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The need for repentance concerning Native
Americans - by Tony Black
Introduction
Since the arrival of Europeans in North America,
particularly the Spanish and British in the 16th
and 17th Centuries, the indigenous American
Peoples have lost the vast majority of their
land.
Disease, theft, murder, warfare, deception, and "official"
government land programs have deprived them of
their territories. The Native peoples rights were
never taken seriously. Rather, they were seen as
obstacles to the colonists' hunger for land. This
was justified either by legalistic religious
interpretation, or business ethic - where only the
strong should survive.
The Pilgrims and the "promised
land".
One cannot brand all individuals on
the Mayflower with the same label, many of whom
were good folk. However, the arrival
in Massachusetts in 1620 of what was a mixture of Puritans and Traders was far from
"good news" for the Natives. In brief, the Traders brought
with them an inevitable
measure of greed and malice, and the
Puritans believed they were establishing a "New
Israel".
Promised Land imagery figured prominently in
shaping British colonial thought. The pilgrims
identified themselves with the ancient Hebrews,
and the New World as the New Canaan. "We
shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all
people are upon us...," the Puritan John
Winthrop wrote. Other colonists believed they,
too, had been divinely called. The settlers in
Virginia were, John Rolf said, "a peculiar
people, marked and chosen by the finger of God."
This sense of divine election, and the
identification of the Americas with ancient Canaan,
were often used by the Europeans as an excuse to
expel the Indigenous Peoples from their land. The
"white man" saw themselves as
confronting "satanic forces", and the natives were "Canaanites",
either to be
destroyed or ejected. Much closer to the truth is
that, far from being a
nomadic and "savage" people - as they were
often depicted - in many cases the Natives lived in
peaceful and settled societies. Without them
the early settlers would not have even survived.
Whilst not embarking on some of the more
vicious methods of land extraction, the Pilgrims
often sought dubious "legal" methods. If
a Native broke the rigid Puritan religious laws, a
fine was paid by giving up land. In this manner
some were able to amass large holdings. John
Winthrop, for example, obtained through the
Massachusetts courts some 1,260 acres along the
Concord River. 1
Founding Fathers' attitudes
This interpretation of divine election was
inherited by the
Founding fathers, whom it should be noted, were by
now no longer "Europeans"
but fully "American". Quoting Roy H. May: "The self-image of
being a Chosen People became an integral theme in
America's self-interpretation. During the
revolutionary period, it emerged with new force.
"We cannot but acknowledge that God hath
graciously patronized our cause and taken us under
his special care, as he did his ancient covenant
people", Samuel Langdon preached at
Concord, New Hampshire in 1788.
George
Washington (Great Grandson of an English gentleman3) was, according to May, the "American
Joshua". "Never was the possession of arms used
with more glory, or in a better cause, since the
days of Joshua, the son of Nun," Ezra
Stiles urged in Connecticut in 1783.
In 1776,
Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson wanted
Promised Land images for the new nation's Great
Seal. Franklin proposed Moses dividing the Red Sea with Pharaoh's army being overwhelmed
by the closing waters. Jefferson urged a
representation of the Israelites being led in the
wilderness by the pillar of fire by night and the
cloud by day." 2
If you are in any doubt about this being so, in
his second inaugural address (1805), Jefferson himself again recalled the Promised
Land. "I shall need...the favor of that
Being in whose hands we are, who led our fathers,
as Israel of old, from their native land and
planted them in a country flowing with all the
necessities and comforts of life."
Attitudes today
Today many Christians adhere to the theory of God's
judgment on a "sinful people". Some
Native Americans also believe this to be the
case. In a recent newsletter posted by First
Nation Monday, they quote in a prayer of
repentance: "Now we
are slaves in this fruitful land you gave to our
ancestors. Its plentiful harvest is taken by
kings you placed over us because of our sins.
Our suffering is unbearable, because they do as
they wish to us and our livestock." (from
Nehemiah 9)
Whether this be so is, I suggest, not a matter
for the "white man". Self-judgment in the light of Gods word is a
wise approach for all people. But if this
principle is universal, then most of the western world
should now be shaking in its boots! The Christian would
also do well to remember the fate of the Assyrian
(and others) instruments used to "judge" God's chosen
people Israel. Bear in mind also that God "restores the
years that the locust has eaten" for those who
repent.
The quest for Reconciliation.
The Holy
Spirit today is leading thousands of Native Americans to
repentance and faith in the Saviour and owner of
all creation. The quest for reconciliation and
convergence (unity) amongst all people groups who
follow Him is high on God's agenda today. Call
that "prophecy" if you will, but the
indications are now crystal clear.
"For thus says the LORD of hosts: "Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land;
'and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,' says the LORD of hosts.
'The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,' says the LORD of hosts.
'The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the LORD of hosts. 'And in this place I will give peace,' says the LORD of hosts."
(Hag 2:6-9 NKJ)
Tony Black is a
British subject, and a "resident
alien" of the United States. Formerly he
was a director for one of Princess Diana's
charities, often used as an 'ambassador'
on her behalf. More recently he lived in Israel
functioning in a practical outworking of
reconciliation, through various projects.
The Pilgrims
arrival and views of Thanksgiving
1The Divine law of
sowing and reaping must surely apply here. This
Land of the "Free", once home of the
Brave (pun intended), now has more rigid laws than
it does citizens!
2Joshua and the Promised Land - by Roy
H. May, Jr. I am grateful to him for much source
material used here.
3George Washington was the third in
descent from John Washington, an English
gentleman, who about the middle of the 17th
century emigrated from the north of England, and
settled in Westmoreland county, Virginia.
Source:
International Revival Network: www.openheaven.com.
May be freely copied provided source and/or
copyrights are included with the text.
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