Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery

by Mark Charles, Soong-Chan Rah

★ Publishers Weekly starred review


You cannot discover lands already inhabited. Injustice has plagued American society for centuries. And we cannot move toward being a more just nation without understanding the root causes that have shaped our culture and institutions. In this prophetic blend of history, theology, and cultural commentary, Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah reveal the far-reaching, damaging effects of the "Doctrine of Discovery." In the fifteenth century, official church edicts gave Christian explorers the right to claim territories they "discovered." This was institutionalized as an implicit national framework that justifies American triumphalism, white supremacy, and ongoing injustices. The result is that the dominant culture idealizes a history of discovery, opportunity, expansion, and equality, while minority communities have been traumatized by colonization, slavery, segregation, and dehumanization. Healing begins when deeply entrenched beliefs are unsettled. Charles and Rah aim to recover a common memory and shared understanding of where we have been and where we are going. As other nations have instituted truth and reconciliation commissions, so do the authors call our nation and churches to a truth-telling that will expose past injustices and open the door to conciliation and true community.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Race, Theology, Religion, Social Justice, Politics

235 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 5, 2019

About the author

Mark Charles, a man of Navajo and Dutch American descent, is a speaker, writer, and consultant on the complexities of American history, race, culture, and faith. He is the author of the blog Reflections from the Hogan and was the Washington, DC, correspondent and columnist for Native News Online. He has served on the boards of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) and the Christian Reformed Church of North America. He and his family live in Washington, DC.

Reviews

[Matthew Manchester · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has no chill and once you read why, you won't be chill either.

SUMMARY

This book is about the Doctrine of Discovery and both how it's been used and how it gave permission for white supremacy to commit genocide, seen in the almost complete extermination and defrauding of America's indigenous peoples.

For me, this was akin to reading Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America or The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism but for mainly indigenous peoples. It's rough and heartbreaking.

THE GOOD

Both authors write well and there is a treasure trove of quotes to pull from in this book. The passion bleeds through. It is easily one of the most gripping and unsettling books I've read this year (which says something).

The chapter flaying Abraham Lincoln was one of the best.

This is one of the few times I will endorse end-notes. Footnotes would have made this rougher reading.

THE CHALLENGES

None.

CONCLUSION

I've been trying to read from perspectives, issues, and stories that are outside my normal sphere. Books like this one show what we, especially as (Reformed) Christians miss when we don't listen and read.

I don't know the answers or solutions to the problems posed, but we must glare and stare at our history, without wavering or flinching, without trying to re-write it.

As a Christian, this book helped me love and feel sorrow for a forgotten people group that still resides in America. God help me be part of the solution.

Five stars.

[Adam Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: Discussion of the role of the Doctrine of Discovery in shaping not only the development of the US but also the Christian church. 

Usually, I write about books reasonably quickly after I read them. I do this, not just because I like to discuss books and encourage others to read them, but as a type of public spiritual discipline where I try to write about thoughts so I can look back at them later and process books publicly as a means creating some open accountability for my Christian faith. So generally, I read a book, and within a few days, I have written at least something about it. But I first read Unsettling Truths just over six months ago, and I knew I was not yet ready to write about it. I needed to reread it.

Unsettling Truths is about the papal bulls that are referred to as the Doctrines of Discovery. Briefly, the papal bull, Romanus Pontifex, in 1452 declared that Christians (King Alfonso of Portugal) could "capture, vanquish, and subdue the Saracens, pagans, and other enemies of Christ," to "put them into perpetual slavery," and "to take all their possessions and property." Inter Caetera, in 1493, said Spain could claim any populated land as their territory if the population were not Christian. There is context to those papal bulls, but the background is not relevant to how those have been used later to further colonialism, white supremacy, manifest destiny, and even US legal precedent for land ownership.

I have primarily been addressing racial history and current reality through Black/White racial dichotomy and the history of slavery, Jim Crow, etc. It is not that I do not have an interest in other perspectives, but that I tend to follow the next trail on the path, and that has mostly been about issues of anti-Black racism. Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah are here to remind the church that, while those are important, they are not the only important issues in US racial history. Unsettling Truths is exactly the type of book that you need to read if you primarily or only see racial issues in the US through the Black/White dichotomy.

Unsettling Truths is also an explicitly Christian book. Both authors are former pastors. Soong-Chan Rah is currently a professor primarily focusing on global Christianity, church planting/growth, and evangelism. Mark Charles is presently an independent presidential candidate. The entire book is about Christianity.

Many of us are familiar with the rough outlines of slavery, Jim Crow, and the civil rights era. Many of us are less familiar with the history of Native American oppression. We can start with the early founding of the US:

While the Declaration of Independence may initially assert that “All men are created equal,” thirty lines below that assertion, indigenous people are referred to as “merciless Indian savages.” The Founding Fathers could use the seemingly inclusive term “all men” because they had a worldview informed by the Doctrine of Discovery that gave them a very narrow definition of who was actually human.

