One Church, Many Tribes : Following Jesus the Way God Made You [Paperback]

Richard Twiss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 8, 2000

Since Columbus landed in the West Indies in 1492, Native American tribes have endured more than five centuries of abuse hypocrisy, indifference and bloodshed at the hands of the "Christian" white man. Despite this painful history, a number of Native Americans have found "The Jesus Way" and are proving to be a powerful voice for the Lord around the world. A full- blooded Lakota/Sioux whose bitterness toward whites was washed away by the blood of Christ, Richard Twiss shows that Native American Christians have much to offer the Church and can become a major force for reaching the lost. Full of wisdom, humor and passion, this book examines how the white Church can begin to break down the walls of anger, distrust and bitterness and move toward reconciliation and revival in our land.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

In this captivating chronicle of the Native American story, Richard Twiss of the Rosebud Lakota/Sioux sifts through myth and legend to reveal God's strategy for the nation's host people. With wit, wisdom, and passion, Twiss shows God's desire to use the cultures of First Nations peoples--in all their mystery, color and beauty--to break through to those involved in New Age mysticism, Eastern religions, even Islam. One Church, Many Tribes is a rallying cry for the Church to work as one so that the lost may learn to walk in life with beauty, along the path of the Waymaker.

About the Author

RICHARD TWISS is a member of the Rosebud Lakota/Sioux Tribe. He believes that no other people group is so uniquely positioned by God for world evangelization as Native Americans. Co-founder and president of Wiconi International, Richard is also a member of the International Reconciliation Coalition. He has been a national conference speaker for Promise Keepers and has appeared as a guest on the "Focus on the Family" radio program. Richard, wife Katherine and their four sons live in Washington.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Regal; Revised edition (August 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830725458
• ISBN-13: 978-0830725458
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #354,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For More Than Just First Nations Believers, January 2, 2003

By 

James S. Taylor (Scarborough, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Church, Many Tribes : Following Jesus the Way God Made You (Paperback)

This book is half exploration of the Native experience with the Church, and half examination of how a Christian life should manifest itself in particular cultures. Twiss gives a good general introduction to the spectacularly poor manner in which First Nations peoples have been treated as not merely targets of evangelization, but as believers who did not find the alleged brotherhood of the faith either very brotherly or faithful. It is a sad, disgusting tale, made personal by the account of Chief Spokane Garry.

It is the rest of the book, however, where the hope shines through. Here, Twiss asks the darn good question: Why shouldn't First Nations persons use their own instruments, music, dress, and dance to honor God? Yes, why not? He expands the argument to include aboriginal peoples all around the world, and it is actually applicable to any culture that wonders why it's being fed the Western way as the alleged way things are to be done. He developes a careful, Biblically sensitive mindset on how to think through these issues, such that one can disassociate cultural items from an original context that may not have been consonant with Biblical values, and give them new life in the Christian worldview. It is a great vision of Christ transforming culture. When this type of thinking catches on around the world, the kingdom will grow in leaps and bounds. For anyone who feels their culture, or subculture, has been stepped on by middle-class Western values that someone has tried to hide in God's mouth, this book will help set you free to drum, create, dance, and dress in ways that both make sense to your people and honor your God.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You might be surprised..., July 19, 2002

By 

A. C. Taylor "Follower of God, animal lover &... (Sterling, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: One Church, Many Tribes : Following Jesus the Way God Made You (Paperback)

...at how balanced this work is. Twiss does an admirable job of presenting a coherent and sensitive biblical viewpoint on the cultural influences on both Scripture - which he obviously holds in high regard - and our theologizing. This allows the reader to have a greater understanding of how cultural blind spots exist in our theological and religious thinking. At the same time, the author explores both the possibility and desireability of cultural awareness, sensitivity and incorporation into our theology and church's (or messianic synagogue's) life.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too many misunderstandings, October 15, 2008

By 

kansaspoet "Larry" (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Church, Many Tribes : Following Jesus the Way God Made You (Paperback)

Chief Joseph, leader of the Nez Perce in the late 1800s and early 1900s once said that between the white settlers and Native Americans, they were "too many misinterpretations, too many misunderstandings." Unfortunately, today these misunderstandings and misinterpretations still exist across cultures and within the church. As a non-Native American, I am in full agreement with the message of this book. For healing to come across cultures, we need to honestly look at the past relationships and at the validity of each culture, knowing that all people are created in God's image and worthy of his love, equally. I recommend this book for anyone who desires to understand the foundations of the bias that still exists in many churches across our nation and to tear down those things that have created the misinterpretations and misunderstandings which have kept us from accepting one another, even in our differences.