The Land Is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery by Sarah AugustineMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I ran across this book in a bookstore in Waterloo, while visiting my son, who is studying there. This books goes along with the Indigenous authors I've been reading, but with the twist that the author is also Christian, looking at the legacy of colonialism in the context of being an Indigenous Christian. And that is a tricky balance to navigate.
The focus of this book, of course, is the Doctrine of Discovery, that initially ecclesiological doctrine which, effectively, handed the New World (and Africa and parts of Asia-anywhere where Christian kings were not ruling) to the European colonial powers- initially, Spain and Portugal, then Britain and France. Augustine explains the origins of this doctrine, how it morphed into a legal argument and how it is impacting people today, specifically her own Pueblo people, but especially the Yakama people in Suriname. She writes within the Mennonite theological heritage, but her activism comes through in everything she writes.
The result is a challenging book. Not because the theology is tricky. I mean, the absurdity of the Doctrine of Discovery has already been repudiated by almost all mainline churches. The Roman Catholic church which promulgated it in a series of papal bulls has even recently admitted its mistake in teaching in itin the first place. The book is challenging because the doctrine, now a legal principle, continues to be employed in disputes about who owns the land which mining and other exploitative industries work. Augustine is unrelenting in calling attention to these abuses and in demanding help for the Yakima people, and all who are resisting these policies. She doesn't stop with informing. She demands action.
Definitely, this is a worthwhile book, both as a refutation of the Doctrine of Discovery, but also as a call to action.
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