But this is not just abstract ideals. John Marshall (Chief Justice of the Supreme Court) used Doctrine of Discovery to:

...established as a legal instrument that governed land acquisition and land ownership in nineteenth-century North America. The court acknowledged that a group of European colonizers created a governing doctrine that determined land title rights among the European nations. Native rights would not be taken into account because those rights would be superseded by the authority of the Christian European governments over against all other claims. The Doctrine of Discovery, steeped in the diseased social and theological imagination of Anglo-Saxon ethnic purity and European Christian supremacy, would become the rationale for the M’Intosh decision.

The M'Intosh Decision invalidated Britsh Common Law rational, which biased current ownership. After M'Intosh, the US assumed a monopoly of Native American land. Once Native Americans could only sell the property to the US government, it undercut the price, and then the US primarily starting pushing Native American tribes off the property regardless of the sale (using the pretexts of a transaction that could not be rejected).

The development of the United States is inextricably linked to the Doctrines of Discovery and the later (and related) understanding of Manifest Destiny. There is far more here than what I want to discuss now, but one more point that I think is worth mentioning and may be worth the price of the book by itself. The chapter on Abraham Lincoln is related to our current era's discussion about statues and commemorations of our leaders. Abraham Lincoln is often thought of as the US's greatest president, or at least in the top five. But if you are uncomfortable with the potential of removal of statues and monuments, I think you need to read this book for a helpful discussion about how historical memory works. (I also strongly recommend David Blight's book Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory as one of the best books I have read on historical memory.)

[Clif Hostetler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reviews the history leading to the Doctrine of Discovery, and then describes the resulting consequences that included racial slavery and Native American genocide. The coauthors are both pastors and their narrative places emphasis on their understand of truly Biblically based Christian perspective regarding this history which differs from the Christendom of history. They make the case that when the church became part of the power structure of the Roman Empire that it did so on the basis of dysfunctional extra-biblical theology and history promoted by by Eusebius, Augustine, and Aquinas.

The resulting vision of a Churches Militant, Penitent, and Triumphant eventually led to the papal bulls that are referred to as the Doctrine of Discovery. Though the doctrine laid out in the papal bulls technically applied only to Spain and Portugal, Protestant countries claimed similar rights and the doctrine has become part of American case law being sighted numerous times by the U.S. Supreme Court as early as 1823 and as recently as 2005.

This history provided the legal justification for racial slavery and the taking of land from indigenous peoples. This book proceeds to point out the “unsettling truths” regarding the American Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The book’s narrative proceeds to describe additional “unsettling truths” about Abraham Lincoln. It quotes some of his comments regarding the Negro race and describes some of the worst examples of ethnic cleansing and land appropriation that occurred during his administration.

One of the coauthors is affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church, and toward the end of the book some of the steps that church has taken are described through which they have sought reconciliation with Native Americans. That church has in their past sponsored their own residential schools for Indians. It is also pointed out by the book that in spite of all these apologies, no land has been returned to the Native Americans.

Following is link to Time Magazine article:
The Roots of Christian Nationalism Go Back Further Than You Think
https://time.com/6309657/us-christian...

[Tomy Wilkerson]

Yikes.

I saw someone say (about another book) that if you say you liked the book or that you enjoyed it, you kind of missed the point. I think that sums up this book pretty well. I don't think I can say I liked this book or that I thought it was good as much as it's brutal and holds this country's feet to the fire. Of course, it doesn't take an extremely informed person to know that this country has not been nice to Native Americans, but the history is so much worse than I could've ever imagined. There is so much blood on this country's hands that's when you stop to think about it, all you really can do is grieve and beg for God's mercy even as you yearn for his justice. I'm not entirely sure what the way forward is - and this might sound like an exaggeration - but I do think this book, in some way, has changed my life and I don't know if I'll ever quite be the same. I've never been much of a patriot, but if you've ever wanted to fall out of love with America, here's your book.

I don't know if I can rate it, but I do recommend it.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounding up from 2.5

I think these guys make some good points that are important for American Christians to hear. But unfortunately, the book is so polemical in tone that they risk alienating the very people that they are ostensibly trying to reach. I’m sympathetic with many of their complaints about the Doctrine of Discovery — the idea that the US government owns all the land that it “discovered,” notwithstanding the fact that there were already people living there. And yes, I can also see that the concept of white supremacy was often at play in developing inhumane policies toward Native Americans. But many of the arguments here overreach, and many of their otherwise legitimate points are marred by their polemical stance. Sometimes the authors are provocative to the point of being needlessly inflammatory, while other times completely patronizing. I can’t remember the last time I wrote so many contrary comments in the margins of a book, but I’m not going to engage here on the many specific points I questioned along the way.

