“If suffering is the sole origin of consciousness, and the beginning of true spirituality, God can much more easily make a saint out of a sinner…through suffering.” (Dostoevsky).

In the parable of the good and bad trees Jesus states that: “every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and burned.” (Mat. 7:19) In it, the Lord of the harvest is making a comparison between the labor of a horticulturalist and that of a spiritual laborer. A good tree then is one that not only produces after its own kind, from a viable seed, but one which also retains its genetic blueprint. “…and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree-yielding seed.” (Gen. 1:29) From a spiritual perspective, a good tree connotes to a disciple who reproduces fruit unto righteousness. Conversely, a bad tree is one that produces fruit, but without the self-replicating life-giving principle or righteousness within it. Even as the Lord said: “Bear fruit worthy of repentance!” (Mat. 3:8)

Accordingly, a penitent heart could be considered the nominal requirement for a disciple that produces fruit unto righteousness! It follows then that a true disciple is not only one that bemoans his spiritual predicament, but that his remorse is such that it drives him to the seek repentance with all his heart, mind and soul. From that perspective then, the disciple is one tha is not only reachable, but teachable. Conversely, it remains as impossible to reform the unrepentant as it is to disciple a scriptural know-it-all. For that reason, the symbology of the “narrow gate” and a camel kneeling to be divested of its burden, remains apropos as a descriptive of a pentinent believer seeking entrance to the kingdom. As Jesus said: “The gate remains narrow, and the road hard that leads to life, and few are those who find it.” (Mat. 7:14)

In a very real sense this passage intuits to a spiritual awakening, one that is apprehended and generated apart from intellectual deduction.– “Blessed are you Simon bar Jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.” (Mat. 16:17) And, while spiritual illumination can be found and even nurtured through “…a washing of the water of the Word” (Eph. 5:26), an intellectual fixation on the literal meaning at the expense of its spiritual connotation, serves to leave a reader both deaf, and dumb. Let us avoid then being counted among those who are “forever learning, yet never coming to a knowledge of the truth” (2 Tim.3:7). Don’t…”Wait for it!” “For the kingdom of God cometh not through observation, it is within” (Lk. 17:20-21). The spiritual reality of the Christian path remains consistent with the revelatory process, one that unfolds gradually and sometimes almost imperceptibly as a believer synthesizes and internalizes the truths being presented.“So that your love may overflow more and more, and with knowledge and full insight enable you to determine what is best, so that you might produce that harvest of righteousness, which comes through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1: 9,10,11)

“This Gospel shall be preached to every nation, kindred, people, and in every tongue, and then the end will come.” (Mat. 24:14 / Rev. 7:9)

While an extraordinary amount of financial and human capital has been invested in the harvest of indigenous mission-fields around the world, it has often come at the cost of a Gospel that was never appropriately contextualized or satisfactorily comprehended by its intended audience. And while missionaries have defended and continue to defend historical methods of conveying the Gospel, as from a colonial point of view, the results are often the same. And this can now be seen as a compounding tragedy, as the intended audience, while often having a prophetic tradition of a future redeemer, were patronized as being primitive or “uncivilized”, which left little room for theological discussion, much less collaboration. This in its own way is is doubly unfortunate, as the composition of many indigenous languages revolved around a spiritual cosmology much older and far more complex than that of Christianity. And this issue continues to have some relevance, as the Indigenous worldview has often left translators at a loss for words, literally. Ironically, in the process of proselytizing the heathen the church in many ways became the victim of its own conceit. And, in its complicity in the destruction of many of the world’s earliest languages through its mission schools, it systematically eliminated the means for the Gospel’s natural transmission through indigenous languages. Not only was this a loss for human knowledge, but it impeded the spread of the Gospel throughout indigenous communities, as Natives were effectively deprived of the only means at their disposal for fulfilling the Great Commission.

As a result, what little remains of these same languages is now almost entirely devoid of its earlier theological composition. Yet, contrary to the trend there have exceptions. As in Alaska for instance, where Father Veniaminov of the early Russian Orthodox Church undertook the herculean task of biblical translation into a number of Alaska Native languages. Likewise, so too did the Anglican Church of Canada, when it appointed the Archdeacon Robert McDonald, a mixed-blood Ojibwa, to Fort McPherson, Yukon Territory in the year 1862. And who, with the assistance of certain Kutchin leaders, developed a phonetic language called Takud’h, through which the Bible, The Book of Common Prayer and the Hymnal were translated. The Takud’h Bible then, as it came to be known, has since been recognized as a gem among biblical translations, as it reads with a clarity and nuance rarely encountered. And taken from the perspective of an ancient and deeply spiritual people, to read the Bible in Takud’h is a little like taking off a pair of sunglasses in a dimly lit room, as if someone had turned the light on, with passages rendered in living color, rather than the black and white of common print, and so clearly that the scriptures take on a life of their own.

