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Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation
"Comprehensive and visionary, Reading the Bible on Turtle Island reimagines Christian faith in view of Indigenous experiences and identity."—Foreword Reviews, November/December 2025 Join the dance of North American Indigenous interpretations of Christian ScriptureIn Reading the Bible on Turtle Island, Indigenous scholars Chris Hoklotubbe and Danny Zacharias explore what it means to read the Bible from the lens of Indigenous peoples in North America. Exploring the intersection of Scripture, Cultural Traditions, Hearts and Minds, and Creation, they affirm Creator's presence with Indigenous people since the beginning. By recovering these rich histories, this book offers a fresh reading of Scripture that celebrates the assets, blessings, and insights of Indigenous interpretation.Indigenous culture has often been dismissed or deemed problematic within Western Christian circles, and historical practices have often communicated that Indigenous worldviews have little to offer the church or its understanding of Scripture. Hoklotubbe and Zacharias challenge this perspective, reasserting the dignity of these cultures that were condemned through colonial practices and showing how Indigenous interpretations bring invaluable insights to all of God’s people.In Reading the Bible on Turtle Island, Hoklotubbe and Affirm the dignity and value of Indigenous cultures and their contributions to hermeneutics.Explore the intersection of the Bible with Indigenous traditions.Delve deeply into the stories of Scripture alongside the complex histories of Indigenous communities in North America.Celebrate the unique blessings and insights of Indigenous interpretation.Offer a fresh, transformative reading of the Bible that speaks to all of God’s people.Reading the Bible on Turtle Island is a vital resource for scholars who are interested in the intersection of biblical studies and social location, who are seeking to explore Scripture through an Indigenous hermeneutic, or who desire to learn more about the contributions of Indigenous worldviews to Biblical interpretation. Get your copy today!
231 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 18, 2025
12 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 22, 2025
Excellent book written by well educated and intelligent writers. New ideas and thoughts brought up and discussed by many Native Americans and Christians. Enjoyed the invitation to this interpretation.
January 29, 2026
The Bible is sacred to many, but it is an ancient book that emerged in a very different culture and context. Therefore, it requires interpretation. At the same time, interpreters bring their own context to their reading of scripture. Since most scholarly biblical interpreters have emerged from European and Euro-American contexts, these lenses have been what is used to read Scripture. In recent years, as scholars have recognized this to be true and that colonialism has influenced how Scripture is read, interpreted, and applied, post-colonial interpreters have begun to address how this influences not only the way people read Scripture but also how they understand their faith.
Indigenous peoples around the world have wrestled with what has often been an imported religion and its relationship to their own cultural contexts, including their own spiritual resources. This is true for North American Indigenous peoples, who not only lost their land after European colonization but also their cultures. Efforts were made, including through boarding schools, to "kill the Indian to save the man." That is indigenous people were forced to give up their languages, cultural practices, and their religions, and forced to take on Euro-American cultural elements, even as they lost their lands. In many ways, this was cultural genocide. While the effects of these efforts that took place over several centuries are being addressed, there is much more to do. Fortunately, growing numbers of Native American/First Nations religious scholars have engaged in important work in theology and biblical studies. One expression of the latter was the development of First Nations Version: An Indigenous Bible Translation of the New Testament. That translation, making use of traditional indigenous nomenclature for God, for Christ, for the Holy Spirit, the church, and salvation, has proven to be immensely valuable. Now comes the important and revealing book "Reading the Bible on Turtle Island."
"Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation" was written by two Native American biblical scholars, T. Christopher HokloTubbe (Choctaw) and H. Daniel Zacharias (Anishinaabe/Metis). Both authors have doctorates in biblical studies. One is from the United States and the other from Canada, where they teach at colleges or seminaries. They bring their cultural context into conversation with the Bible, revealing how different hermeneutics reveal different elements of the biblical story.
First thing that needs to be said concerns the title. What is Turtle Island? The answer is that "Turtle Island reflects an indigenous understanding of the North American continent. With that as a starting place, they point out that not only did God make a covenant with Israel, but God did not ignore the "Indigenous peoples of North American until the European colonizers arrived. Rather, Creator has always been present on Turtle Island and made a mark on the stories, ceremonies, lands, worldviews, and lifeways of its Indigenous peoples" (p. 3). Therefore, there is a context for receiving and interpreting the gospel. Unfortunately, that truth has not always been received. With that in mind these two Indigenous Christian scholars wish to change the conversation.
Reading this book will challenge the perspectives of many people who may not recognize the tragedy inflicted on native peoples after the European arrival, Europeans who were guided by the Doctrine of Discovery." This doctrine permitted Europeans to steal the land of the Indigenous peoples and essentially own them. In this book, these two scholars reveal this tragedy and challenge the viewpoint of many Western biblical scholars who assume that there is a universal frame of reference for interpreting the Bible, a frame of reference that is Eurocentric. As such, these scholars seek to bring into conversation with the Bible the assets of their own culture. I should note that this book is published by an evangelical publisher. A starting point here is recognizing that in their relationship with Jesus, they recognize him to have been a brown-skinned Indigenous man who had been colonized. While embracing Scripture as sacred to their own faith, they also note that "The desire for the Scriptures to dominate as the sole authority, denigrating and replacing Indigenous cultural traditions, is a colonizing form of Christianity that Indigenous people the world over have encountered" (p. 9).