Nevertheless, there is a critical nugget of truth here. America hasn’t always acted like the good guys we’d like to imagine we are. How we rectify our past sins toward Black people and Native Americans is a complicated issue, but one we as a church, and as a country, need to address.

[Dorothy Greco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rah and Charles explore US history, church history, sociology, and Scripture in an effort to help us understand the origin of our current racial, economic, and religious upheaval. The co-authors illustrate how the church has historically supported the state in the state's quest to expand human kingdoms and human power at the expense of human life and human flourishing.

Here's a quote from chapter four: "Christendom is the prostitution of the church to the empire that
created a church culture of seeking power rather than relationships.Jesus laid down his life, but the empire must save its life. Jesus emptied himself, but the empire must protect and expand itself. There is a fundamental conflict between the goal of the earthly empire and the direction of the kingdom of God. Greatness in the world and greatness in the kingdom of God stand in opposition."

This book is profound and powerful. (And FYI: as a Caucasian, it's not an easy read. It is essential.)

[Joel Wentz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this in one sitting. The use of the word "unsettling" in the title is very apt. Even as someone who has read and studied quite a bit on the history of race, and especially racial dynamics in American history, I was still challenged and provoked by many of the discussions in Charles' and Rah's new book.

The authors go right for the jugular in this historical summary, making a bold case that the "Doctrine of Discovery" provided a racially-structured, white-supremacist foundation for everything that America would become. The impacts of this doctrine are traced through the Puritans, the founding documents, the treatment of Native peoples in the 19th century, and onward into our day.

Personally, I wonder if a few of the historical assertions are overstated. I think there is a more nuanced way to understand the rise of Christendom during and after Constantine, for example. However, the reason this book gets a confident 5-stars from me, is not because I uncritically agree with every argument, but rather because of the powerful way the book made me wrestle with historical and theological ideas. There is surely *something* to the narrative that the authors have laid out, even if one quibbles with specifics, and we ignore their argument to our peril.

Personally, the chapters challenging the historical narrative around Lincoln, the discussion of how America has really never needed to deal with "losing" a war, and especially the concept of historical trauma, were all paradigm-shifters for me. The idea that (most) white folks in America are suffering from collective trauma regarding the historical atrocities we benefit from today was a powerful argument, and from my perspective, provides much healthier explanatory power than the popular idea of "white fragility." I'm deeply grateful that this book exists, and will certainly be returning to it in the future.

[Tim Hazelbaker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even if you agree with the authors' conclusions, their argumentation doesn't hold water. Unsubstantiated claims, emotionally charged language, poor writing, etc., this book doesn't deserve a seat at the table in any serious historical (or academic) discussion. This kind of rhetoric produces mostly heat and very little light. This isn't the kind of discussion that brings us closer to solutions. It simply serves to upset both sides of the aisle.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Shows how "The Doctrine of Discovery," an outgrowth of a Christendom of power rather than relationship has shaped a narrative of the United States, to the dehumanizing  of Native Peoples, slaves, and other non-white peoples.

Columbus discovered America, right? Pilgrims, Puritans, and other Europeans "settled" America and drove out the "Indians" who threatened their settlements. That's what I learned in history class. 

That's not how the Native Peoples of Turtle Island (what they call North America) saw it. They were invaded and had the land of their ancestors taken from them, were displaced, often with genocidal marches, to inferior lands. Unfortunately, victors usually write the history.

The two authors of this work show the complicity of the church in the "Doctrine of Discovery" that justified the settlement of Native lands, and the subjugation of Native Peoples that resulted, as well as the dehumanizing treatment of African slaves. They trace this back to the transition the church underwent under Constantine, when church and state became Christendom, and Constantine's "faith" was written into the narrative by Eusebius. The crusades led to classifying "infidels" as inferior human beings and the church baptized the early explorers efforts as "evangelistic," and the early settlers appropriated Israel's land covenant and Jesus' "city on a hill" to articulate their justification for "settling" the Native lands.

The most disturbing part of this narrative is the genocidal effects of this settlement reducing a population of approximately six million to under 240,000 at one point. Some was disease. Some was warfare. Some was outright massacre, like Wounded Knee, and some, like the Trail of Tears or the Navajo and Apache removal to Bosque Redondo, when thousands died. Proportionally, the death rate of the latter was greater than the Holocaust.

Another "unsettling truth" was the equivocal character of the "Great Emancipator," Abraham Lincoln. There is a plaque at the base of the Lincoln Memorial that records these words of Lincoln:

"I would save the Union. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and it is not to save or destroy slavery.  If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that."

