Would Jesus Eat Frybread?

Once again I've updated the Native Ministries fundraising case (they have new potential major donors!), and in the meantime they've had their first national conference, called "Would Jesus Eat Frybread?"

What kind of a name is that? Well, it's one that gets at the heart of questions Native students are asking. Frybread is a traditional dish for almost every Native American nation--it's a part of native culture--but that's because it was made from the rations distributed by the US government as tribes were forced on long journeys leaving their lands and homes. So in asking about frybread, we ask simultaneously: would Jesus accept native culture as it really is, and is Jesus willing to dwell even in consequences of oppression?

The questions and the answers don't just relate to native students, they relate to us too. A Chinese American alumn working in the Navajo Nation was invited, too, and her reflections from the conference might strike a cord with many of you.

You can read her whole blog entry here, but I've included an excerpt below:

"...somewhere between learning a haka, cooking frybread, absorbing stories, and learning at the feet of elders, God chose to speak directly to me – a first-generation Chinese American with napa cabbage and a jar of chili paste snuggled in the fridge between some jicama and hummus.

God told me that it was time to reclaim my culture. Like every culture, mine reflects a part of His character: He created us all in His image, and while we can’t encapsulate His entirety, we each have the honor of reflecting one facet. In the end, we will all worship Him in our own languages, dance our own dances, and sing our own songs. I don’t know what He wants me to do with this: maybe someday I’ll help build His kingdom in China. Maybe He just wants me to honor my family and honor Him by fully inhabiting my identity.

Reclaiming my heritage won’t be easy. Where is my history located, now? Where did I discard it? I need forgiveness from my family. I want to learn what I can about my lineage. I need to reacquire my language. I want to learn the dialects particular to my family. I want to love the things about myself and my people that I once despised. I have to repent for thinking that how God made me didn’t matter. After all, if I reject myself, I do not fully accept my Creator. I need prayer support, brothers and sisters. And to those in my faith family who are first-generation Chinese Americans, I need guidance and mentorship. If I’m to reflect one small pearl in the vast ocean of God’s glory, then I want to do it well."

Please pray that God would raise up native Christians from every nation!