They begin their study of Indigenous hermeneutics in Chapter 1, which they title "Entering the Circle Dance," thus connecting the importance of the dance to Indigenous peoples as they introduce us to Turtle Island Hermeneutics. This is rooted in grounding themselves in the goodness of their own culture and the assets present there. In Chapter 2, titled "It's All Relative: The Scriptures, Creational Kinship, and 'All Our Relations,'" they begin to bring the various assets into the conversation, such as Indigenous creation stories. noting that the Creator can be encountered through Creation. Then in Chapter 3, "Reading Along the Bright Path," they focus on Jesus' jubilee teachings, which lead back to harmony with all relations, including non-human kin, or better, "more-than-human" kin.
I think many Westerners find it difficult to see our ancestors in our faith stories, but that is not true for many Indigenous peoples. Thus, in Chapter 4, which is titled "Crying for a Vision of Who We Are," they address the question of ancestors, including the cultural practices, including ceremonies and lifeways that White Christians said were idolatrous. They seek to challenge that kind of thinking and bring the two into conversation. This includes embracing the dreams and visions found in Scripture and in their own contexts. So, in embracing Scripture, they also seek to embrace their ancestors.
As they begin to lean into biblical stories, we begin to see parallels between Indigenous realities and the biblical stories. Thus, when an Indigenous person reads the story of Naboth, whose land was stolen by Ahab and Jezebel, they can see stories of the broken treaties that led to the stealing of the lands of the Native peoples (Chapter 5, "Naboth's Descendants). Hoklotubbe and Zacharias point out that "approximately 368 treaties were signed between US authorities and Indigenous leaders between 1777 and 1868." Most of them were broken. Something similar happened in Canada. So, even as the exiles in Babylon sang about their situation, so the Indigenous peoples sang their own songs of lament as they traversed the Trail of Tears. While the story of Naboth is one such story, they also bring up Joshua and the conquest of Canaan, which was used as a paradigm for European colonization. Thus, Joshua is not a hero. Chapter 6 is titled "From Babylon to Boarding Schools." Here again, a reality faced by Indigenous peoples, the forced removal of children to boarding schools where they could be "civilized," schools that also led to the deaths of thousands, serves as a lens through which to read a biblical story. This time, it is the story of Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were taken from their families and trained up so they could serve the Babylonian rulers. Again, we encounter the tragedy of policies by US and Canadian authorities that provide a very different lens to read biblical stories.
Chapter 7, titled "Reading While Red(Bone)," uses a song by the 1970s and 1980s music group, Redbone, the first Indigenous group to have a top 5 hit, as an entry point into a discussion of Indigenous ceremonies. The song they speak of, "Come and Get Your Love," appears as part of the Marvel movie "Guardians of the Galaxy." Once again, the authors seek to draw upon Indigenous assets, here being ceremonies, including dance, as resources for reading the Bible and living the Christian faith. What has often been deemed idolatrous can provide a foundation for Christian theology and practice.
They conclude with "The Call of the Drum: An invitation to the Circle of Turtle Island Hermeneutics." This concluding chapter invites us to gather around the "big drum," which traditionally calls people together for ceremonies and gatherings. As such, they invite the reader to engage Scripture anew, making use of Indigenous assets, which are deemed good. They state clearly that their primary audience is other Indigenous peoples, inviting them to read Scripture anew with a perspective informed by their own cultural resources. While folks like me are not the first audience, they invite us to gather around the big drum as well, so we can better appreciate the stories of people who have been marginalized, even as they have been "evangelized." This is really a powerful book that will open eyes to realities that many, especially in this moment, wish to ignore.
'
Indigenous peoples around the world have wrestled with what has often been an imported religion and its relationship to their own cultural contexts, including their own spiritual resources. This is true for North American Indigenous peoples, who not only lost their land after European colonization but also their cultures. Efforts were made, including through boarding schools, to "kill the Indian to save the man." That is indigenous people were forced to give up their languages, cultural practices, and their religions, and forced to take on Euro-American cultural elements, even as they lost their lands. In many ways, this was cultural genocide. While the effects of these efforts that took place over several centuries are being addressed, there is much more to do. Fortunately, growing numbers of Native American/First Nations religious scholars have engaged in important work in theology and biblical studies. One expression of the latter was the development of First Nations Version: An Indigenous Bible Translation of the New Testament. That translation, making use of traditional indigenous nomenclature for God, for Christ, for the Holy Spirit, the church, and salvation, has proven to be immensely valuable. Now comes the important and revealing book "Reading the Bible on Turtle Island."
"Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation" was written by two Native American biblical scholars, T. Christopher HokloTubbe (Choctaw) and H. Daniel Zacharias (Anishinaabe/Metis). Both authors have doctorates in biblical studies. One is from the United States and the other from Canada, where they teach at colleges or seminaries. They bring their cultural context into conversation with the Bible, revealing how different hermeneutics reveal different elements of the biblical story.
First thing that needs to be said concerns the title. What is Turtle Island? The answer is that "Turtle Island reflects an indigenous understanding of the North American continent. With that as a starting place, they point out that not only did God make a covenant with Israel, but God did not ignore the "Indigenous peoples of North American until the European colonizers arrived. Rather, Creator has always been present on Turtle Island and made a mark on the stories, ceremonies, lands, worldviews, and lifeways of its Indigenous peoples" (p. 3). Therefore, there is a context for receiving and interpreting the gospel. Unfortunately, that truth has not always been received. With that in mind these two Indigenous Christian scholars wish to change the conversation.
Reading this book will challenge the perspectives of many people who may not recognize the tragedy inflicted on native peoples after the European arrival, Europeans who were guided by the Doctrine of Discovery." This doctrine permitted Europeans to steal the land of the Indigenous peoples and essentially own them. In this book, these two scholars reveal this tragedy and challenge the viewpoint of many Western biblical scholars who assume that there is a universal frame of reference for interpreting the Bible, a frame of reference that is Eurocentric. As such, these scholars seek to bring into conversation with the Bible the assets of their own culture. I should note that this book is published by an evangelical publisher. A starting point here is recognizing that in their relationship with Jesus, they recognize him to have been a brown-skinned Indigenous man who had been colonized. While embracing Scripture as sacred to their own faith, they also note that "The desire for the Scriptures to dominate as the sole authority, denigrating and replacing Indigenous cultural traditions, is a colonizing form of Christianity that Indigenous people the world over have encountered" (p. 9).
They begin their study of Indigenous hermeneutics in Chapter 1, which they title "Entering the Circle Dance," thus connecting the importance of the dance to Indigenous peoples as they introduce us to Turtle Island Hermeneutics. This is rooted in grounding themselves in the goodness of their own culture and the assets present there. In Chapter 2, titled "It's All Relative: The Scriptures, Creational Kinship, and 'All Our Relations,'" they begin to bring the various assets into the conversation, such as Indigenous creation stories. noting that the Creator can be encountered through Creation. Then in Chapter 3, "Reading Along the Bright Path," they focus on Jesus' jubilee teachings, which lead back to harmony with all relations, including non-human kin, or better, "more-than-human" kin.
I think many Westerners find it difficult to see our ancestors in our faith stories, but that is not true for many Indigenous peoples. Thus, in Chapter 4, which is titled "Crying for a Vision of Who We Are," they address the question of ancestors, including the cultural practices, including ceremonies and lifeways that White Christians said were idolatrous. They seek to challenge that kind of thinking and bring the two into conversation. This includes embracing the dreams and visions found in Scripture and in their own contexts. So, in embracing Scripture, they also seek to embrace their ancestors.
As they begin to lean into biblical stories, we begin to see parallels between Indigenous realities and the biblical stories. Thus, when an Indigenous person reads the story of Naboth, whose land was stolen by Ahab and Jezebel, they can see stories of the broken treaties that led to the stealing of the lands of the Native peoples (Chapter 5, "Naboth's Descendants). Hoklotubbe and Zacharias point out that "approximately 368 treaties were signed between US authorities and Indigenous leaders between 1777 and 1868." Most of them were broken. Something similar happened in Canada. So, even as the exiles in Babylon sang about their situation, so the Indigenous peoples sang their own songs of lament as they traversed the Trail of Tears. While the story of Naboth is one such story, they also bring up Joshua and the conquest of Canaan, which was used as a paradigm for European colonization. Thus, Joshua is not a hero. Chapter 6 is titled "From Babylon to Boarding Schools." Here again, a reality faced by Indigenous peoples, the forced removal of children to boarding schools where they could be "civilized," schools that also led to the deaths of thousands, serves as a lens through which to read a biblical story. This time, it is the story of Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were taken from their families and trained up so they could serve the Babylonian rulers. Again, we encounter the tragedy of policies by US and Canadian authorities that provide a very different lens to read biblical stories.
Chapter 7, titled "Reading While Red(Bone)," uses a song by the 1970s and 1980s music group, Redbone, the first Indigenous group to have a top 5 hit, as an entry point into a discussion of Indigenous ceremonies. The song they speak of, "Come and Get Your Love," appears as part of the Marvel movie "Guardians of the Galaxy." Once again, the authors seek to draw upon Indigenous assets, here being ceremonies, including dance, as resources for reading the Bible and living the Christian faith. What has often been deemed idolatrous can provide a foundation for Christian theology and practice.
