluable resource includes a fine bibliography. Steve Schroeder --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

The authors write in a variey of styles and from diverse tribal, denominational, and academic backgrounds...An invaluable resource. -- Booklist
James Treat's Native and Christian is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand contemporary Native American spirituality. Beginning with Treat's superb introduction, the voices in this collection illuminate with depth, passion, and clarity the extraordinarily complex dynamics of Native religious life since the arrival of Europeans in North America. -- Louis Owens, English Department, University of New Mexico
The essays, some academic and some autobiographical, deal with the variety of ways in which the Christian faith of Native Americans relates to their historical traditions, the injustices they endure, and the challenges they face. -- Theology Digest, St. Louis, MO, Spring 1997
This excellent anthology of 21 recent essays by writers from the US and Canada covers a wide range of perspectives on religious identity, while documenting what editor Treat refers to as a 'significant new collective voice on the North American religious landscape'. -- Booklist
... excellent and well-edited ... Overall, this is a landmark volume that brings together native authors in a wide-ranging collection that shows clearly the complexity of being both native and Christian. -- Journal of the American Academy of Religion

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (November 23, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415913748
• ISBN-13: 978-0415913744
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #840,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Christianity and Native Spirituality Are Compatible!, September 1, 2007

By 

Starrider7777 "Scott Starr" (Oklahoma City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Native and Christian: Indigenous Voices on Religious Identity in the United States and Canada (Paperback)

Though Native American and Christian seems like a contradiction because of the tragic course American history has taken concerning indigenous people- it cannot be denied that there is a long and complex tradition and relationship among America's Indigenous people and Christianity. Many tribes and Native people have cultivated and enriched this relationship going right back to the beginning of "America". This relationship, in its pure and uncorrupted form, demonstrates that one does not have to stop being an Indian to be a Christian or that one cannot be a Christian if they cling to an Indian knowledge of spiritual reality. True Christianity, undefiled by ideology and political opportunism is compatible and reconcilable with Native worldview, thought and philosophy. James Treat's book, "Native and Christian", as well as his other offerings and endeavors demonstrate this dynamic clearly. "Native and Christian" is an important work to look at for anyone wishing to explore this topic from aan anthropologic, theological or religious perspective. As a native and a Christian I will state that the book rings true and has been very helpful in my own studies and spiritual walk.