ADC’s Professor of New Testament Studies, Rev. Dr. H. Daniel Zacharias, co-authored a new book with Dr. T. Christopher Hoklotubbe – Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation. In anticipation of its November 18th release, the following interview with Dr. Zacharias offers insight into their collaborative work. 

Dr. Zacharias, congratulations on your latest academic achievement! To start, could you give us a brief overview of your new work and what inspired it? 

Thank you very much. It has been a lot of work and very rewarding. If you follow my story or have known me for any length of time, you know that I have been in the process of reclaiming my cultural heritage as an Indigenous person originally from Winnipeg. A big part of this has meant pondering, “what does it mean to be an Indigenous follower of Jesus?” Subsequently, “how does this affect, change, or shape my work as a biblical scholar?” This book came about as I met my co-author Chris, who is on a very similar journey, though from the United States. He is a Choctaw man.   

What are some of the key issues, ideas, or questions the work explores, and why do you think they’re especially relevant today? 

Indigenous peoples on this continent have been engaging with the Christian Scriptures since the beginning of colonization in one way or another. Yet these encounters, teachings, stories, etc. have not been prominent in the literature.  

There are a lot of reasons for this, which you can read about in the book. We wanted to bring these stories to light and in the context of the Scriptures say, “what do these encounters and teachings and stories that derive from the Indigenous peoples in these lands have to do with our engagement with Scripture?” Furthermore, we ask the question of how Indigenous people may encounter the Scripture differently. What worldviews and life ways and theologies form a foundation by which we read the biblical text? 

I think it is very relevant today as we in Canada and in the United States come to understand more and more of the effects of colonization on Indigenous peoples, as we wrestle with, repent of, come to terms with, and learn from the colonial history of our countries, and strive to live in a better way.   

What was the writing process like from start to finish, and what inspired your collaboration with Dr. Hoklotubbe?  

We had the opportunity to apply for a grant from the Louisville Institute, which we received. This meant that we were able to spend some good time talking with other Indigenous Christian leaders across our respective countries, marinating in their stories and teachings. Some of these stories and teachings made it into the book, but more than anything, it was the chance to be in relationship with people; to hear their thoughts, their wisdom, their struggles. It really shaped us, our hearts and minds, in important ways.  

We then spent a lot of time together and did the majority of the book writing together in the same room, or together on Zoom. Chris often uses the description, “theological jazz,” to describe our time together, which I think works well. We would sit together and pass our thoughts and writing back and forth, engage together, and keep on writing. Sometimes one of us would be staring up at the ceiling, free thinking, while the other one was writing down what was being said. It was a very generative time and deeply valuable. Frankly, I hope that I can do the same type of writing in the future with other co-authors, or maybe even Chris again if he can stand me.  

If there’s one key thing you hope readers will take away from this work, what would that be?  

I hope that readers will come away seeing value and wisdom in Indigenous traditions and how these are helpful conversation partners as we seek God’s wisdom in the world and in our engagement with Scripture. I think if you find that our book has any merit, it is because we have reshaped a little bit of your underlying theological assumptions about how God has worked in history. 

Chris and I really thought about people like us in the next generation, Indigenous followers of Jesus who struggle with the colonial legacy of the Church, and how the Scriptures have often been weaponized against their people. We hope this work can help them be proud of who they are and how God made them and help them step into their Christian discipleship as Indigenous people.   

When is the book published and where can readers purchase a copy?   

Well, if you are around the College, you can purchase it directly from me. But of course, wherever fine books are sold online (Indigo, Amazon).  The official release date is November 18, but some people have already received their pre-order copies. Hopefully on release day or shortly after there will also be an audiobook version, as I completed the narration of the book at the end of October.