They conclude with "The Call of the Drum: An invitation to the Circle of Turtle Island Hermeneutics." This concluding chapter invites us to gather around the "big drum," which traditionally calls people together for ceremonies and gatherings. As such, they invite the reader to engage Scripture anew, making use of Indigenous assets, which are deemed good. They state clearly that their primary audience is other Indigenous peoples, inviting them to read Scripture anew with a perspective informed by their own cultural resources. While folks like me are not the first audience, they invite us to gather around the big drum as well, so we can better appreciate the stories of people who have been marginalized, even as they have been "evangelized." This is really a powerful book that will open eyes to realities that many, especially in this moment, wish to ignore.
'
August 13, 2025
3.5 although that may change as my brain computes more of what I just read.
To preface this review, my latest DNA results say I'm "100% broadly North Western European" so maybe I'm not the exact target audience for this book. When the book mentions "EuroAmerican", I'm the poster child for that label.
It's good to push yourself out of comfort zones, especially when it comes to understanding how other people groups view/understand a belief system. There are a lot of really interesting parallels drawn by the authors with biblical accounts and Indigenous experiences, a conclusion I don't think I would have come to on my own.
Sometimes there was a feeling that culture trumps all. That culture can't be wrong (unless it's EuroAmerican). That culture must be maintained above all else.
And maybe that's their point, and I don't have to agree with that, but I can still take away the things that did make me think and are helping me to grow. Also, I now want to watch Reservation Dogs.
So at the very least I have a new appreciation for the hardships Indigenous peoples face with trying to reconcile loving God/Creator and also finding identity in their birth culture, and a new show to watch when I'm done with Psych.
Edited to add (my brain has finally computed):
This book definitely leans in a more liberal way towards theology: as I said above it's healthy and good to push yourself to encounter thoughts and ideas different than your own. I keep thinking about many of the points made that keep coming back to my mind. If you are a more conservative reader, you will probably walk away from this book feeling a tinge of frustration, but maybe with a little more backstory to your thoughts about what it means to reconcile faith and culture. As the authors pointed out, you will know whether something is good and true if it produces the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and that takes time to see. Only time will tell us if the thoughts in this book produces good fruit.
This review is solely my opinion, I was given the opportunity to read this book as an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for my opinion. Thanks Netgalley!
To preface this review, my latest DNA results say I'm "100% broadly North Western European" so maybe I'm not the exact target audience for this book. When the book mentions "EuroAmerican", I'm the poster child for that label.
It's good to push yourself out of comfort zones, especially when it comes to understanding how other people groups view/understand a belief system. There are a lot of really interesting parallels drawn by the authors with biblical accounts and Indigenous experiences, a conclusion I don't think I would have come to on my own.
Sometimes there was a feeling that culture trumps all. That culture can't be wrong (unless it's EuroAmerican). That culture must be maintained above all else.
And maybe that's their point, and I don't have to agree with that, but I can still take away the things that did make me think and are helping me to grow. Also, I now want to watch Reservation Dogs.
So at the very least I have a new appreciation for the hardships Indigenous peoples face with trying to reconcile loving God/Creator and also finding identity in their birth culture, and a new show to watch when I'm done with Psych.
Edited to add (my brain has finally computed):
This book definitely leans in a more liberal way towards theology: as I said above it's healthy and good to push yourself to encounter thoughts and ideas different than your own. I keep thinking about many of the points made that keep coming back to my mind. If you are a more conservative reader, you will probably walk away from this book feeling a tinge of frustration, but maybe with a little more backstory to your thoughts about what it means to reconcile faith and culture. As the authors pointed out, you will know whether something is good and true if it produces the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and that takes time to see. Only time will tell us if the thoughts in this book produces good fruit.
This review is solely my opinion, I was given the opportunity to read this book as an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for my opinion. Thanks Netgalley!
October 25, 2025
In a culture founded upon colonization & cultural genocide of indigenous people, this book paves the way for a holy reclamation of indigenous Christian identity & ceremony.
Daniel & Chris synthesize the stories, wisdom & spiritual worldviews of indigenous culture in North America.
This expansive & deeply authentic indigenous faith identity is a healing balm to those who were stripped of their culture by the west & a call to repentance & reconciliation between majority culture Christians & their indigenous family in Christ.
some areas of difficulty I had with this book included the writers indecision on whether to make it primarily academic or primarily storytelling. There were times at which there were so many, very specific cultural references that were just hard for me to wrap my head around as a non-indigenous person that it felt like a higher level of academic research that I was uncomfortable with reviewing.
however, at other times, there were so many incredible firsthand accounts of visions and dreams of Jesus, personal stories of folk tales passed down that Jesus fulfilled within an indigenous culture that it left me salivating for more of this kind of content, so I could see how indigenous culture really is fulfilled through the kingdom of God.
I struggled to reconcile these two elements and how they seemed at odds with each other within the book.
another issue I have with reading it was that scriptural references were not offset or indented within the text. So in sections where there was intense scriptural breakdowns, I just found it hard to stay connected with the conclusions being drawn. It would be helpful as a reader to have some of these scripture references indented like some of the other quotes from authors were.
finally, there seemed to be an excess of run-on sentences in upwards of four or five lines deep within the story. These would usually include introductions of indigenous authors or leaders that they were quoting, but because their names were so long and they were also including the institution they worked for as well as their tribal association. It just made for very dense sentences were hard to take in as a reader.