In either case, whether it was the work of the Russian Orthodox Church in Southeast Alaska, or the efforts of the Anglican Church among the Arctic Gwich’in, not only was the Word translated directly into the Indigenous vernacular, but it was done through the efforts of divinely inspired missionaries, working in conjunction with the Native people themselves. In the Russia Orthodox Church, due to the inevitable predominance of Native clergy and their corresponding missionary work, an Indigenous synergy took place, resulting in the Alaskan Orthodox Church during the territorial period being referred to as simply The Native Church. In a similar fashion, the same can be said for the Gwich’in Church of the Canadian Yukon and NE Alaska. With the Anglican Church providing little more than a supporting role, and with a hands off approach to what they referred to as “a move of God”, it’s singular history could be likened to another chapter of Acts, with shamans and hereditary chiefs voluntary converting to Christianity, many becoming apostles themselves.

“For He has appointed us able ministers of a New Covenant, not of written laws, but of the Spirit. For the letter of the law killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.” (2 Cor. 3:6)

For those within the American Christian community who still have a problem with correlations made between Christianity and Indigenous spiritual traditions, don’t be so quick as to judge. First Nations people are representative of the earlier Noahic Covenant, which not only remains contractually binding upon its adherents, but foundational to both the Mosaic and Christian covenant. Unfortunately, in making comparisons, may Christians often reach conclusions that are ill-informed, while at the same time presuming a religious superiority which is rarely deserved, while their hubris and hypocrisy serving as a stumbling block for many. As the Lord sayeth: Woe to you teachers of the Law; you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men. You yourselves have not entered in, nor do you allow those who are entering from doing so. (Matt. 23:13) And left with little choice but to turn to their own understanding, seekers, even Christian seekers, continue to struggle in discerning right from wrong, fact from fiction, faith from religion, and the true path from that of a myriad of others.

In retrospect, I offer a personal reflection from the annals of Native American (Christian) history. In the words of Andele Martinez: “Under a sense of God’s pardoning love and redeeming grace, there came to me a sense of right and wrong, and what was real in religion and what was mere pretense.” For those of us that are attentive, let us cut to the chase; not all Christian expressions, theologies, or polities produce that which God hath purposed.–The spiritual transformation of the individual into the image and likeness of Christ.

_{*Angelo Martinez (–1953). Captured as a boy by the Apache, later traded to the Kiowa and adopted by Heap O’ Bears, Andele grew to adulthood as a Kiowa warrior, before eventually becoming a Methodist minister. He and his kinsman Kicking Bear are credited with being directly responsible for bringing Methodist Christianity to the Kiowa.}

“Water for the people!“– It is not the polluted “pool of religion” that can quench the thirst of those wandering in the desert, but only the “living water” that springs forth from solid rock.

As the environmental and political climate becomes increasingly heated, desertification becomes an apt term that is not only descriptive of the changing environment, but the social landscape, where true believers in turn may be the only fount for miles around. “While the water that flows through us is for ourselves,, the water that flows out of us is for everyone else.” (Hagin)

The term Living Water, or the absence thereof, serves not only a spiritual barometer regarding our own spiritual state, but “Turtle Island” (a water nation). Sink or swim, it’s not too late to drink from your cupped hand, or alter the state of affairs, and for Native believers that state is the land we walk on. Although not yet a done deal, the future of the world hangs in the balance, with those who walk in balance being the only ones that may yet turn the tide. Yet, for that to happen we must first become wellsprings of living water ourselves, not empty cisterns or “clouds without rain;” all promise and no downpour.

But, lest we become too self-absorbed by our own significance, as Christians, we might well reflect upon the fact that there remain “…other sheep who are not of this fold.” (Jn. 10:16) And, identifying as Native people, many of who still adhere to the “original instructions” reiterated in the Noahic Covenant, the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, whether in defense of culture, land or self-determination, a case can be made for a convergence of collective thought, resulting in a bottom-up, radicalized Christianity. A revitalized Christianity capable of bringing the heat to historical faith institutions, whose spiritual mendacity and social timidity has closed door to the downtrodden; causing many to realize that the common denominator of the Christian faith has been and will continue to be a proposition of liberation. Let us then consider those who labor alongside us, continuing to evidence the same hard-core idealism and pragmatic realism needed to engage our common adversary – the world, writ large.

