Claiming the Promised Land
The “Doctrine of Discovery” is a philosophical and legal framework dating to the 15th century that gave Christian governments moral and legal rights to invade and seize indigenous lands and dominate Indigenous Peoples.
The Doctrine of Discovery is enshrined in the US legal paradigm, where case-law is based on a series of Supreme Court decisions from 1823. The patterns of oppression that continue to dispossess Indigenous Peoples of their lands today are found in numerous historical documents such as Papal Bulls, Royal Charters and U.S. Supreme Court rulings as recent as 2005. Collectively, these and other concepts form a paradigm of domination that legitimates extractive industries that displace and destroy many Indigenous Peoples and other vulnerable communities, as well as harm the earth.
What is the religious justification for this doctrine? Together, we will explore a theological framework for decolonizing the Doctrine of Discovery and identify concrete steps toward seeking repair.
This class includes:
Class recording
Q&A session recording
Downloadable class slides
Cost: $25
Topics we’ll cover:
The Christian story that justified conquest
How the Christian Doctrine of Discovery became part of the legal system: the 1823 Marshall decisions
Luke chapter 4: Jesus’ Mandate and a theological framework for decolonization
Creation is unfolding: the connection between earth care and decolonization
Following Jesus’s call: concrete steps toward repair
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Sarah Augustine
Sarah Augustine, who is a Pueblo (Tewa) descendant, is founder and cochair of the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition and Executive Director of a dispute resolution center in central Washington State. She is also the co-founder of Suriname Indigenous Health Fund (SIHF), where she has advocated for vulnerable Indigenous Peoples since 2004. She is a columnist for Anabaptist World, and co-hosts the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Podcast with Sheri Hostetler. She is author of the book The Land Is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery (Herald Press 2021) and co-author of So We & Our Children Might Live: Following Jesus in Confronting the Climate Crisis (Herald Press 2023).