An uprising of Dakota initially led to 2 of 40 being sentenced to death. Lincoln expanded the criteria for death sentences resulting in the execution of 39. Subsequently, Lincoln signed into law a bill nullifying treaties with the Dakota and Winnebago tribes in Minnesota and mandating their forced removal to the Dakota Territory. Bounties were set on those who who tried to escape the roundup.

The authors conclude with how we react to these unsettling truths, including the efforts of Christian boarding schools designed to "kill the Indian to save the man.". One of the most interesting ideas, but also one on which I'd like to see more research is what they termed Perpetrator Induced Traumatic Stress (PITS). They contend that Native Peoples and African Americans are not the only ones traumatized by the Doctrine of Discovery. White America is also traumatized. The authors propose that this may explain the "triggering" effect of the election of Barack Obama as president. They also propose that healing can come only through lament, relational apologies to the Tribal People whose lands were taken and the children of slaves forcibly brought here, and with Tribal peoples, and acknowledgement of thanks to them as hosts in a land where we are guests. That's only a beginning, but a necessary one.

The "unsettling truths" of this book don't appear in traditional histories, and I'm sure there are those who will contest them, particularly because of the sweeping nature of this account, from the beginnings of Christendom to white trauma. While there is extensive documentation in the form of endnotes, the case of this book would be helped with a bibliography of further readings for each chapter. From other readings, I found much to warrant this cumulative case. Furthermore, the authors write both unsparingly, and yet with the hope that their narrative will contribute to the equivalent of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commissions. The question is whether there will be leaders in local communities as well as national bodies willing to acknowledge the truth, make honest and sincere apologies to the peoples whose lands they occupy.

________________________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Ethan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The past few years have seen many contributions from people of color regarding their experience in America in light of its heritage of white supremacy, especially as it relates to the Christian faith; this work is an important contribution to that end, featuring the perspective of a Native American regarding the "doctrine of discovery" and its implications in Western civilization ever since.

The author brings to the fore the principle which undergirded the colonization of America: the "doctrine of discovery," enshrined in papal bulls granting the Portuguese and Spanish dominion over any lands they would "discover," even though the lands they discovered already had Native populations within it. It was presumed that the Europeans "discovering" these lands were superior in belief and nature to those who would be "discovered," and from this principle would come the ungodly, dehumanizing, and genocidal treatment of the Native Americans at the hands of Europeans from the 16th century into the 20th. The author describes how the "doctrine of discovery" became enshrined in American legal precedent in the Johnson vs. M'Intosh Supreme Court decision in 1823, and has remained live and active to the present, used in a justification of denying a Native claim to land in New York in 2005.

The author speaks of the transgressions of the nation: the forced deportation of Natives from their lands to places out West; the dire conditions of the reservations; the massacres at Sand Creek and Wounded Knee; the boarding schools and the desire to "get the Indian out of the man". He likewise views "Western" civilization through critical lenses: its white supremacy, its "Christendom" and Christianity's compromise with empire, its dysfunctional theology of domination and conquest, its colonialism, its claims to exceptionalism, and the ugly side of its heroes, especially Abraham Lincoln. He also speaks of trauma and its effects. He yearns for conciliation in truth.

It's a challenging read for the white American, but a very necessary one. Many will be offended at the way in which the author approaches many of the subjects, but the reader ought to step out of his or her perspective and consider how it would all look to Native Americans whose legitimacy in the land was denied for nearly 400 years, and to thus be open to the prospect that he is not wrong, and has a clearer view to an ugliness we would rather not see.

The author's desire for truth in conciliation is good, wise, and appropriate. That conciliation would, no doubt, lead to a restoration of some land to the Natives. But it is hard to square the posture of the author to be working for an America "for everyone" with wide-ranging thoroughgoing land claims that would come at the expense of plenty of others who are here in America. The means by which land was taken from Native Americans was, without an argument, unjust and wrong. Then again, for generations before Europeans came (and even afterward!), Natives would dispossess other Natives through war. Based on genetics and records it would seem that human history is one long series of migrations (or invasions): in many instances, the newcomers genetically assimilated into the local populations, with either the newcomers or the locals assimilating culturally into the other; yet in many other instances, the newcomers wiped out the local populations and replaced them on the land. For that matter, the Bible itself testifies to the same piece of land being possessed, at different times, by different peoples.

So what do you do with land claims and land ownership? I do not think it is an easy question with an easy answer, and worthy of more meditation.

Regardless, invaluable and important reading. Highly recommended.

**galley received as part of early review program

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for a Launch Team Edition. The forthcoming publishing date is November 5, 2019.

This book is about the Doctrine of Discovery and the Christian Church. It explores how this doctrine has oppressed nations and people of color. It presents a history that has not been put forth in the textbooks and is very well documented.

