The Christian Sermon and the Native American in Twentieth Century Oklahoma: An Examination of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference and its Continued Role in Native American Assimilation and Annihilation

The land that is now called Oklahoma has been occupied and used by Native American people since the end of the last ice age.[1] From ancient Folsom, Clovis, and Dalton peoples to the proud Native American tribes that exist within its boundaries today, Oklahoma has played an important role in the story of Native American people. Since 1830, however, the story of Native Americans in Oklahoma has changed from one of thriving to one of surviving. Part of that change in plot is due to the forced Christianization of Native American people by Christian colonizers by any means necessary. This work was first taken on by the many Christian missionaries that moved into what was then called Indian Territory. These missionaries, from many backgrounds and denominations, along with their modern counterparts, have made it possible for the United States government to continue to take away from the Native American people until they have nothing left to give; nothing left but their souls. The Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference (OIMC) was officially formed by the United Methodist Church in 1972.[2] Since that time, the OIMC has operated with the purpose of reaching “Indian persons with the Good News of Jesus Christ through the United Methodist witness.”[3]This paper is an examination of the use of the sermon as a weapon of violence against Native American heritage and spirituality in the name of God. [1] Charles Robert Goins and Danney Goble, Historical Atlas of Oklahoma, (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2006), 35. [2] http://www.umc-oimc.org/resources/about-us/ [3] http://www.umc-oimc.org/resources/about-us