The Church needs to recognise and value the unique, Godly spirituality and wisdom of Indigenous peoples, while encouraging and understanding our need and desire to embrace our cultural identity. We do not leave our culture at the entrance of the Church. It’s carried within us everywhere! For too long in my current life as an Indigenous Clergyperson of the Anglican Church of Australia, many of us – and our supporters – have had to raise our “Voice” to speak about who we are and the validity of our culture. We have spoken with Godly restraint and through his love. So many before us have fought the fight we are still fighting today. But we are not really fighting. Are we? It’s not the appropriate word to use, but that’s how we feel sometimes! When this happens, we think of scripture like “Fight the Good Fight of the Faith” (1 Timothy 6:12a). The Question is … Whose Faith? Our Faith or the Faith of others? The Question is … Who is doing all the fighting? The Question is … What are we fighting for? Many of us have explored Indigenous theologies. We have Indigenous leadership in many areas of our Church. We have “Welcome to Country” where appropriate. We have collaborative relationships. We advocate for social justice. 64
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