The authors have created a much needed look at the Church's role in the Doctrine of Discovery. It is a book that I believe Church's should read, discuss and take action on as assistants as determined by the leaderships of people of color.

This was a book I did not want to put down and brought forth lament, tears, and the desire to make a difference. I highly recommend it!

[Kira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would highly highly HIGHLY recommend this book. It starts out slow and dense and very religious and I was not too sure but them DAMN. The author dives deep with arguments about the origins of white supremacy and the founding of the so-called United States and connects present day to 15th century European Christian policies. I can’t really do this book justice in a review but I definitely learned so much about the history of indigenous genocide in the US and how a twisted Christianity drove so much of it. I’m not Christian but I think this book would be double interesting for anyone who is. Only comment is I think more commentary on present-day Israel-Palestine relations would have been insightful, but I understand that that wasn’t the focus of this book.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 2 out of 5]

This well-meaning book is clearly not written by professional historians, and I have serious issues with the way that the authors present some of their narratives and perspectives. I already knew much of the history that this covers, so I could pinpoint areas where they simplified details in unfair ways, presented facts with a biased twist, or left out important context. Because of this, I was reluctant to believe what they said about things that I wasn't already educated about, and this made for a very frustrating reading experience overall.

I agree with the book's central premise, which is that Europeans co-opted and distorted Christian concepts to justify the takeover and exploitation of New World lands and their peoples. That is absolutely true, but I wish that the authors had been able to explore this and related concepts in a way that emphasized scholarship and understanding over polemic. If someone wants to read a better book that covers similar issues from an academic, balanced, whole-picture standpoint, I would recommend The Atlantic Connection: A History of the Atlantic World, 1450-1900. That book is not written from a Christian perspective, but I honestly don't think that the Christian aspect adds much to Unsettling Truths. It's bad history, and the chapters about how to understand systemic racism from a Christian worldview seem to disrupt the flow of the book. They're preaching to the choir for the people who already agree with them, and people who need their perspective challenged will dismiss this on fair, intelligent terms because of the authors' biased, polemical tone and coverage.

Overall, this book is written for the popular level without giving a sufficient understanding of history. This is dangerous, because it encourages people to jump on a polemical bandwagon without truly understanding the history involved. As I read this, I felt more and more stressed and angry, because there were so many subtle and major issues, and I felt like I was going to have to spend an hour or two writing a detailed takedown review. I absolutely don't have time for that, so I'm here a month later to be much more general.

The authors mean well, and I almost considered giving the book three stars for their unique and interesting take on generational trauma for white people. They make a compelling case for moving beyond the often shallow and unhelpful idea of "white fragility" to recognize that white people can experience a sense of perpetrator PTSD, which one of the authors has personal knowledge of after getting into a car accident that killed his brother. He argues that just like racial minorities can experience generational PTSD, descendants of exploitative Europeans can experience generational trauma as well. This part of the book is interesting and unlike anything I had read before, and I think that the perspective they offer here could be helpful for people of different races as they consider both national and personal conversations about America's racial history and its general consequences.

However, even though I found that worthwhile, the rest of the book is too flawed for me to rate this any higher. Some of this is due to sloppy writing, where a sentence or paragraph seems to imply things that aren't true. For example, in a description of Donald Trump, the authors make it sound like the leaked audio from 2005 occurred while Trump was on the campaign trail. Anyone who was old enough and paying attention at the time should remember that the Hollywood Access tape was being dredged up from his past, but based on the way that the authors phrase it, they make it sound like all of their listed scandals occurred while Trump was a candidate for president. Someone might argue that this doesn't matter, because it's all condemning material regardless, but the timing is relevant, because it's a key fact and key context for understanding the whole picture. The sloppy writing distorts a true picture of reality.

Similarly, the authors are often sloppy in their presentation of historical facts, misrepresenting things in ways that seem subtle but add up to a huge blow to their credibility. They also engage in frequent mind-reading, framing a source quote by presuming what the person's thoughts and motives were behind the writing we have in the historical record. In some cases, they also leave out significant facts completely, like when they are writing about Abraham Lincoln. They want to explain why it is historically inaccurate and misguided to view him as a hero for racial equality, but to do this, they focus on creating a counter-narrative, not on presenting him as the incredibly complex person and politician that he was.

For example, they note that the Emancipation Proclamation only applied to the Confederate states, and did not free slaves who were in states that belonged to the Union. However, it is unfair and misguided to assume that this meant that Lincoln personally wanted people to remain enslaved in the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation was an act of war, and as an act of war, it could only apply to states that the Union was at war with. In addition to this, Lincoln had to keep the document scrupulously legal, or else the Supreme Court would overturn it. This would have most likely set back the cause of emancipation for decades.

