Drawing on the long and arduous history between the Indigenous people of North America and the Christian church that colonists brought to them, the harmful relationship of the past must be addressed. To move forward so that Native American spiritual practices have much to offer the Christian world of spiritual living, a way, a spirit of respect and reverence must be established. For centuries, these two deeply spiritual worlds were told that they could not and would not coexist. Drawing deep attention to ways Native American spiritual practices have been misappropriated and trivialized over the years through a lack of reverence draws us into a deeper sense of respect and appreciation for non-Native persons and offers a new sense of hope and beginning for Native peoples that continue to struggle with the voices of the past telling them that being fully Native and fully Christian are incompatible. There is a new reality that these two worlds very much can and should coexist, and it is a good and joyful thing for all people to begin to explore where Native American cultures and faith intersect.
