A unique look at Christian biblical interpretation and theology from the perspective ofNative American tradition, this book focuses on four specific experiences of Jesus asportrayed in the synoptic gospels. It examines each story as a “vision quest," a universalspiritual phenomenon, but one of particular importance within North American indigenouscommunities. Jesus’ experience in the wilderness is the first quest. It speaks to a foundational NativeAmerican value: the need to enter into the “we" rather than the “I." The Transfiguration isthe second quest, describing the Native theology of transcendent spirituality that impactsreality and shapes mission. Gethsemane is the third quest. It embodies the Native traditionof the holy men or women, who find their freedom through discipline and concerns forjustice, compassion, and human dignity. Golgotha is the final quest. It represents the Nativesacrament of sacrifice (e. g., the Sun Dance). The chapter on Golgotha is a discussion ofkinship, balance, and harmony: all primary to Native tradition and integral to Christian thought. For a broad, general readership, with possible secondary application in seminary andcollege classrooms. | The Four Vision Quests of Jesus by Steven Charleston, Paperback | Indigo Chapters