All in all, though this was incredibly insightful, but that had me weeping and devastation over the cultural genocide that was committed against indigenous people‘s of North America. As a white middle class, even evangelical woman, my heart was driven to repentance, and I hope the church at wide Can see that the cultures rage against white supremacy is really a culture, trying to align with God’s heart for repentance from majority culture to the minorities, it has harmed. The world needs this book, the church needs this book and indigenous people absolutely need this book!
Daniel & Chris synthesize the stories, wisdom & spiritual worldviews of indigenous culture in North America.
This expansive & deeply authentic indigenous faith identity is a healing balm to those who were stripped of their culture by the west & a call to repentance & reconciliation between majority culture Christians & their indigenous family in Christ.
some areas of difficulty I had with this book included the writers indecision on whether to make it primarily academic or primarily storytelling. There were times at which there were so many, very specific cultural references that were just hard for me to wrap my head around as a non-indigenous person that it felt like a higher level of academic research that I was uncomfortable with reviewing.
however, at other times, there were so many incredible firsthand accounts of visions and dreams of Jesus, personal stories of folk tales passed down that Jesus fulfilled within an indigenous culture that it left me salivating for more of this kind of content, so I could see how indigenous culture really is fulfilled through the kingdom of God.
I struggled to reconcile these two elements and how they seemed at odds with each other within the book.
another issue I have with reading it was that scriptural references were not offset or indented within the text. So in sections where there was intense scriptural breakdowns, I just found it hard to stay connected with the conclusions being drawn. It would be helpful as a reader to have some of these scripture references indented like some of the other quotes from authors were.
finally, there seemed to be an excess of run-on sentences in upwards of four or five lines deep within the story. These would usually include introductions of indigenous authors or leaders that they were quoting, but because their names were so long and they were also including the institution they worked for as well as their tribal association. It just made for very dense sentences were hard to take in as a reader.
All in all, though this was incredibly insightful, but that had me weeping and devastation over the cultural genocide that was committed against indigenous people‘s of North America. As a white middle class, even evangelical woman, my heart was driven to repentance, and I hope the church at wide Can see that the cultures rage against white supremacy is really a culture, trying to align with God’s heart for repentance from majority culture to the minorities, it has harmed. The world needs this book, the church needs this book and indigenous people absolutely need this book!
November 3, 2025
If we Euroamericans want to understand the emotional undercurrent of many biblical passages, and be better interpreters of scripture and applying it to our own lives, we will want to marinate our biblical studies with this work by Zacharias and Hoklotubbe. Interact with First Nations believers if you want a better understanding of: Moses’ dual identities and partial acceptance by two cultures/tribes: the spiritual and heart-rending impact of Daniel’ and his three friends being ripped from their family home and sent to a Babylonian “boarding school” run by the dominant culture; the struggle of dual culture churches to accept traditions, rites, ceremonies from both sides in the writings of Paul to the Galatians and other churches; and a proper order, perhaps, of a creation hierarchy based on which elements of creation are most needy and dependent on the others.
There are many other examples in this tremendous effort by contributors to the First Nations Version of the New Testament. Danny and Chris, as they refer to themselves during their research, bring us along in their many interviews of tribal elders and pastors. With reverence, humor and lots of insight from indigenous and other minority cultures in North American society, we get to learn along with Danny and Chris just how to engage with the scriptures in new, meaningful ways, and how to better engage with our First Nations brothers and sisters here on Turtle Island—the indigenous name for North America, by many but not all tribes and discernible as you squint at a map.
The authors’ hermeneutics wheel encompasses Scripture, Cultural Traditions, Creation and Hearts & Minds. Very much like Euroamerican hermeneutics, though not often admitted by biblical commentaries. As we all try to live our faith that is consistent with scripture, our identity in Christ and in the world, and open/vulnerable to the transforming grace and mercy of Christ, we can all learn from each other as we share our similar but distinct experiences. I am going to keep this next to my copy of “Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes” that tries to provide a more global perspective. All perspectives should be treated with respect, just as Paul advises in Romans that only the Master can judge the actions and motivations of the servants.
I’m appreciative of the publisher for providing an advanced copy.
There are many other examples in this tremendous effort by contributors to the First Nations Version of the New Testament. Danny and Chris, as they refer to themselves during their research, bring us along in their many interviews of tribal elders and pastors. With reverence, humor and lots of insight from indigenous and other minority cultures in North American society, we get to learn along with Danny and Chris just how to engage with the scriptures in new, meaningful ways, and how to better engage with our First Nations brothers and sisters here on Turtle Island—the indigenous name for North America, by many but not all tribes and discernible as you squint at a map.
The authors’ hermeneutics wheel encompasses Scripture, Cultural Traditions, Creation and Hearts & Minds. Very much like Euroamerican hermeneutics, though not often admitted by biblical commentaries. As we all try to live our faith that is consistent with scripture, our identity in Christ and in the world, and open/vulnerable to the transforming grace and mercy of Christ, we can all learn from each other as we share our similar but distinct experiences. I am going to keep this next to my copy of “Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes” that tries to provide a more global perspective. All perspectives should be treated with respect, just as Paul advises in Romans that only the Master can judge the actions and motivations of the servants.
