On my way home from work last night I listened to an excellent message on David Brianard, missionary to the Indians. I want to encourage you to listen to it as well.
During my 9 years in prison I got to know a lot of Indians - or Native Americans, or just Natives, as many prefer to be called. I have had the chance to get into some deep discussions with them about the past, specifically how the white men came to this country and 'stole' their land from them.
I tell them honestly that I have mixed feelings about it. My relatives came to this country from Scandinavia in the late 1800's, and my grandfather was a wheat farmer back in North Dakota - a land that was occupied just a generation earlier native tribes such as the Dakota and Lakota Sioux.
I don't believe my grandfather stole anything from anybody. But there is no question that much of the white man's dealings with the Indians/Natives (as well as the blacks and the Mexicans in this country) have been incredibly evil in God's sight. On judgment day, all of those sins will have to be accounted for and punished, unless they are covered by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But getting back to David Brainard. A person can devote their whole life to working for social justice - and it is a noble calling. But David Brainard devoted his life to bringing the gospel to the native/Indian tribes and that is a much higher calling. Please take time to listen to this great message!
David Brainard - Missionary to the Indians, by Michael Phillips
