Juncture in Ministry to the Indian
Diocesan Press Service. August 7, 1964 [XXIII-13]
The church has reached a "critical juncture" in its ministry to the American Indian-- a juncture in which churchmen must become "the third race" to reconcile the estranged Indian and non-Indian.
"Neither an Indian Christian who has virtually become a white man, nor a non-Indian missionary who has 'gone native' will do. Required for the task Is a new race, 'the third race', made up of Indians who are at once truly Christian and truly Indian, and others who are equally truly Christian and truly whatever they ethnically or racially are."
That was the assertion of the Rev. Daisuke Kitagawa to 350 missionaries in Indian work, who met July 2-7 at Estes Park, Colo., for their triennial National Fellowship of Indian Workers. Dr. Kitagawa is executive secretary of National Council's Division of Domestic Mission. The Fellowship draws members from 15 communions.
The Japanese-born Episcopal priest made it clear that "the Church's mission at this Juncture must be to bring about the reconciliation between the American Indian community and the rest of the nation on a collective, inter-group basis."
"In order that the Church may truly be the Church on the Indian reservation today, " he said, "every Christian must be there in behalf of all the non-Indians, seeking to be reconciled to the Indian people and to reconcile Indian people to themselves.
"The Church's mission," he declared, is "not to make Christians of as many individual Indians as possible" but "to accept the Indian people as a people whom God has created and whom Christ has redeemed, and to see that they accept the rest of the nation whom the Church as the people of God represents."