Redeeming Christianity

I was at a seminary graduation in Ontario last night and a lecture was given before the ceremony. The speaker was from the seminary in Cuba and he was discussing how theology is supposed to be kept current and relevant to the people who it is supposed to be serving. He also commented that theology is always political and contextual.

This made sense in how theology was applied to First Nations communities in Canada when missionaries arrived with the purpose of conversion. Theology was used in a political sense in order to support the assimilation of First Nations people through contact with the missionaries and education. Theology was made political through the inclusion of the government in the residential school system. The residential school system was very political, although many of schools were based on theological premises.

TI wonder how theology can now be adapted to address the needs of First Nations communities in Canada. Christianity was used in a colonial and racist way over the past centuries and also in the present. I am not sure how to redeem Christianity from its history at this point. Christianity has been used as a force of hatred and assimilation and continues to be offered as a solution for the pain it has caused in the past. This is similar to the manner in which post-Holocaust theology was offered at the end of WWII. Christianity was offered as a solution for the wrongs that were committed when many of the wrongs that were committed were done in the name of Christianity.

I am aware that many churches and denominations are beginning to offer outreach to First Nations communities in order to improve relationships between the Church and First Nations people. In my opinion, the outreach needs to move beyond individual efforts for change and become a universal change that relates to how theology is put into practice. In order for this to happen, theology must change. It must change from something that is written by predominantly white middle-class men to something that is accessible to all, regardless of race, gender or creed.

While I do not claim to know or understand how these ideals can be put into practice or how Christianity can be redeemed as I struggle with these issues myself, I do know that it is necessary to change. Christianity must adapt to the changes that are being presented and address the faith needs of First Nations people, whether through non-judgmental support or by working to make Christianity more open to the process of syncretism.