Kaitlin B Curtice Profile picture
May 7, 2020 5 tweets 2 min read Read on X
#NativeBook is still #1 new release of Christian spiritual growth, and even though it’s just a category, I find it ironic.

I’m at the top of books by mostly evangelicals who teach Christians to “grow,” and what I write is that growth comes through the pain of acknowledgment. Image
I’ve written a book that says we have to name and face the origins of a colonized Christian faith before we can truly grow.

I’ve written a book that challenges us to ask hard questions, in hopes that we leave behind colonization and choose something better.
I remember the first time, sitting in church, when I realized I’d left behind the white Jesus of my youth.
I had a moment of serious panic.
I’d lost my bearings.
I didn’t know if I was still allowed to be a Christian.

This is what colonization has done.
So, here’s what I think, and what #NativeBook is about:

I think we become better Christians when we realize Jesus isn’t white.
We become better Christians when we de-center whiteness within Christianity.
We become better Christians when we learn from others by listening.
As I wrote in the book, decolonizing is an invitation.

I’m learning.
I know I’m not the only one.
I’m still asking if Christianity can even be decolonized.

Apparently, a lot of you are asking that question, too.

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More from @KaitlinCurtice

Feb 20, 2022
“We tried to talk to them about the Religious Freedom Act,” Bear-Schneider said. “We tried to talk to them about our sovereignty. They didn’t want to hear anything.”

An officer can be heard in the video saying, “Sovereign stuff is not valid."

freep.com/story/news/loc…
So, here's where we're at. A group of Anishinaabe/Potawatomi leaders gathering a group of people to teach them traditional ways of tapping trees, and police show up because they shouldn't "be in the park after dark," and threaten arrest if they don't leave.
In 1978, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act was passed by President Jimmy Carter so that Indigenous peoples would have protections for religious ceremonies in the US--where are we today? It's clear that Indigenous peoples are a threat to what is "normal" in this nation.
Read 7 tweets
Oct 31, 2021
It's that time again, when I get questions from parents about how to approach teachers/schools about problematic teaching regarding Indigenous peoples.

Here's a 5-step plan:
1. Name the problem
2. Share Indigenous resources
3. State your ask
4. Infuse with books
5. Stay invovled
So, step number 1: NAME THE PROBLEM

Tell teachers/administrators what's going on and why you're worried about it. Make it clear and name exactly why you're concerned. Don't shy away from the truth about America's history toward Indigenous people. Do research ahead of time.
Step 2: SHARE INDIGENOUS RESOURCES

What books have you read that shaped this discussion? Who are you learning from? Come with a list of names and organizations that the teachers/admin can use in the future.
Read 7 tweets
Jan 4, 2021
So, the title of this article is super problematic, because it once again insinuates that we are nothing but those "merciless Indian savages" unless we learn how to cooperate with or embed ourselves into the settler-colonial government of America.

nytimes.com/2021/01/01/opi…
Will Haaland have some serious power in this position? Absolutely. But let's not perpetuate the stereotype that we are nothing without this government. It's been my personal struggle with voting and participation in democracy--how do we truly exist in this nation?
But the ending to this article also rings true: we want to be seen as people who exist today, and not characters in a western or people who somehow died-off like the dinosaurs.

We are very much here, and we need visibility and representation.
Read 4 tweets
Sep 17, 2020
This morning I woke up just pissed at white American Christianity, at all the trauma and hate and death it's caused & the toxic individualism that continues to wreak havoc on our most vulnerable and our society's well-being.

That's it.
Today, I'm just angry, and I get to be.
All the shit we do in the name of God, in the name of Jesus, that is simply a tool to steal one another's humanity and sacredness. So much suffering, throughout history, at the hands of people who are sure they're doing God's bidding.

It's a damn shame.
I dreamt last night I went to a worship service-- singing the songs, kids dancing on stage with adults, a baptism following. I left the church, said, "This isn't for me anymore."

When I woke up, all these memories of trauma/horrific indoctrination just rushed in.
Read 5 tweets
Sep 10, 2020
Using Schitts Creek GIFs, here are the things I *wanted* to say when asked or told inappropriate things by Christians- a thread.

At my wedding shower, told that for the rest of my married life, lingerie is always for my husband to feel happy.
After speaking at a church, asked why I seem so hopeful but other Native Americans they’ve met just don’t
At a conference (more than once) approached by someone who wants to cry and apologize for their ancestors who came over on the Mayflower
Read 13 tweets
Sep 4, 2020
Sept 4, 1838, the beginning of the Trail of Death, the forced removal of Potawatomi peoples from Indiana on a 2-month long trek to Kansas. Day one is chronicled here, as well as the days that followed:

potawatomi.org/chronicling-th…
In light of everything happening in the world, in America, do I really want to focus on this? No.
But, it is a part of me. It is a part of our history. It is why I won't give up telling the truth about the legacy of white supremacy in the United States. Image
“Everything seems to justify the belief that these unhappy ppl will yet learn to appreciate the interest which govt. has ever manifested in this affair...a willing compliance will but secure the comfort and enjoyment which for years they have failed to experience in Indiana.”
Read 7 tweets

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