I’m appreciative of the publisher for providing an advanced copy.
January 8, 2026
As a Euro-American person, I find these authors' journeys into their indigenous heritage fascinating, bridging with the world of theology. Most of the chapters focus on themes such as kinship, harmony, and ancestors, with plenty of references to other books by indigenous Christian authors. The appendix was particularly helpful, essentially an annotated bibliography of formative authors and books in this space. I think the body of the text would have felt stronger (and truer to the subtitle) if there was more unpacking of specific biblical passages with the hermeneutic lenses the authors introduced.
**received early access via NetGalley from the publisher**
**received early access via NetGalley from the publisher**
December 31, 2025
"Reading the Bible on Turtle Island" is a must read for all Christians who live on Turtle Island (North America), as well as global Christians. While the authors speak from their Indigenous North American experiences (Hoklotubbe: Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, United States ; Zacharias: Cree-Anishinaabe/Metis, Canada), their insights and practical lessons have global ramifications for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Christians.
The authors of this text offer a "Turtle Island Hermeneutics" that reads scripture from Indigenous perspectives and experiences, centered on "An Asset Based Approach. The authors also describe four segments of Turtle Island Hermeneutics using the Indigenous image and sacred symbol of the Medicine Wheel. The four segments include: (i) Scripture, (ii) Cultural Traditions, (iii) Creation (15–19), and (iv) Our Hearts & Minds. After establishing what is meant by Turtle Island Hermeneutics, the authors invite the reader into this communal interpretive work together.
The authors of this text offer a reading of key scriptural texts, stories, and themes, grounded on Indigenous experiences, wisdoms, and stories, through a foreword by Sheri Russell, a series of acknowledgements (both to people and land), seven engaging chapters, a conclusion that invites the readers into communal participation, and a Prelude/Appendix that honors the past, present, and ongoing interlocutors key to this work: elders, collaborators, and up-and-coming practitioners.
Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Christians alike have much to glean from this text, whether it be healing, affirmation, learning, or conviction toward reparations and reconciliation work. Please consider responding to the invitation of this text to read the Bible on Turtle Island, not as isolated individuals, but as a part of the Creator's beloved community of creation.
The authors of this text offer a "Turtle Island Hermeneutics" that reads scripture from Indigenous perspectives and experiences, centered on "An Asset Based Approach. The authors also describe four segments of Turtle Island Hermeneutics using the Indigenous image and sacred symbol of the Medicine Wheel. The four segments include: (i) Scripture, (ii) Cultural Traditions, (iii) Creation (15–19), and (iv) Our Hearts & Minds. After establishing what is meant by Turtle Island Hermeneutics, the authors invite the reader into this communal interpretive work together.
The authors of this text offer a reading of key scriptural texts, stories, and themes, grounded on Indigenous experiences, wisdoms, and stories, through a foreword by Sheri Russell, a series of acknowledgements (both to people and land), seven engaging chapters, a conclusion that invites the readers into communal participation, and a Prelude/Appendix that honors the past, present, and ongoing interlocutors key to this work: elders, collaborators, and up-and-coming practitioners.
Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Christians alike have much to glean from this text, whether it be healing, affirmation, learning, or conviction toward reparations and reconciliation work. Please consider responding to the invitation of this text to read the Bible on Turtle Island, not as isolated individuals, but as a part of the Creator's beloved community of creation.
November 21, 2025
What I found in these pages are a depth of careful, considerate, honest biblical reading which is both authentically Christian and Native American. I appreciate both the seriousness of the topic and the humor sprinkled across the chapters, the academic rigor and the approachable writing style. This is a book for the casual Christian reader, church book study, serious pastor, and curious academic. This book shifts paradigms of understanding who Jesus is in helpful ways.
I am a Presbyterian pastor who serves a church which was founded by Rev. Stephen R. Riggs in the mid 1800s. Rev. Riggs was among the first Christians to preach the Gospel to and translate the Bible for the Dakota people. As such, I am aware of the incredible tensions between the Gospel as an artifact of European settlement and displacement of Indigenous nations and the fact that some Native Americans are active Christians today. I read this excellent book from the place of that tension in my tradition and vocation.
What I truly love about this book, above all else, is how it sets Jesus free from the colonial enterprise. As the authors point out, Jesus himself was a “brown-skinned Indigenous man whose land was colonized” by the Romans. When we understand who Jesus was (and is), everything else in our Christian faith snaps into place. Thanks be to God!
I am a Presbyterian pastor who serves a church which was founded by Rev. Stephen R. Riggs in the mid 1800s. Rev. Riggs was among the first Christians to preach the Gospel to and translate the Bible for the Dakota people. As such, I am aware of the incredible tensions between the Gospel as an artifact of European settlement and displacement of Indigenous nations and the fact that some Native Americans are active Christians today. I read this excellent book from the place of that tension in my tradition and vocation.
