11\15\24 - Forging a Capstone

(The ideas and opinions expressed within these specific posts are meant to be self-reflective of my theological praxis and are in no way or form intended to be prescriptive, doctrinal, or persuasive. )

Hey friends, capstone update!

I hope to synthesize these nine texts (along with five articles on biblical hermeneutics) to create my Masterpiece for graduation titled: “Seeing Red: An Indigenous Approach to Hermeneutics.”

It’s my goal to shape, frame, and describe how a Native/Indigenous Christian may approach biblical interpretations through post-colonial, anthropological, cultural, and social analysis.

Drawing from the work of the late Standing Rock Lakota theologian Vine Deloria, I intend to lay the foundation of the “how” and “why” Native communities and individuals interpret Christian theology- namely scripture and doctrine.

Next, I will delve into the history, practice, and application of the science of hermeneutics, which concerns itself with methods of ‘understanding’ and ‘interpretation.’

After that, I examine how these methods of interpretation have interacted with Native communities, namely through colonization and missionaries.

Finally, I will incorporate my observations, experience, and scholarship as a half-White, half-Native, ‘classically educated’, theologian, pastor, and scholar.

Through this work, I hope to provide a blueprint where others may work past, through, and beyond the faith they’ve been given throughout the generations.

With this presentation, paper, and scholarship, I hope that someone like me may have as much information needed to truly choose to embrace or reject the myriad spiritual or theological concepts they might encounter.

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The sources are:

1. Birus, Hendrik. “Hermeneutics Today Some Skeptical Remarks”

2. Deloria Jr., Vine. “God is Red: A Native View of Religion, 30th Anniversary Edition"

3. Deloria Jr., Vine. “Red Earth, White Lies: Native Americans and the Myth of Scientific Fact”

4. Deloria, Jr., Vine & Wildcat, Daniel R. “Power and Place: Indian Education in America”

5. Groome, Thomas H. "Christian Religious Education: Sharing Our Story and Vision"

6. Hong, Christine. "Decolonial Futures: Intercultural and Interreligious Intelligence for Theological Education"

7. Jeanrond, Werner G. “Hermeneutics and Christian Praxis: Some Reflections on the History of Hermeneutics.”

8. Jennings, Willie J. “After Whiteness: An Education In Belonging”

9. Memmi, Albert. “The Colonizer and the Colonized”

10. Pui-Lan, Kwok. “Postcolonial Politics and Theology: Unraveling Empire for a Global World”

11. Rajan, Tilottama. “The Hermeneutic Tradition from Schleiermacher to Kierkegaard.”

12. Russell, Letty M. “Cultural Hermeneutics: A Postcolonial Look at Mission"

13. Smith, Ted A. “The End of Theological Education"

14. Stewart, David. “The Hermeneutics of Suspicion”

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I hope to have the PowerPoint file for my presentation on this topic published here, on The Manic Scribe, by November 24th.

We'll see how that goes!