They also quote Lincoln as saying that he was determined to save the Union regardless whether or not slaves were freed in the process. However, because the authors want a counter-narrative instead of the whole, unvarnished, complex truth, they neglect to mention any of Lincoln's statements against slavery. Their portrayal includes key facts that other sources overlook to paint a more positive picture, but their writing is still badly distorted. I would recommend Lincoln: A Very Short Introduction as a brief source that engages with this president's complexity.

This book sounded great, and I was very interested to learn more and hear about it from a Christian perspective, but I was disappointed and frustrated at every turn. I do not recommend this, and if someone is going to read it, then it is important for them to read other sources about the same topic to provide context and counterbalance to what they read here.

[Dorothy Grace Barrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I read this book. It was very thought provoking and challenged so many of my assumptions. I was grateful to have read it in a group of people who brought different perspectives and thoughts that enriched my experience with this book. Some of my biggest takeaways were:

- the church is best when it is subversive. Are we missing the point as a nation as we have created a Christian empire and are currently living in the age of “Christendom”
- the victors write the history and that is very dangerous.
- you cannot “discover” lands already inhabited

I’m horrible at writing reviews but wanted to record some of my thought here to remember for the future.

[JR. Forasteros · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important, powerful book that traces the Church's quest for power from Constantine through the Doctrine of Discovery to the founding of the USA to today. An exhaustive illustration of how the American Church has been unable and unwilling to surrender its attachment to White Supremacist ideology. And running throughout, there's a hope that if the American church will listen to the voices we've pushed aside, it's not too late.

[Kim Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very significant book to my thinking. As a Canadian growing up, in school, I learned that "Manifest Destiny" was one of the reasons why Canada became a country: to protect itself from the expansion of the United States. What we didn't learn was that those who truly suffered as a result of "Manifest Destiny" were the original inhabitants of North America.

Columbus is said to have "discovered" America. He didn't. The people living there already knew about it, but this notion of "discovery," especially as the Church used it as a way to evangelize, was ultimately the end of the culture of the people already living there. The legacy of this belief that "discovery" was something that was generated by Christianity (and there is plenty of evidence to say that Jesus did not really teach this) is what has lead to the systemic racism in North America, directed to Indigenous peoples and those brought from Africa. Basically, white was civilized, and no one else was. This has been part of the thinking in both the United States and Canada, and was brought here from Europe.

Charles and Rah may interpret some oft he historical events in ways that surprise and maybe offend readers, but being woken from complacency is something sorely needed right now. And even if one does not agree with some of their conclusions, a reader cannot fail to be challenged by reading this. I think it is very important reading for Christians.

One of the more interesting aspects of the book was the discussion of what Charles calls "white trauma." His assertion is that when white culture sees what has been wrought at the hands of their ancestors, they are immediately traumatized. One of the first reactions to trauma is denial. Charles sees the denial as a manifestation of white trauma. And as with any other trauma, no healing can be achieved without resolving trauma.

I also found Abraham Lincoln's participation in the forced remove of Indian tribes to make way for the railroad very disturbing. People tend to turn him into a White Saviour, but he was just as complicit as any other politician.

It's not a burdensome read, but it is powerful. I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

[Kacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a hard read because the truth is sad, heavy. But Mark Charles does such an excellent job of unpacking US history (and even the much longer history of Christianity and empire) from a solidly Christian perspective. It is a prophetic voice that also shows a path forward for white Christians, and it had some unique ideas that I haven’t heard discussed elsewhere. Charles himself is a Native American, a college professor, and a former pastor. He’s put together quite a book. I hope we listen.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a book that explains the historical and theological basis for racism in America, here's a good place to look.
The authors outline the development of the doctrine of discovery from Eusebius and Augustine to Aquinas and Calvin, and show how it has influenced the founding documents of the United States as well as current political discourse.

He explains how the American Constitution and even heroes such as Lincoln carried harmful attitudes such as American exceptionalism and white privilege.

But, perhaps most surprisingly and hopefully, he offers some recommendations about engaging in fruitful dialogue and reconciliation. Beyond individual apology and forgiveness and gestures of kindness, he calls for a recognition of communal and intergenerational trauma that accumulates over time and is passed down to descendants from ancestors. Likewise, he compassionately acknowledges that white people experience their own trauma when they learn of what their ancestors did and how they currently benefit from it.

Rather than being confrontational and dismissive, he seeks to build a common ground and demonstrates and understanding of either side.

While it's impossible for me to say "I agree with everything," because I don't have the knowledge or ability to check every fact, the author assembles a compelling case that deeply rooted attitudes have had a long-term negative effect over race relations.