What I truly love about this book, above all else, is how it sets Jesus free from the colonial enterprise. As the authors point out, Jesus himself was a “brown-skinned Indigenous man whose land was colonized” by the Romans. When we understand who Jesus was (and is), everything else in our Christian faith snaps into place. Thanks be to God!
November 8, 2025
Reading the Bible on Turtle Island was a refreshing, and deeply thought provoking experience. The authors invite readers to expand their imagination and reconsider how diverse Indigenous nations with differing cultures, traditions, and histories can shape interpretations of Scripture. By interweaving customs, stories, and traditions from numerous Indigenous nations, the authors draw profound connections between these practices and various biblical narratives, motifs, and theological concepts. The authors also give particular attention illustrating the tensions and horrific acts committed against Indigenous Nations and peoples in the name of Christianity, which is so necessary and important.
This book took me longer to read than I expected because I spent a lot of time reflecting on the authors' insights, which challenged my thinking. Highly recommend
This book took me longer to read than I expected because I spent a lot of time reflecting on the authors' insights, which challenged my thinking. Highly recommend
November 28, 2025
“Reading the Bible on Turtle Island” deeply resonated with me. This book is a beautiful integration of Indigenous wisdom and biblical interpretation, urging us to see ourselves as stewards of the Earth. The authors passionately advocate for an eco-centric faith that honours both the land and its original caretakers, calling us to embrace a vision that uplifts all of creation while championing environmental and social justice.
I found myself moved to tears by the insights shared, especially as they present and educate the pressing needs of Indigenous communities worldwide. The rhythmic sounds of the powwow drum and the stories of both pain and joy invite profound reflection.
I want to call this metamorphic theology. One of the standout moments for me was discussing the word “metamorphosis” in my first days of class with Prof. Danny Zacharias. It’s amazing how this text has sparked such deep thoughts and connections. Highly recommend it for anyone interested in eco-theology!
I found myself moved to tears by the insights shared, especially as they present and educate the pressing needs of Indigenous communities worldwide. The rhythmic sounds of the powwow drum and the stories of both pain and joy invite profound reflection.
I want to call this metamorphic theology. One of the standout moments for me was discussing the word “metamorphosis” in my first days of class with Prof. Danny Zacharias. It’s amazing how this text has sparked such deep thoughts and connections. Highly recommend it for anyone interested in eco-theology!
January 1, 2026
I'm not indigenous so I'm not the primary audience for this book. But having lived among and learned from Christians from many different cultures, I know that I grow from interpretations of the Bible from outside of my home culture. Native perspectives were often condemned by settlers, which meant indigenous people as well as the rest of us lost much wisdom over the years. The authors carefully build a hermeneutic that weaves together perspectives from different tribes to help recapture these insights. I don't agree with all of their interpretations, but that's normal in any book of theology. I do feel much richer from having read this one that drew me more deeply into the words of the Creator.
Review based on a DRC received through NetGalley.
Review based on a DRC received through NetGalley.
November 24, 2025
As a child growing up Catholic in Southern California, I spent a lot of time visiting the missions while also learning to recognize the rich Indigenous communities all around me. I’ve always wrestled with that history, how these cultures collided, intertwined, and continue to shape each other today. Reading the Bible on Turtle Island offered an insightful, nuanced look at those intersections, and I really appreciated how it challenged me to see familiar stories through a new lens. Thank you.
Thank you to IVP Academic and NetGalley!
#ReadingtheBibleonTurtleIsland #NetGalley
Thank you to IVP Academic and NetGalley!
#ReadingtheBibleonTurtleIsland #NetGalley
November 29, 2025
This is a great book for non-Indigenous readers who want to better understand how folks from various Indigenous cultures may process and integrate what they read in the Bible. Most of the book is simple enough for non-theologians to follow. The banter between the authors creates a sense of reading the book with others. I especially loved the sections about the “enfeathered” Spirit of God and the insights into how we interact daily with all our relations.
November 20, 2025
Authentic. Breathes life into two traditions that have had many wounds. Had the joy to participate in a reading group with Chris, one of the authors. He is a delight and gave us helpful insights into the e work.
November 21, 2025
This book is a breath of fresh air. Chris and Danny are generous and open-hearted throughout the book, offering compelling insights and modeling what it might mean to have a rich embraced sense of “Turtle Island hermeneutics."
The book truly is an invitation, structured in a way that demonstrates Danny and Chris’s commitment to building relationships with the reader and asset-based theology. “Asset-based theology looks to the riches not only of the Western Christian tradition but of Indigenous nations’ pre- and post-Christian experiences as well. Rather than seeing Indigenous culture and heritage as deficits to condemn and root out, they are seen as places to find wisdom to walk in a good way as Jesus-followers” (25). This approach defines the entire book and comes through especially in the choice to open with several chapters that delve into some of the joy and truly “good news” that can be found in Christian scripture when viewed through the eyes of Indigenous people and Turtle Island–the God-saturated nature of Creation, the inter-relatedness of all living things, the necessity of honoring your community, and more.