Yet in answering that call, the Indigenous remnant might offend well-meaning, Christians, who continue to labor in their own delusions. As for those, they might do well to remember the Lord’s rebuke when he spoke to the prophet Ezekiel, saying: As for you, my flock, behold, I shall judge not only between rams and goats, but between sheep and sheep, between fat sheep and lean sheep. You who have foraged in green pastures, yet trampled what remained for the hungry; you who have drunk of the clear waters, yet fouled the very pool at which my flock drinks…” (Ez. 34:17). And, as for the history of the Indigenous America’s, there are not only parallels with Israel, biblically, but practically. As the Lord said: “…The time is approaching when I will judge all those who have caused destruction upon the earth.” (Rev. 11:18)

There is no way to avoid the topic of politics when it comes to religion; although its original impetus is liberation, its eventual trajectory tends towards empowerment and human subjugation. “You cannot avoid the interplay of politics within religious orthodoxy, as it’s struggle for power permeates the training, education, and discipline of the orthodox community. And the leaders of such a community must inevitably face the existential question–whether they are going to succumb to complete opportunism, as the cost for advancement and rule, or risk sacrificing themselves for the sake of their own orthodox ethic.” (Herbert: Dune, Muad’Dib)

While Herbert used religious orthodoxy in illustration of the dangers inherent in hierarchical religious organizations, he was not referring to Orthodoxy per se, but organized religion. Even so, there still remains an aspect within Christianity that serves to emphasize its more altruistic intentions. That is, its foundational and supernatural legitimacy rests not upon its own institutional authority, but upon the testimony and sacrifice of those whose lives have been transformed by the reality and power of faith.

Although faith is often misconstrued as religion, faith occurs, not in conformity to the religious aggregate, but through the singular aspect of the Holy Spirit’s transformative and energizing power, as expressed in the individual. In that regard, the soul then becomes not self-serving, but rather self-sacrificing, and in the process, it seeks to either return to the fount from which it issued, or through its own unique expression enlarge the river in which it flows. Because of its supernatural origins then, faith, like a river, ultimately remains outside the purview of earthly dominion, following a course that ultimately has the potential to alter the rivers flow.

Consequently, faith can then be seen as an existential threat, not only to organized religion, which labors incessantly on behalf of its’ own interests, but all institutions who derive their authority and power through compliance to a given construct. And, it is for this reason that “theology helps safeguard, not only society, but the Church itself, from regarding as permanent that which is only temporary” (Gutierrez 10). Consequently, if there is a hermeneutics which exists that accurately reflects the essence of the Gospel, it is our own personal response to the Spirit’s call, and through a pedagogy of reflection, which produces action, endeavors to make the world more heavenly. Yet, while many profess a heavenly correspondence, it is only through the process of committed action that we become transformed into the image of Christ himself. More simply stated, as noted theologian Karl Barth, put it: “The true hearer and recipient of the Word is the one who puts it into practice!”

Although political activism, in a religious context, is often tolerated, and even useful to hierarchical institutions, the growing dissidence among Christian clergy and laity, as they awaken to the social dimension and true mission of the Church, can be seen as particularly dangerous to those same organizations, as once the actual causes of systemic injustice are exposed, they are forced to respond. Yet, whether they close ranks in solidarity with, or in opposition to, the activists within their ranks, any action one-way or the other on their part risks exacerbating existing divisions within the power structure itself.

By way of example, we need look no further than the Catholic Church itself. In spite of the fact that it’s been in the Americas longer than any other denomination, while having the longest history with Indigenous peoples, it has fallen far short of the universality it proposes. And while it acknowledges the simple fact that “the growing wealth of a few parallels the increasing poverty of the many,” (Pope John Paul, 1979) even as it attests tp the Holy Spirit’s “preferential option for the poor,” it remains constrained by its own politicalization. And, although many within the Church itself continue to criticize its inaction, any mobilization from within which serves to expose that inaction is seen as a direct threat. How then can justice be served when the needs of the many are sacrifice for the few? From the bottom up, I say! The poor still pray, and God still listens, even as He gives hope to the hopeless through the sainted actions of the few. Give thanks then for “…the dreamers of the day, who are dangerous, for they act upon their dreams.” (T.E. Lawrence)

"Liter and half-liter, that's all we serve"
The English pint, a rare preserve.

A toast to history, our struggle and steely nerve
One final comeuppance to our patriotic verve
To King and country, a final cheer
Raise your bloody quaffs I say, and with a hearty hear, hear!
Where then this "message from a hundred years 
If we could but read it right?"
From the very beginning, at dawns early light!

The foundations of freedom forged long ago
Those smiths, they labored day and night
On pages that burned with wisdom learned
The pages they turned, those hoary pages right
By fingers worn through sheer delight.

The thoughts they grasped gave pause, yet strength
To fight the mighty monster deep
Yet the time has come again once more
For men to rise to settle the score

Who then will stand among the graves
Of freedoms' fallen, hero's all
To stem the tide of tyranny's call?

As liberty chants the hour is late
The drumbeats roll, heralding fate

As confusion mounts upon "the hill"
The flag unfurls, but not until
The stalwart storm down below
Casting doubt upon the status quo

The weak beyond caring
The timid beyond daring

But this ancient dame
Has neither a place for the halt, nor the lame
In this land of the free
And home of the brave
No place for the darling, the damsel, the knave
Who profit for nothing, awaiting the grave

What price then freedom, the warriors resolve
Except strength of conviction, virtue and will
The cast of our conscience, cunning and skill

With courage beyond caring
For liberty's call
We rise to Old Glory
That banner yet waves

For fame's bright fortune
Made brighter still, by the flame of our burning
But not until

The God of our fathers
For one, and for all

Quill (c)(2020)

“While a democracy seeks equality in liberty, it cannot be established without morality, nor can morality be established except through faith.” (de Tocqueville: Democracy in America, 1835)

The founding documents of this nation, whose inspiration and subsequent penning became a beacon of hope for the entire world, have now become archaic to a vast majority. And, if it wasn’t for those same principles having been written in the hearts of some, America as bastion of liberty would have ceased to exist long ago. Those same few, who in turn, invested in the currency of future generations, in the hope that one day others might rise once again to carry the torch of freedom. This nation was foraged in a furnace of passion, fed by the unquenchable fire of conviction, believing that through the willing sacrifice of a few, the many might be made free. Let us remember then Thomas Paine, English-born, colonial revolutionary, who in his now famous publication Common Sense, laid the groundwork of the colonial resistance by saying: “Britain is the parent country of prejudice, leaving little affection among us for those fetters of previous affliction; for the same tyranny that drove the first immigrants from their original home to these very shores continues to pursue their descendants still.”

Yet in the end, it was our Christian faith which carried us through. As George Washington so aptly put it: “Our pulpits became the very altar upon which the daily sacrifice was made. If it wasn’t for the fearlessness of our ministers, the fire of their exhortations and the light of their countenance, deep darkness would surely have overtaken us.“ And, there were many among them, such as evangelical Calvinist Jonathon Edwards, as well as theologian George Whitefield, Anglican priest and co-founder of Methodism.

These revivalist preachers not only helped ignite the Great Awakening of the mid-eighteenth century, but the American Revolution as well, in turn “giving birth to a shared consciousness of innate human dignity and a rationale for independence among the people of the British Colonies in America.” This declared birthright was made even clearer by the Venerable Bede,* author of The History of the English Church, who, writing in the seventh century, and commenting on the earlier birth of his own nation and the unification of the Anglo Saxon kingdoms under Christianity, said: “Our nation wasn’t only founded upon a sense of common blood, race, and language, but with a common mind.” And, it was this mind, which united the English people, not only in purpose, but in a moral certainty, that liberty was their Christian inheritance, and its preservation their solemn duty. Yet, that voluntary obligation to ensure the endurance of those democratic ideals was dependent upon a corresponding belief in God himself.

Even so, much like the Mosaic Law that was dispensed from Heaven, the democratic foundation of this country rests upon the same basic principles: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength“, and that “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mat. 22: 38,39) Yet, “how can they call upon Him, unless they first believe…and how can they believe unless they hear.” (Heb. 11:6) And, it is that which we, as ministers of the Gospel, must preach, for “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God.” (2 Cor. 10:4) And, being well-armed, we bring the sword of the Spirit to battle, “…which we bear not in vain, for although, as ministers of God, we are called to you for good, for those who do evil we are avengers to execute God’s wrath.” (Rom. 13:4)

Belief, and accountability to a living God then becomes a matter of conviction, based upon a faith which forms the bedrock of a democratic and civil society. Without which it devolves into anarchy, with everyone vying for their separate interests until subsumed by some form of tyranny By contrast, it is only through the process of faith and it’s conceptual realization, through direct participation, that the essential transformation of the individual occurs, from being weak and acquiescent to that an emboldened soldier who fights for freedom on behalf of others.

