Memory & Salvation

In her book Making a Way Out of No Way, Monica Coleman discusses the work of Karen Baker-Fletcher.  I found the following excerpts about memory quite stimulating.  First the excerpts, then some thoughts.

Baker-Fletcher suggests that the remembering of the ancestors helps the present to incorporate its past into its current becoming.

The memory of Jesus, cultural heritage (especially the Native American and African cultural past of African Americans), and history are critical to effecting salvation.

"The wisdom and knowledge required to make decisions that promote survival, healing, and liberation are dependent on the power of memory.  The creative power to make meaning out of the past is necessary to give a sense of direction for present and future generations."

While memory must be complete, only the aspects of the past that assist in the task of salvation should be recreated.  Remembering the destructive aspects of the past allows people to avoid repeating them: "The purpose of memory is to build strengths and correct weaknesses in community relations in order to more effectively challenge sociopolitical and economic injustice."  Through memory, the past contributes to the present work of salvation.

A long term project I have been interested in and occassionally working on is developing a theology of the central plains (it was originally an Oklahoma theology, but now expanded to include my Nebraska location).  This matrix of memory and salvation immediately hit me as one approach to take with that theology.  The history and stories of this land and its people become available in developing the wisdom and knowledge necessary for present living.  That, for instance, explains how the visions of Black Elk could be relevant to us, or even just the wisdom of our grandmothers surviving the Great Depression.

Comments

[Todd]

Scott,
Glad to find your blog. Good quote from Coleman. Get to work on that "theology of the central plains."

[Lisa]

Thank !I really love to read this post