If I were to offer any rebuttal, it would be to ask for grace and compassion - not only for current day opponents (which he does well) but historical figures who are seen as part of the problem. While I completely agree that "past heroes" need to be taken down from their pedestals and seen for the real, flawed people that they are, this does not mean that their good accomplishments should be ignored. So, in Lincoln's case - yes, his words would not pass the PC test today, and his policies are backward through our present day lens. But what was considered realistic and possible in his time? What options were in his realm of possibility? Did he contribute positively, taking any steps in the right direction? I'd say yes. Did he do enough? Probably no one can say that they have. So, yes - he's not the perfect hero we thought he was (no one is), but is he worth celebrating? Maybe.

http://www.eremos.xyz/2021/01/02/race...

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an important book, and after reading it, I would say that the term “unsettling truths” is quite an understatement. From his perspective as an Indigenous Christian, Mark Charles details how the doctrine of discovery has carried through history and continues to impact the social and theological imagination (and thus policies and behavior) of US Americans today. He tells of how, due to the doctrine of discovery, Christianity became married to earthly empire, nationalism, and white superiority, which is not in alignment with Jesus’ message of the Kingdom of God.

I was particularly struck by Charles’ unique perspective on white privilege/white fragility. He has a fascinating chapter at the end where he contends that, while BIPOC continue to suffer from transgenerational trauma because of the ways they and their ancestors have been oppressed, white US Americans experience transgenerational trauma due to their ancestors’ dehumanizing treatment of BIPOC. Oppressing others causes its own trauma. Charles explains how viewing white people as traumatized people is helpful in understanding and responding to their (our) reactions to conversations about race.

This is really important book for anyone who is involved in racial justice work and/or reconciliation, particularly in the Church. This would be an excellent book to pair with Jemar Tisby’s The Color of Compromise.

[Tim Casteel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely worth reading. But there's about 30 books I'd recommend on racism ahead of this one.

Unsettling Truths lives out Jemar Tisby's admonition that for the American church to move forward we must look honestly, painfully at our complicity in racial atrocities. This kind of book is needed.

But overall its a very harsh book. And I think the harshness undercuts some of the book's efficacy. And overall, the book just felt a little rough around the edges (editorially).

Charles's explanation of the Doctrine of Discovery was very helpful for understanding the rationale behind the brutality perpetrated by Europeans.

Another brilliant insight - the fact that America has never lost a war taints our self-understanding and prevents us from dealing honestly with some of the atrocities we have committed.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't my first introduction to the Doctrine of Discovery and its ongoing aftereffects, but I'm still unsettled. History is heavy, and the authors don't pull their punches. (Nor should they.) Moving forward, I'm going to be recommending this as a good place for folks to start. Recommended.

[Benjamin Shurance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful for filling in my limited understanding of the cruel history of the country in which I was raised. More devastating than unsettling.

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first encountered Mark Charles at a 2016 CRU conference in Minneapolis, where his co-author Soong Chan Rah was also a speaker (this was before the backlash at CRU against "CRT" around 2020, I wonder if they would invite these speakers today?)

It was the first time I'd ever heard of "the doctrine of discovery" but I remember as I listened to him speak, feeling like something deep in my historical consciousness was being shaken, and when I heard they were releasing a book, I was eager to read it. It's taken me a few years yet to get around to it, but I'm glad I did. There are a number of good books on The Doctrine of Discovery, but this is a great introduction especially for American Christians. I think everyone in America needs to wrestle with the DoD, and make sense of what on earth we're doing here???

Highly recommend!

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't discover lands already inhabited. This is the uncomfortable refrain repeated over and over again throughout the book. In our histories, in our stories, and in our cultural myths we like to tell the story of progress, discovery, enlightenment, and justice for all. There are cracks in these stories and our histories. Cracks and uncomfortable truths that don't like to be uttered but are an inescapable part of our history. We have Jim Crow, the new Jim Crow of mass incarceration, lynching, slavery, and the denial of citizenship to African Americans. We have the Chinese exclusion act, Japanese American internment camps, and the Rock Springs massacre against those of Asian descent. We have the denial of voting rights to half our population until the 19th amendment in 1920. We have the repeated scare tactics employed against Mexican immigrants who are disliked for taking our jobs. Over all of these injustices hangs our repeated treatment of the Native Americans. We stole their land, lied to them repeatedly, broke our treaties, attempted genocide against them, put them in death camps, forced them to relocate, and have only given one half-hearted apology. These are the kind of hard, unsettling truths that Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah wants us to examine, especially the unsettling truths around Native Americans.

This book is concerned with those injustices, but it has a narrower focus on the American Christian heresy of empire and America as God's chosen land. The authors repeatedly emphasize that we cannot take Old Covenant promises made to Israel and apply them to America. We are not God's chosen people, and America is not the promised land. This false idea has a long legacy in American history, going back to John Winthrop and his sermon about calling his community a city built upon a hill. It is linked in this book to an even older legacy, that of the doctrine of discovery.