^{*Venerable Bede (673-735). English monk at the monastery of St. Peter and Paul, Northumbria, England. Venerated as “Doctor of the Church” by Pope Leo X111 in 1899, and holding the Historica Ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum–a quill, a biretta.}

_{*Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859). French aristocrat, diplomat, and political historian. Best known for his works Democracy in America, The Old Regime, and Revolution, he remained skeptical of the extremes of democracy.}

“If they had been thinking of the land they left behind, they would have had reason to return, but as it was they desired a better country, a more heavenly one,”…a place with foundations, whose architect and builder was God.” (Heb. 11:10, 15-16)

For those among you that call America home, having fled persecution in hopes of finding a better place, you were much like the children of Abraham, in that you sought the promise by faith. But, in securing that promised land, your lot was cast with that of the Indigenous peoples of this land. And in light of what you suffered in past and the hope you placed in America, you might well consider the fate of “the Red Man” that came before you, who like Esau, was left with but little option, but to relinquish e his natural birthright in exchange for a meal; saying, “Look, I am dying from hunger, what good will this birthright be to me if I’m dead?” (Gen. 25:32)

The loss of a birthright has been and continues to be an all-to-common theme, not only for Native Americans, but for others, who for survival’s sake placed their hope in the future, only to have it deferred. Unfortunately, many of those same people may soon find themselves at the end of a political noose, realizing that they have more in common with Native Americans than they ever thought possible. And considering that possibility, Thomas Jefferson had this to say: “Dependency begets subservience, and venality suffocates the germ of virtue, preparing fit tools for the designs of ambition.”

Yet, there remains an alternative outcome, as an offshoot and “a living branch” continues to exist within Native America itself. For “…If you, as believers, have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted in to a cultivated olive tree, how much more then will these natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree” (Rom. 11:24). While the introductory passage is commonly referenced in regard to Gentile converts and their being grafted into a covenant relationship with Israel, through Christ, the closing verse is given little consideration–“…How much more then will these natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?” What natural branches and and what olive tree? While it may be in reference to the lost sheep of Israel, it could also be applied to remnant population which had remained faithful to the earlier Noahic Covenant. And “God has not rejected the people he foreknew,” (Rom. 11:2) If that is the case, then Native Americans may actually be the inheritors of “a double promise,” the Noahic Covenant, in addition to “a new and living way” (Heb. 10:20 NIV). Accordingly, if and when the Indigenous peoples of the Americans finally realize that their earlier covenant with Creator has been ratified, contractually, through the willing sacrifice of Christ, they will rise to proclaim: “Yet, my God is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.” (Psalms 74:12)

.

“For the time has come…that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to those that fear thy name, to destroy those that destroy the earth” (Rev. 11:18).

America is of a different genesis than that of other nations. Not only did its origins and “original intent” as a nation set it apart from its European forebears, but its colonizing population in turn was forced to adapt to a completely different way of life in the New World. In doing so, they necessarily inherited many of the habits and perspectives of the aboriginal inhabitants of this land. In addition, those immigrants who can trace their roots back to the original thirteen colonies undoubtedly have some degree of Indian blood in their veins. And, although the early colonists were predominantly Christian, the case can be made that through a spirit of adoption they were also grafted into a First Nation’s covenant with Creator, one which predated the development of the Judaeo-Christian religion by millennia. Prior to the colonization of the Americas by Europeans, the vast majority of its Indigenous inhabitants were still operating under what is known as the Noahic Covenant. Modeled after the original “Six Obligations” given to mankind prior to the advent of”The Flood,” but in addition to a seventh, the establishment of courts of justice, Entrusted to Noah and his sons, it served as religious framework for all the Gentile nations up to and beyond the establishment of the Jewish nation and the Mosaic Covenant. As the Native population of the Americas developed in relative isolation from the rest of “the known world,” it may come as some surprise to learn that the Noahic Covenant was still being observed throughout the Americas even at the time of this nation’s founding. Consequently, it could be argued that many of its Indigenous peoples were still covenant observant and therefore considered to be “Righteous Gentiles,” — “…doing instinctively those things required of the Law, …because the Law was written upon their hearts” (Rom. 2:14). In addition, considering the fact that the Jewish Covenant as well as the Christian, agree in principle with that of the Noahic, it remains in force even unto this day.

