Careful How You Build

It was cold. The kind of cold you don’t expect on a late April afternoon. To make matters worse, the wind was blowing continually, chilling us to the bone. But even more chilling were the stories told to us that day. I was standing at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in St. Paul, MN with other Lutheran Brethren Seminary students and faculty. We had come to hear Jim Bear tell us the history of this place.

That day Jim Bear shared with us story after story of the settlers’ evil upon those native to the area. Stories of corruption in the US Indian Agency that led to mass starvation and sickness. Native land was not sold in an honest fashion, nor was the agreed-upon payment ever fully given. To make matters even worse, the little payment that was given was never distributed fairly. Settlers began to claim it as a repayment for “debts” that the Native Americans owed them. Each story was more chilling than the one before.

Jim recounted how that mass starvation led to an uprising which resulted in 300 Native Americans being sentenced to death. Because of the large number, approval was needed from President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln decided that 300 were too many, and all but 38 were commuted. In 1862, one day after Christmas, the 38 Native Americans were hanged in front of a large crowd of settlers.

One day after the settlers had celebrated Jesus’ merciful entrance into the world, 38 people were mercilessly killed. If that does not chill you to the heart, then perhaps your heart is already stone cold. I do not retell these stories to condemn all the descendants of white settlers. I do tell these stories because I think it matters. As Christians we are all called to live humble and loving lives. (See Ephesians 4:1-6; Philippians 2:1-4; 1 Timothy 2:2.) Yet what does this look like, especially in light of what we heard on that cold April day?

No matter our vocation, we are called to live our lives by proclaiming the gospel and by serving our neighbor. The proclamation of the gospel may seem to be rather straightforward or at least not much affected by the history that I shared. This is not the case, though. St. Peter’s Catholic Church was built upon a Native American sacred site. It was done so intentionally to display God’s dominance over the native spiritual beliefs. But is that the best way? Are we called to come into an area and try to force people into a saving faith? Are we called to tear down mosques and build churches on the ruins? Are we called to use politics to enforce Christian beliefs upon others? No. We are not called to be a church militant. Sharing the gospel does not mean that we try to make non-Christians look like Christians. It means giving the good news of the gospel to people who are hurting and broken. If we are refused, then we should move on to someone else who may be more receptive (Matthew 10:14). Our calling is to be ambassadors of peace, seeking to share the peace of God with anyone who is willing to hear.

People are far more willing to hear this good news from you when they know they can trust you. Trust is most readily built when people see you care about them through your actions. Perhaps the message of the gospel would have been received better among the Native Americans if Christians first tried to earn their trust. What would our history look like if the Church sought to feed those who were starving? Though Christians have always fallen short, our calling as Christians to serve our neighbor still remains.

Our trip ended with a visit to a hill overlooking the river valley. On that hill were two cemeteries. One cemetery appeared as you would expect, with marked graves and a manicured lawn. The other—appearing to be just a grassy field—was a Native American burial ground. In 2002, a group of developers wanted to build housing units on the hill, as it had a wonderful view. They knew they would not be able to build on the cemetery with marked graves, so they started development on the Native burial ground. As they encountered human bones, they threw them into a shed. They called it “the bone shed.” They were in the process of destroying a burial ground, thinking they would not be stopped. But they were stopped, and today this is protected as a historical preservation site.

I am reminded of the verse, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded” (Luke 12:48). We have been given the wonderful treasure of the gospel. Yet what are we doing with this treasure? How many burial grounds are we building upon and don’t even realize it? What other things are we blind to, which are harming the witness of Christ?
As we encounter chilling tales of human evil, let us remember that it is God who has taken our stone-cold heart and given us a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26). Let our hearts not be cold as we see our neighbor suffering.

Carl Juhl serves the Church of the Lutheran Brethren as a church planter in Lincoln, North Dakota.

Carl Juhl has accepted a call to serve as church-planting pastor in Lincoln, ND. Lincoln Church and Community Center is the vision of Grace Lutheran Brethren Church in Bismarck, ND. Grace has been hosting a Kids Club ministry in Lincoln since 2016 in anticipation of this day. North American Mission will oversee the Lincoln church plant and is assembling a leadership team to provide support, training, and resources for Carl and his wife Emily.
Below is an announcement video from Carl and Emily