The doctrine of discovery, despite being promulgated by a Catholic pope has been accepted by a variety of different Christians, and also by many American courts. It is this doctrine which gives the ownership of the land to those who "discover" it if the original inhabitants are unable to keep it for whatever reason. The discoverers were European settlers in the new world, and those whose land was disposed was the Native population. This doctrine has led to many of the problems and injustices done against native Americans throughout history. Manifest destiny only makes sense in the light of the doctrine of discovery.

There are many more historical claims made in this book, some of which could be disagreed with historically. I am not sure his understanding of Christendom is nearly nuanced enough as one example. But to find things to nitpick about is to miss the much broader, more devastating claim made by this book. Whatever disagreements I have about the way some history is portrayed, his main point is not shaken by those criticisms. This main point needs to be wrestled with, not dismissed away because of some minor disagreements.

Especially powerful was his two chapters on Abraham Lincoln. He not only deconstructed the myth we have made around him and showed he was human, but he made him out to be worse than average, a president complicit in genocide. Even if my feelings of American exceptionalism have been dying a slow death for several years, these chapters still hard to read, yet I find the evidence presented compelling. Abraham Lincoln was not our nations savior, but was something much more complicated, and something much worse.

After the authors give their historical and theological critique of America, they give a fascinating chapter on trauma. This chapter posits the idea that white Americans are suffering from a kind of collective trauma of our past guilt. This is seen by our denial of our guilt, and then our hasty attempts to solve the problem. This position removes the idea of privilege from white Americans and puts all talk of racial conciliation on a level field. We are all traumatized, and we all need each other for this healing to happen. This opens up new potential for dialog with each other, but it is dialog that can only happen if we acknowledge what we have done and our own collective guilt. This cannot be done without lament, but also through some needed truth telling. The Truth and Reconciliation committee in South Africa is an example of what this healing could look like.

When we finish reading this book, it is not clear what we are to do. Though I suspect by even writing the response that way I could be showing some of my own trauma because I want to fix the problem. There are no easy solutions, either theologically or practically. Even if we could give back the land to the Native Americans who were the original inhabitants, that would create another host of problems for the many people it would dispossess. That cannot be an excuse to do nothing, but is a necessary acknowledgement of the difficult path ahead of us. As the authors note, it is a path that cannot be faced without lament and truth telling.

This book functions well as a type of alternative storytelling that is needed by Christians. In Augustine's City of God, he devotes a significant portion of the book to detailing how the Roman society was never that great, and how it was not blessed by God, but was in fact governed by demons. This work does not approach the scope of Augustine's work, but it serves the same kind of purpose by recasting our national myths and stories as more the work of the devil than of God. We need more storytellers like this in the kingdom, and in the world. While it is not a perfect book, it does its task well and conveys the unsettling truths Christians in America need to face.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

the writing style isn’t exactly captivating (maybe because it was co-authored?) and some of the theory-heavy chapters are a little dull. BUT the chapters on Lincoln and the crimes committed against Native Americans were SO enlightening! I’m about to go watch Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. we have a lot to apologize for as a nation.

[Maryam · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Studying history brings so much clarity to our present situation for me!

[Emily Harrer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a thought provoking read! So much information that I had just never heard before-heavy but good read.

[Catherine McNiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't the story we want, but it is the truth we need.

[Caleb Lagerwey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the parts detailing the Doctrine of Discovery and its surprisingly long legal legacy that continues to shape law and policy today. I also found the references to the Christian Reformed Church (CRC), a denomination to which I belong, to be particularly fascinating albeit horrifying at the same time. The discussion of Lincoln's complicity with Native American genocide via the Long Walk and Bosque Redondo sheds important light on an oft-overlooked piece of our nation's history. The book felt a little disjointed in places and thus was not as clear as I wish it had been: the content is important and solid, but the writing or editing could have been better. To be more specific, it felt as if the "Doctrine of Discovery" was the foundation of the book--which makes sense--and then the chapters in a seemingly arbitrary order addressed various aspects and legacies of that foundation. I would've appreciated a more chronological approach or a thematic one that made more sense to me.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read for Christians growing in an understanding of the influence that dysfunctional theology (primarily white exceptionalism) had in the creation of the US, and still has a hold on parts of the American Church. It was difficult to read at times because of the atrocities that were committed in the name of Christianity, but Charles does a great job framing our need for lament and a common memory (full history, not one sided history) if we hope to bring about racial ’conciliation.’ Charles comments that to have reconciliation, there must have been previous unity, and he notes that we have never been unified across ethnic lines (particularly in this land). If you're white and reading this, stick with it to the end. You may be tempted to stop, but it'll be worth it to finish.