Throughout the book, Danny and Chris provide rich new readings of scriptural passages that I have read countless times, filling them with new life. Interpreting Jesus’ entering the wilderness as a vision quest, following the “enfeathered” God of the Holy Spirit as a Dove; seeing Jesus finding a coin to pay taxes inside a fish as creation partnering with the marginalized to subvert the power of the oppressor; and Leviathan being one of God’s favorite pets. They also make doctrinal concepts new by reading them alongside Indigenous stories and ceremonies–in particularly insightful ways with the Atonement and the Sun Dance ceremony and story of Corn Mother (62-64).
I loved spending time with this book and have been enriched and inspired doing so. Towards the end of the book, Chris and Danny write that “Jesus celebrated and entered fully into the ceremony of his people, even while transforming it and imbuing it with a new meaning. Indigenous followers today follow Jesus’ example in engaging their culture as the gospel imbues their practice with new meaning, whether smudging, sweat lodge, powwows, or pipe ceremonies” (183). This full-hearted embrace of tradition and ceremony, particularly traditions and ceremonies that have been denigrated by others, is incredibly powerful and I think demonstrates the way forward for all of us.
Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation by T. Christopher Hoklotubbe and H. Daniel Zacharias is a smart, powerful, funny, moving, and open-hearted call to all followers of Christ to see the world and scripture anew. I hope I can engage my own culture and ceremonies imbued with new meaning, transformed in the light of the good news. May we all “come and get [God’s] love.”
The book truly is an invitation, structured in a way that demonstrates Danny and Chris’s commitment to building relationships with the reader and asset-based theology. “Asset-based theology looks to the riches not only of the Western Christian tradition but of Indigenous nations’ pre- and post-Christian experiences as well. Rather than seeing Indigenous culture and heritage as deficits to condemn and root out, they are seen as places to find wisdom to walk in a good way as Jesus-followers” (25). This approach defines the entire book and comes through especially in the choice to open with several chapters that delve into some of the joy and truly “good news” that can be found in Christian scripture when viewed through the eyes of Indigenous people and Turtle Island–the God-saturated nature of Creation, the inter-relatedness of all living things, the necessity of honoring your community, and more.
Throughout the book, Danny and Chris provide rich new readings of scriptural passages that I have read countless times, filling them with new life. Interpreting Jesus’ entering the wilderness as a vision quest, following the “enfeathered” God of the Holy Spirit as a Dove; seeing Jesus finding a coin to pay taxes inside a fish as creation partnering with the marginalized to subvert the power of the oppressor; and Leviathan being one of God’s favorite pets. They also make doctrinal concepts new by reading them alongside Indigenous stories and ceremonies–in particularly insightful ways with the Atonement and the Sun Dance ceremony and story of Corn Mother (62-64).
I loved spending time with this book and have been enriched and inspired doing so. Towards the end of the book, Chris and Danny write that “Jesus celebrated and entered fully into the ceremony of his people, even while transforming it and imbuing it with a new meaning. Indigenous followers today follow Jesus’ example in engaging their culture as the gospel imbues their practice with new meaning, whether smudging, sweat lodge, powwows, or pipe ceremonies” (183). This full-hearted embrace of tradition and ceremony, particularly traditions and ceremonies that have been denigrated by others, is incredibly powerful and I think demonstrates the way forward for all of us.
Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation by T. Christopher Hoklotubbe and H. Daniel Zacharias is a smart, powerful, funny, moving, and open-hearted call to all followers of Christ to see the world and scripture anew. I hope I can engage my own culture and ceremonies imbued with new meaning, transformed in the light of the good news. May we all “come and get [God’s] love.”
November 18, 2025
Brilliant and challenging. From lessons in Bible translation and exegesis to Indigenous North American cultural values, a call to examine one's theological posture to an unflinching account of Native American history, the approach to reading Judeo-Christian Scripture outlined in these pages is not so much a new invention as it is a fresh tapestry woven from the threads of Indigenous worldviews and practices. And as readers watch the weaving, we are invited to rediscover the importance of our connection to Creation, the far-reaching impact of Shalom living, the heartbreaking cycles of enslavement and exile that recur throughout history, and the importance of ceremony for all humans as we work toward healing. Readers will encounter, perhaps for the first time, what an asset-based theology is and why it's an important antidote for tired, anxiety-based (and anxiety-inducing) Western theologies, what an embodied expression of spirituality entails, and what it's like to read the story of the Babylonian exile side-by-side with accounts of the Trail of Tears or the story of Daniel alongside the history of Native American boarding schools. There is wisdom in these pages. The authors say this book an invitation to join the dance they call "Turtle Island Hermeneutics." And what a dance it is!
December 1, 2025
This is an exemplary demonstration of what it means to decolonize the Bible from a Native American point of view. Every chapter is insightful, and an annotated bibliography at the end is a great resource for anyone who wants to get up to speed on the conversation.
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