Category: Journal Issues

Having first met Richard Twiss at the World Christian Gathering on Indigenous Peoples in 1996, Minniecon describes the role Twiss had in helping him find how to live authentically indigenous and authentically Christian. Using the picture of a desert oak, Minniecon explains how Twiss first knew how to be both indigenous and a Christian deep within himself and was therefore able to help others discover this for themselves. Fighting the cultural tides and understanding the gift the Creator had given him in his social and cultural identity, Twiss became a model for other indigenous peoples regardless of their location.

Daniel Fan wrote the poem “Farewell Uncle Richard” in response to a vision he received shortly after learning of Richard Twiss’ passing.  Twiss’ life was dedicated to honoring Creator through contextualization of the Gospel within Native American culture.  Richard loved to dance at the annual Wiconi Family Camp and though he cannot take the field on earth those who remain should have no doubt that Richard now dances in Heaven at the biggest Jesus Powwow of them all.

Couched in borrowed lyrics from a Bob Dylan tribute to Lenny Bruce, Aldred remembers Twiss as a man who made it a goal to be simple, offering hospitality and family to all people. This goal is echoed in Twiss’ Lakota name Taoyate Obnajin—“He Stands with his People,” and is seen in how he and his wife Katherine worked to bring all people into the Kingdom of God, especially those who were often marginalized and cast out by Western and colonial Christianity. He did this by establishing Wiconi International and by pursuing restorative justice as he listened to people, told the truth, and sought a way to heal the damage.

Marking the development of Twiss’ faith and theology with the books he authored, LeBlanc describes the themes behind Christ, Culture and the Kingdom of God, 500 Years of Bad Haircuts (later published as One Church, Many Tribes), and his final opus Rescuing Theology from the Cowboys. In the first, Twiss described a theology of redemption where the cultural context of a person was honored and brought into their practice of faith. The need for contextualization in faith and mission was further developed in 500 Years noting the coming redemption of all things, including all cultures. His last book, Rescuing Theology, provides a platform for contextualization theology for the next generation, having first described the milestones and significant work in its development. Through it all Twiss remained committed to the person of Christ.

After giving biographical details on Twiss’ parents and upbringing, the authors describe how Twiss’ understanding of faith in Christ was shaped along with his interaction with and challenge to contemporary Evangelicalism. A key concept for Twiss was the need for critical contextualization of faith by pursuing justice with shalom. In his own life, critical contexualization allowed him to be fully committed as both a follower of Jesus and a Native American. It was also his call for the decolonization of contemporary theology, a shift from white supremacy to honoring Native American practices for their value and the partnership of White and Native Americans. To this end he worked with others to create The North American Institute of Indigenous Theological Studies (NAIITS), developed an intercultural studies program at George Fox University, and founded Evangelicals for Justice. His life and work was a prophetic call for the honoring of indigenous peoples and perspectives in contemporary theology and evangelical practice.