On this page, you will find resources applying to the Doctrine of Discovery (Doctrine). Some specifically reference the term Doctrine of Discovery. Many resources speak to historical injustices perpetrated on people of color by White governments and institutional structures; most all of these arise out of privilege and subjugation arising from the Doctrine of Discover.
Land Acknowledgement
A guide to native land acknowledgement from the Native Governance Center
A guide to territory acknowledgement from Native Land Digital
Doctrine of Discovery
Books (American Indian Perspective)
| Name | Author |
| God is Red: A Native View of Religion | Vine Deloria Jr. |
| Missionary Conquest: The Gospel and Native American Cultural Genocide | George E. Tinker |
| Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery | Steven T. Newcomb |
| Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, and Manifest Destiny | Robert J. Miller and Elizabeth Furse |
| Discovering Indigenous Lands: The Doctrine of Discovery in the English Colonies | Robert J. Miller, Jacinta Ruru, Larissa Behrendt and Tracey Lindberg |
| Theraputic Nations: Healing in an Age of Indigenous Human Rights (Critical Issues in Indigenous Studies) | Dian Million |
| The State of Native America: Genocide, Colonization, and Resistance | Editor: M. Annette Jaimes |
Historical Articles
| Name | Additional Information |
| Romanus Pontifex or Discovery Doctrine | |
| Gold and Genocide, The True Story of the California Gold Rush | The Daily Republican, September 24, 1883, Winona, Minnesota |
| Memories of the People | |
| Thomas Jefferson: 2nd Inaugural Address | (1805) 1743 – 1826 |
| President Andrew Jackson’s message to Congress, (Indian Removal Act of 1830) | 1767 – 1845 |
| President James K. Polk, Inaugural Address | 1844 |
| National Congress of American Indians Resolution | September 13, 2007 |
Books (Person of Color Perspective)
| Name | Author |
| Room at the Table: Struggle for Unity and Equality in Disciple History | Sandhya Jha |
| The Cost of Unity: African-American Agency and Education in the Christian Church 1865-1914 | Lawrence A.Q. Burnley |
Books (Anti-Racist Perspective)
| Name | Author |
| Beyond Inclusion, Beyond Empowerment | Leticia Nieto |
| Born Apart, Becoming One: Disciples Defeating Racism | William Chris Hobgood |
| Understanding & Dismantling Racism: The Twenty-First Century Challenge to White America | Joseph Barndt |
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Brief History of Bulls and Law
Resolutions and Decisions
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) calls to Research and Reflection
Full list of Repudiations by Faith Communities
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People
World Council of Churches Review
Film and Video
A movement for earth economy with the Jackson “Demonstration” State Forest and the Pomo people. You will gain an idea of the human energy earth care needs in our current context.
One of the responses of the Anglican Church’s Primate’s Commission on Discovery, Reconciliation and Justice.
Three part documentary on the history of the Doctrine of Discovery and its basis in Christian theology and Scripture, Living the Doctrine of Discovery, and Undoing the Doctrine of Discovery.
This video is one consideration on understanding the Doctrine of Discovery
This video is helpful to understand how a people engage in a reflection of the historical Native work they have been part of.
A YouTube playlist featuring the talks and chapel service from the 2023 Winter Talk held at Phillips in Tulsa, OK.
Study Resources
Visions of Wholeness: 2022 Tulsa Conference Disciples/Christians and Indigenous Nations (Presentations)
Disciples and the ‘F’ Word: How Our Focus on The Significance of the Frontier Causes Us to Lose Sight of Our Legacy of Conquest
Not of This Fold: Exploring the Historical Complexities of Native Identity Within a Contemporary North American Christian Context
One Hundred Years of Solicitude: A Movements Disfiguring of American Indigeneity
Other Resources
Presentation Resources
A PowerPoint Presentation for Trained Presenters (as well as training) is available upon request by contacting David Bell.
Center for Indigenous Ministries (DOC) 