What do you think?
Rate this book
Rainbow Spirit theology: Towards an Australian aboriginal theology
Written by a group of aboriginal Christian leaders, this text integrates Australia's aboriginal heritage with the traditions of Christianity.
114 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
2 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 18, 2009
ETA - Revised Review
Summary: Deep beneath the land is the Rainbow Spirit or the Rainbow Snake, the eternal source of life and spiritual power. [The authors:] identify God the Creator with the Rainbow Spirit and they see in Christ the incarnation of the Rainbow Spirit in human form, which for them is Aboriginal Australian.
My first comment is related to authorship. I puzzled initially over whether this book "counted", even though my gut feeling is that it does. The people who physically wrote the words down are white: Rob Bos and Norman Habel. But the group who came up with the words, whose work is behind this, and who have (as the introduction states) approved the final version of the words, are all Indigenous Australians: George Rosendale, Nola Archie, Dennis Corowa, William Coolburra, Eddie Law and James Leftwich. Jasmine Corowa was the group's artist. (I know Dennis and James a little, and hugely respect both them and George - of whom I've heard - and have been on a committee with Rob for the past three years.) In the end, I think saying that this *doesn't* count would be infantilising the Rainbow Spirit Elders; essentially saying that they didn't "really" participate in this work.
The model - I love the model they've come up with. The image of the strangler fig, a parasitic plant that eventually entirely replaces the host plant, that introduces the section on "The Necessity of Rainbow Spirit Theology" is vivid and gut-wrenching. And then there's the general model of theology; centering on the land as the heart of indigenous spirituality, and using Indigenous ways of orientation (East being the most important of the compass points, rather than North, as it is for European-originating cultures) in a compass-point organisation of influences and directions.
(The image chosen for the North, for church history and the Bible, is the sheep. As the Elders say, "We were introduced to Jesus as the Good Shepherd, an image that has no meaning for us, as we had no feeling for sheep. Furthermore, the landowners who herded the sheep did not give us a comforting image of shepherds!" An important reminder.
This model of theology really does speak to me. But I need to think about whether I'm able to use it for myself, or whether that would be the dreaded 'appropriation'. I need to read this book again, and particularly closely. And to reflect on it and probably to speak with others about it.
There are parts of this book that pain me deeply, not just that are hard to read, but that are painful because I believe they are untrue: for example, when I read sentences like "Sadly, few in the Christian churches have supported the rights of indigenous people" what I remember is the number of times the UCA has bent over backwards for the Congress, by riding roughshod over queerfolk. However, as I checked the copyright date, this book was published in 1997, and the text was being put together in 1994 and 1995, before the sexuality debate got going in the UCA, and before the many examples I know of where the Congress and their wishes were placed in paramount position. So while the words hurt, my reaction isn't fair.
Ultimately - this book is a way that I can listen to the Elders, and I need to view it in that light. I will benefit greatly from re-reading this book and contemplating it further. Of that I am absolutely certain.
Original Review
This one needs some thinking; some pondering.
For starters I'm not sure whether to include it in 50books_poc or not: the person who wrote the actual words is white, but they were approved by all six indigenous theologians who were working on the project.
I love the model they've come up with, and I need to think about whether I'm able to use it for myself, or whether that would be the dreaded 'appropriation'.
I did get rather annoyed through the process of reading this that yet again it was all complaints and no solutions. Which may be harsh but true or harsh but entirely untrue, but when I read sentences like "Sadly, few in the Christian churches have supported the rights of indigenous people" what I remember is the number of times the UCA has bent over backwards for the Congress, by riding roughshod over queerfolk.
So, yeah. This was a painful read, and there's more thinking needed ahead.
Summary: Deep beneath the land is the Rainbow Spirit or the Rainbow Snake, the eternal source of life and spiritual power. [The authors:] identify God the Creator with the Rainbow Spirit and they see in Christ the incarnation of the Rainbow Spirit in human form, which for them is Aboriginal Australian.
My first comment is related to authorship. I puzzled initially over whether this book "counted", even though my gut feeling is that it does. The people who physically wrote the words down are white: Rob Bos and Norman Habel. But the group who came up with the words, whose work is behind this, and who have (as the introduction states) approved the final version of the words, are all Indigenous Australians: George Rosendale, Nola Archie, Dennis Corowa, William Coolburra, Eddie Law and James Leftwich. Jasmine Corowa was the group's artist. (I know Dennis and James a little, and hugely respect both them and George - of whom I've heard - and have been on a committee with Rob for the past three years.) In the end, I think saying that this *doesn't* count would be infantilising the Rainbow Spirit Elders; essentially saying that they didn't "really" participate in this work.
The model - I love the model they've come up with. The image of the strangler fig, a parasitic plant that eventually entirely replaces the host plant, that introduces the section on "The Necessity of Rainbow Spirit Theology" is vivid and gut-wrenching. And then there's the general model of theology; centering on the land as the heart of indigenous spirituality, and using Indigenous ways of orientation (East being the most important of the compass points, rather than North, as it is for European-originating cultures) in a compass-point organisation of influences and directions.
