In this episode of the Thinking Christian podcast, Dr. James Spencer is joined by Dr. Daniel (Danny) Zacharias and Dr. Christopher Hoklotubbe, co-authors of Reading the Bible on Turtle Island: An Invitation to North American Indigenous Interpretation. Together they explore how Indigenous perspectives can help Christians read Scripture more faithfully on this land we often call North America—but which many Indigenous peoples know as “Turtle Island.”

Danny and Chris explain the story of Turtle Island and why naming the land this way matters for Christian theology, discipleship, and biblical interpretation. They introduce “Turtle Island hermeneutics,” a way of reading the Bible that takes land, place, people, and history seriously—built on asset-based theology and the conviction that God was already present and active among Indigenous peoples long before European missionaries arrived.

The conversation dives into:

• What “Turtle Island hermeneutics” is and how the medicine wheel shapes their approach

• Why it’s theologically flawed to act as if God was absent from North America before colonization

• How Indigenous creation stories and traditions can sit alongside Scripture without replacing it

• Reading Naboth’s vineyard as a lens on land theft, treaties, and the Doctrine of Discovery

• Parallels between the Trail of Tears, Babylonian exile, and Psalm 137

• Babylon and boarding schools: how forced assimilation tried to erase Indigenous identity and memory

• How songs, stories, and ceremony preserve hope, faith, and cultural resilience

• Why discipleship must focus not only on doctrine, but on practices, place, and how we actually live

This episode is for pastors, Bible teachers, seminary students, and everyday Christians who want to understand Indigenous theology, Native North American perspectives, and contextual Bible interpretation without abandoning a high view of Scripture.

Reading the Bible on Turtle Island is published by IVP; check the show notes for a discount link and more information about NAITS, Acadia Divinity College, and the work Danny and Chris are doing to serve the church on Turtle Island.

You can purchase Reading the Bible on Turtle Island at ivpress.com (use code IVPPOD20 for a 20% discount) 

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To read James's article on this topic, check out his author page on Christianity.com.

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