The land beneath our feet has a longer story than most of us were taught and the Bible has far more to say about land, belonging and relationship than our usual readings admit. In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Daniel Zacharias and Dr. Chris Hoklotubbe, two Indigenous New Testament scholars and co-authors of the new book "Reading the Bible on Turtle Island," and we explore what changes when Scripture is read with an Indigenous worldview, memory and communal perspective.
We talk about Turtle Island as a name that signals deep history, then get practical about hermeneutics: the lenses we all bring to the text, whether we name them or not. Daniel explains a medicine wheel approach to biblical interpretation that holds Scripture alongside creation, cultural stories and the shared hearts and minds of a people. Chris shows how this kind of reading can illuminate familiar passages, including Jesus and the rich young ruler, where “possessions” in an agrarian world often means land, debt and dispossession and where Jubilee themes can suddenly come alive.
We also face the harder background: colonization, residential schools and the ways Christianity was used to condemn Indigenous culture, creating shame and silence even inside church communities. But we don’t stop at deficit stories. We dig into asset-based theology, the power of relationships, and why storytelling often moves hearts more than arguments ever will. If you care about faithful Bible study, Christian discipleship, reconciliation, and hearing the global church more clearly, this conversation will widen your field of view.
If you'd like to learn more from Daniel Zacharias and Chris Hoklotubbe you can purchase their book and explore NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community. And please don't forget to share this episode and join the conversation on YouTube!
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