Indigenous and Settler Christianities in Canada

The settler churches in Canada were deeply involved in the devastation of Indigenous cultures through processes of land dispossession, repressive legislation, residential schools, and racist child welfare systems, among other things. One might therefore expect that most Indigenous people would reject Christianity. Perhaps surprisingly, however, the 2011 Canadian census found that 63% of Indigenous people in private households identified as Christian. What stories can help us understand this outcome? This course will survey the history of Indigenous/settler religious encounter, consider Important themes, names, and stories, identify significant questions of interpretation, and reflect on possible future paths for Indigenous/settler Christianities In Canada. As the
instructors are a settler Anglican and an Indigenous Anglican, the course will use many Anglican examples but not to the exclusion of other denominations.