Materialism. Greed. Loneliness. A manic pace. Abuse of the natural world. Inequality. Injustice. War. The endemic problems facing America today are staggering. We need change and restoration. But wher
Materialism. Greed. Loneliness. A manic pace. Abuse of the natural world. Inequality. Injustice. War. The endemic problems facing America today are staggering. We need change and restoration. But where to begin?
In Shalom and the Community of Creation Randy Woodley offers an answer: learn more about the Native American 'Harmony Way,' a concept that closely parallels biblical shalom. Doing so can bring reconciliation between Euro-Westerners and indigenous peoples, a new connectedness with the Creator and creation, an end to imperial warfare, the ability to live in the moment, justice, restoration -- and a more biblically authentic spirituality. Rooted in redemptive correction, this book calls for true partnership through the co-creation of new theological systems that foster wholeness and peace.
Christian Century
“Thankfully, Shalom and the Community of Creation is short on romantic visions and long on right theological discussions. . . . This is a courageous book. Woodley is trying to create fruitful dialogue where in the past only condescension and distrust prevailed. . . . This timely text may not always tell readers what they want to hear, but that is precisely the point.”
Theology Today
“An insightful, informed, and thoughtful voice coming from an often neglected sector of American society.”
Mennonite Brethren Herald
“The book’s key strengths lie in its conversation between biblical theology, native life, and traditional lore. . . . This book gives voice to a theological perspective that is both insightful and necessary.”
Reviews in Religion and Theology
“Woodley has written a book that invites readers to open themselves to a new way of being in the world together—to enter a community of creation where shalom, or the ‘harmony way’, is embodied. This is a theologically provocative and emotionally haunting book for Euro-western Christians.”
Religious Studies Review
“Randy Woodley recommends that viewing a shalom construct through indigenous eyes offers a fresh way of doing theology in the community of creation. . . . Native American theology, and this work, comes at a critical time when the church needs to listen to fresh indigenous voices with their place-purpose theology, boundary protocols, and spatiality, in which we all partner together to build a true theology of place before it’s too late.”
View Review quote
