Unsettling Truths: You Can’t Discover Lands Already Inhabited

SOONG-CHAN RAH & MARK CHARLES

The Doctrine of Discovery is the theological justification behind discovery, Indian removal and the ethnic cleansing of Manifest Destiny, as well as slavery and Jim Crow laws. It is also the impetus behind both the implicit and explicit manifestations of Christian Nationalism and racial injustice seen throughout our country the past months and years. In this workshop presenters will examine how the dysfunctional theological imagination of the Doctrine of Discovery is evident in the ongoing struggle with systemic racism and the recent rise of Christian Nationalism. The formative practice of lament is one of the best on-ramps for both Christians and the Church in dealing with systemic racism, white supremacy and the Doctrine of Discovery, and will be examined as a way forward.