Feature story
Organized by the The United Church of Canada, the document responds to Indigenous Christians who ask that their relatives in Christ help them address ongoing spiritual violence in their communities—violence that is being committed by Christians.
"This document, and the ethical guidelines it recommends, are borne out of a conviction that Christians are called to love others, to do everything possible to prevent harm to others, and to help others heal from harms that they and churches have caused,” reads the introduction. “This violence continues to occur against Indigenous Christians, including some who are also recovering, exploring, maintaining, or deepening traditional Indigenous spiritual practices.”
The concerns raised in the document relate directly to the central question of how Christians witness to their faith. “While writing this document, our group worked through a process of discernment through dialogue,” write the authors in explaining their methodology. “God is the principal and ultimate agent of Christian witnessing, and God’s action in creation transcends our ways.”
Discernment and solidarity are also in line with traditional Indigenous values, note the authors.
“The writings and lives of Indigenous Christians and non-Christians speak of the importance of embodying a sacred, holistic connectedness,” reads the text. “Indigenous values such as reciprocity, balance, harmony, and mutuality find their roots in this experience of sacred interrelatedness.”
Long before Christian missionaries arrived in North America, Indigenous Peoples thrived on their land, note the authors. “They lived a good life in community, with a profound understanding of the interrelatedness of all things,” reads the text. “This spiritual life existed and developed for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.”
When the European missionaries arrived in North America, they brought not only the New Testament teachings but also the message within a European cultural context. “Still, Indigenous Peoples were able to understand and resonate with the value of the teachings of Christ despite the at times oppressive carriers of the message and the oppressions of the systems the colonizers brought with them,” reads the text. “Indigenous leaders insist that it is important to recognize how the Indigenous people received the Christian message.”
Churches need to address spiritual violence, urge the authors. “Land is central to all Indigenous spiritual traditions and identity,” reads the text. “Indigenous relationships with land and place are akin to relationships with family and community.”
The document describes how the colonial process of land conveyance breaks down the agency of Indigenous Peoples as they relate and respond to life. “Learn the history of the land your local church currently occupies,” urge the authors. “Sometimes church language does not speak to Indigenous identities.”
Indigenous Christian theologians need support from church leaders and institutions, urge the authors. “Support means encouragement, space, and time to work through the issues raised by the return of Indigenous Peoples to traditional Indigenous spiritualities,” reads the text.
“Accept the cultural and spiritual value of Indigenous languages, practices, and ceremonies, and accept the diversity of Indigenous culture in Canada.”
Respect for Indigenous languages, stories, practices, and ceremonies is essential to addressing the spiritual harm that has already taken place, notes the document. “Recognize how passing judgments on the spiritual value of other traditions, whether Indigenous or Christian, can result in spiritual violence,” reads the text. “Prioritize work to research, learn about, and appropriately acknowledge how the history of church mission in Canada has caused destructive divisions within Indigenous communities and within Indigenous families.”
WCC Pilgrimage Reference Group to gather in Vancouver (WCC news release, 15 September 2026)
Learn more about the Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity
Photo gallery: WCC Pilgrimage Reference Group meeting in Vancouver
