Part of what I love to do with this podcast is highlight some voices that often get overlooked. Cultures that are often pushed to the margins of influence in the Church but have so much to offer us.

Today I'm speaking with Terry Wildman. Terry is the Lead Translator of the First Nations Version of the Bible. Currently there is a New Testament and Psalms and Proverbs available. And the Old Testament is currently being developed.

Terry is a man with native ancestry who grew up in Michigan, was saved during the Jesus Movement, and became pastor early on in his life. What's fascinating about Terry's story is he wasn't exposed to the history of indigenous people until later in life.

That knowledge led him down a path of decolonizing his faith, becoming a missionary to native peoples, and learning how to disentangle what is the way of Jesus and what is not.

This is a deep conversation. Some hard topics. Difficult history. But a challenge we all need.

Topics Covered:

Terry's journey of discovering his Native ancestry and culture
Why what we've learned about Indians in American history is wrong
Why we need exposure to indigenous Bible interpretation
What makes unity between Native Peoples and the church challenging in our political moment
What Christians in America can do today to help Native people
Why we need to decolonize the Bible
The history of Native Bible translation
Terry's favorite Indigenous names for God the Father and Jesus Christ
Why native people view their tribes through the lens of a matriarchal, rather than patriarchal system

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