Although both the Jewish faith and that of the Christian were intended to reaffirm the Noahic, both in principle and in deed, the evolution of Christianity in response to The Enlightenment put it on a trajectory which conjoined market capitalism with what was considered human progress. As a result, further Christian secularization became inevitable. Codified in what became known as “The Protestant work ethic,” it provided the necessary license for the ideology of “Manifest Destiny.” And, with religion now serving as chief advocate, it became hell bent upon converting “the heathen” to their point of view, in turn removing the last remaining obstacle to unlimited progress or financial gain as one might have it. And yet, the ultimate conclusion of conquest and unlimited capitalism is far from over, as the Indigenous people of the Americas still have a voice, as well as binding covenant with a clause, whereby they can invoke divine retribution for the universal suffering and the desecration of creation. Reminding God of His promise: “to reward your servants the prophets and the saints, as well as those that fear your name…to destroy those that destroy the earth.” (Rev. 11:18).

“To proclaim liberty to the captive, the opening of the prison to those who are bound, and freedom to all those who are oppressed.” (Is. 61:1)

While a great many correlations can be drawn between the Indigenous societies of The New World and the development of The United States of America, it is through its use of Native American symbolism that we begin to see a deeper connection. And, while many might consider that a rather tenuous argument, it becomes clearer for example when we consider The Great Seal of the United States. Although it depicts an eagle with an olive branch in its right talons (a nod to classical Greece and perhaps The Enlightenment), in its left it grasps a war bundle of thirteen arrows. Yet, in spite of its symbolic intention of representing the unified strength and resolve of the original American colonies, it also begs the question — why arrows when muskets would be more descriptive of “the shot heard round the world”? By the same token, our lingering fascination with Native American iconography can be clearly seen in the naming of sports teams and weapons of war, such as Comanche and Kiowa helicopters or Tomahawk missiles for instance.

Writing that off simply to cultural appropriation misses the point entirely, as this country’s foundational association with Native American runs much deeper than many would believe. For example, the Iroquois Confederacy and their Great Law of Peace, or the Haudenasaunee, which is believed to have been formulated as early as 1142, served as a prototype for our US Constitution. In acknowledgement of that historical fact, the US Senate passed a formal resolution in 1998, stating: “The confederation of the original thirteen colonies into a republic was influenced by the political system of the Iroquois Confederacy, as were many of the democratic principles which were incorporated into the Constitution itself.” (Native Voices, 2018).

Yet, perhaps an even better case can be made by noting the historical cooperation that took place between Native combatants and American colonial forces prior to and during The Revolutionary War. For example, it may be worth noting that the US Special Forces had an altogether different origin than that of our conventional forces. In 1676, during the outbreak of King Phillips War, “Governor Winslow of Plymouth Colony granted Captain Benjamin Church permission to form a company made up of English soldiers and Christianized Indian forces trained in the so-called ‘skulking way of war’. These unconventional troops would ultimately have a decisive impact on the conflict, and constituted the first use of indigenous forces by an American unit in a direct capacity–now a key part of special operation techniques.” (HISTORY, 1/13/2016) In addition, “Native Americans have continued to serve in the United States Armed Forces at five times the national average, having participated in every major conflict for more than 200 years. Of the more than 42,000 Native Americans who served in the Vietnam War, 90% of them were volunteers, yet with some tribal nations providing more that 70% of their entire male population.” (DeSiome 2021, originally published by USO.org 2020)

Having said that, it is by virtue of our SOF (Special Operations Forces) and their modus operandi —“De oppresso liber“ (to liberate the oppressed), with its symbol of crossed arrows and dagger, that we begin to see the Indigenous roots of American idealism when it comes to war. Interestingly, if not ironically, we can draw parallels between the mission statement of Jesus himself. — “…To proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison doors to those who are yet bound….” (Isaiah 61:1-2). In either case there remains not only an inherent moral component, but a spiritual connotation when it comes to freeing others from oppression. And, as to those who still subscribe to the use of force in defense of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” we lift the war lance in salute to those who’ve given their all in holding that higher ground. “Anything worth living for, is worth fighting for, and if worth fighting for, then dying for!“