(The image chosen for the North, for church history and the Bible, is the sheep. As the Elders say, "We were introduced to Jesus as the Good Shepherd, an image that has no meaning for us, as we had no feeling for sheep. Furthermore, the landowners who herded the sheep did not give us a comforting image of shepherds!" An important reminder.
This model of theology really does speak to me. But I need to think about whether I'm able to use it for myself, or whether that would be the dreaded 'appropriation'. I need to read this book again, and particularly closely. And to reflect on it and probably to speak with others about it.
There are parts of this book that pain me deeply, not just that are hard to read, but that are painful because I believe they are untrue: for example, when I read sentences like "Sadly, few in the Christian churches have supported the rights of indigenous people" what I remember is the number of times the UCA has bent over backwards for the Congress, by riding roughshod over queerfolk. However, as I checked the copyright date, this book was published in 1997, and the text was being put together in 1994 and 1995, before the sexuality debate got going in the UCA, and before the many examples I know of where the Congress and their wishes were placed in paramount position. So while the words hurt, my reaction isn't fair.
Ultimately - this book is a way that I can listen to the Elders, and I need to view it in that light. I will benefit greatly from re-reading this book and contemplating it further. Of that I am absolutely certain.
Original Review
This one needs some thinking; some pondering.
For starters I'm not sure whether to include it in 50books_poc or not: the person who wrote the actual words is white, but they were approved by all six indigenous theologians who were working on the project.
I love the model they've come up with, and I need to think about whether I'm able to use it for myself, or whether that would be the dreaded 'appropriation'.
I did get rather annoyed through the process of reading this that yet again it was all complaints and no solutions. Which may be harsh but true or harsh but entirely untrue, but when I read sentences like "Sadly, few in the Christian churches have supported the rights of indigenous people" what I remember is the number of times the UCA has bent over backwards for the Congress, by riding roughshod over queerfolk.
So, yeah. This was a painful read, and there's more thinking needed ahead.
March 18, 2018
What a great book to explore Indigenous theology from an Indigenous perspective. A great starting place to think broadly about a few topics.
It addresses a few hard topics and gives a greater understanding of the topic. Something I found quite challenging and will need to go back to unpack what is being said and ways that I can be thinking more deeply about these.
I would love it if another book like this could be published in the next couple of years.
It addresses a few hard topics and gives a greater understanding of the topic. Something I found quite challenging and will need to go back to unpack what is being said and ways that I can be thinking more deeply about these.
I would love it if another book like this could be published in the next couple of years.
June 7, 2014
There are many reasons to enjoy this collection of thoughts following two gatherings of Far North Queensland Christian indigenous leaders. However, the book has dated quickly, and there is great need for newer texts.
February 19, 2022
I enjoyed reading this book, which is based in two workshops held in the mid-90s. Read Heidi’s review for good reflections on the book’s origins and some of its claims.
I was disappointed in an underlying methodological commitment to assuming the normativity of ‘the’ Christian myth: that Rainbow Spirit Theology was justifiable to the extent it bears out pre-existing Christian symbols or offers new insight into pre-existing Christian symbols. That’s what the workshops set out to do, of course, so it would be unfair to criticize the participants for trying to develop a Christian theology with (some) Aboriginal symbols, instead of a more autonomous, or even theonomous, theology of their culture(s).
I was disappointed in an underlying methodological commitment to assuming the normativity of ‘the’ Christian myth: that Rainbow Spirit Theology was justifiable to the extent it bears out pre-existing Christian symbols or offers new insight into pre-existing Christian symbols. That’s what the workshops set out to do, of course, so it would be unfair to criticize the participants for trying to develop a Christian theology with (some) Aboriginal symbols, instead of a more autonomous, or even theonomous, theology of their culture(s).
September 7, 2019
This book challenges western theology that has been imported into aboriginal Australia. Indigenous theologians explore how God was already in the land of Australia before the coming of the European colonists stop the authors reveal how God was already in this land and how the stories of their ancestors and the sacredness of this land can be revealed through their heritage. It is a life-giving book not just for aboriginal people but for all who have ears to hear and eyes to see.
October 14, 2024
This is a seminal work in Aboriginal Theology. It is simple and brief but in many ways its simplicity is its true value. It opens the way to deeper explorations of the meaning of earth, sky, and people in these lands now called ‘Australia.’
June 22, 2020
Very interesting. A must read for any Australian Christian.
December 12, 2007
Such an amazing little book, with so much depth, and heart and voice.
July 16, 2012
It is a good introduction to Australian Aboriginal theology. It's clear for me that I have too much to go for starting to grasp Aboriginal wisdom. It awoke my hunger of knowing...
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews