Former Indigenous Relations Specialist and Strategic Associate Cheryl Bear has a discussion with colleague and ally Senior Associate for Theological Integration Jonathan Wilson as she sheds light on Indigenous perspective and the Christian faith. The dialogue looks at how Indigenous heritage intersects with the Christian faith. Cheryl navigates the realities of what it means to be fully native and fully Christian and how challenging norms opens doors towards progress.

(This conversation was pre-recorded in late 2018.)

Highlights Time Code Guide

00:13 Jonathan Wilson introduces Cheryl Bear

00:24 Land acknowledgment

01:20 Jonathan provides Cheryl’s background

02:30 Cheryl shares the Indigenous way of identifying herself

05:00 Prayer

07:11 Jonathan’s donut story

08:08 Cheryl’s donut story

09:50 Chery’s journey with Jesus

11:05 Jonathan’s journey with Jesus

17:10 Cheryl’s Indigenous heritage intersecting with her faith

21:39 Missionaries and Christians painting Indigenous communities in a negative light

24:00 What helped Cheryl stay faithful in the middle of this way of Christian thinking

25:39 Who is Richard Twist

28:00 Reconciliation being Christian and being Indigenous

32:19 Writing Indigenous Christian songs

35:00 Australia’s Indigenous story is similar to Canada’s

36:46 Jonathan speaks about J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings as a cosmic redemption story

38:30 When did Cheryl start to use the language “creator” and using it in relation to the Good News

48:44 Different names for Creator

50:00 “Church Supremacy”

52:00 Colonialism

57:00 Knowing the One True God through his attributes

1:00:00 Past work with CBM

1:04:30 Churches working in reconciliation

1:06:24 Cheryl’s vision