(PNS) — The Rev. Irvin Porter, associate for for Native American Intercultural Congregational Support in the office of Racial Equity & Women’s Intercultural Ministries, has offered up many presentations on the Doctrine of Discovery and the more than 500 years of history between Native American and white people in this country. Porter told Between Two Pulpits hosts Bryce Wiebe and Lauren Rogers Monday that only once has someone responded, “I didn’t do any of that, so why should I feel guilty?” “He was being honest,” Porter said. “I said, ‘The land you are on and maybe some of your wealth came at the expense of Native American people.’ He told me he never thought of it that way.” “Our history books are void of anything like this,” Porter said just days before the nation celebrates Thanksgiving on Thursday. “We don’t talk about the Doctrine of Discovery and about boarding schools that Native families were coerced into sending their children to. It’s an American skeleton in the … [Read more...]

As we observe Native American Heritage Month, it is important to recognize that Native Americans have been on the frontlines of social reform in the United States since Europeans arrived in the 1400s. The Rev. Judy Wellington, a Presbyterian Mission Agency Board member from Arizona, says one of the greatest issues facing Native people currently in this country is the threat to tribal sovereignty, which is protected by treaty agreement. “There is to be a nation-to-nation relationship between tribal governments and the federal government, but the U.S. government has broken every treaty,” said Wellington. “The relationship is complex, and the history is not taught, so the country fails to recognize the unique status of First Nations communities and the various Indian policies that have been developed. For the most part, we were not allowed to remain on traditional homelands in peace, but faced war and policies of extermination, removal, assimilation and termination of some tribal … [Read more...]

J. Herbert Nelson says there is injustice in what many call justice (PNS) — As we approach this time of Thanksgiving in this country, I can’t help but feel disheartened. I think about all of the people we’ve come to know in the past year and a half who won’t be able to celebrate this special time with family and friends. The names of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Daunte Wright and so many others come to mind. Lives snuffed out by the injustices of those sworn to protect us. While their voices are silent, thousands across this country have spoken for them. Peaceful marches from one coast to the other, pleading for justice. So many times, we’ve seen those peaceful marches end in bloodshed, and lives have forever changed because people refuse to see the otherness of the other. We shake our heads in disbelief as 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse walks as a free man today, found not guilty of the murders of two men shot to death last year while marching in Kenosha, Wisconsin. These men … [Read more...]

 The Lilly Endowment posts information about its clergy renewal programs (PNS) —The Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Programs at Christian Theological Seminary provide funds to congregations to support renewal leaves for their pastors. Congregations may apply for grants of to $50,000 to underwrite a renewal program for their pastor and for the pastor’s family, with up to $15,000 of those funds available to the congregation to help cover costs for ministerial supply while the pastor is away.According to a news release from Christian Theological Seminary, there is no cost to the congregations or the pastors to apply; the grants represent the Lilly Endowment’s continued investment in renewing the health and vitality of American Christian congregations.More information about the National Clergy Renewal Program can be found here. Interested parties can learn about the 2022 programs and find application materials and other content related to clergy renewal. Information about the Lilly … [Read more...]