Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys: A Native American Expression of the Jesus Way

Richard Twiss (1954-2013) was the founder and president of Wiconi International, a nonprofit that works for the betterment of Native people and communities by advancing culture, education, spirituality and social justice in the spirit of Jesus. A member of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate from the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, his native name was Taoyate Ob Najin, or "He Stands with His People." He is the author of One Church, Many Tribes.

A widely traveled speaker, activist, educator, author and networker within the Native North American community, Twiss led Native American performing arts teams and addressed issues of spirituality and justice in hundreds of venues worldwide. He served as a local pastor for thirteen years, worked as national director of Native ministries for the International Bible Society and was the U.S. representative for the World Christian Gathering of Indigenous People Movement. A board member of CCDA (Christian Community Development Association), he was a cofounder of NAIITS (North American Institute for Indigenous Theological Studies) and Evangelicals for Justice.

Twiss was committed to serving the local Native community in Portland, Oregon, as a respected spiritual leader with his wife Katherine, who continues his vision today. He was a member of the Portland Indian Leadership Roundtable and was a board member of the city's Native American Youth and Family Center. He also taught at Portland State University, Warner Pacific College and Sioux Falls and George Fox Seminaries. As a writer, Twiss contributed to The Justice Project, Holy Bible: Mosaic, Jamestown Remembered, Coming Together in the 21st Century and Common Prayer by Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Enuma Okoro. He was a contributing editor for Cultural Encounters and wrote a bi-monthly column in Charisma Magazine called Smoke Signals. He earned a doctorate of missiology in inter-cultural studies from Asbury Theological Seminary.

Having sat at the feet of Richard Twiss, known the warmth of his friendship and grieved his passing, I was thrilled to learn of this volume we now hold. Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys is a significant book for all who seek to live in the way of Jesus. Speaking honestly and respectfully in the face of oppression and violence perpetrated in the name of the good news, Twiss invites fresh and real ways of following in the way of Jesus without preference to any one cultural frame, and therefore opens the way to be who you are, as a particular person, of a particular culture, and to do so in the shambolic way of the Creator. This book accomplishes a vital task that should be self-evident: a person can be fully Lakota and fully Christian - in fact, there is no other way to be fully Christian. Twiss throws open the door for all indigenous churches to wrestle afresh with the fact that the gospel is at home in every culture and simultaneously alien to every culture.
-Dwight J. Friesen,
associate professor of practical theology at the Seattle School of Theology & Psychology

Richard Twiss was one of my most formative and important mentors in the Jesus Way. His words, life and ministry left an indelible mark on all who knew him. Now in this book, we are able to sit and learn once more from one of the most important voices in American Christianity. This text serves as a necessary prophetic critique of culturally captive Western Christianity but it also provides a redemptive way forward. Richard's words once again call us to a joyous and infectious hope that can arise from honesty.
-Soong-Chan Rah,
Milton B. Engebretson Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism, North Park Theological Seminary

A compelling witness and call to acknowledge the power of the gospel across cultural lines, in spite of colonial and neo-colonial oppression and distortion.
-Justo L. Gonzalez

I wish I had this book a decade ago when I started in Native ministry, desiring to create a fellowship where Native American students could meet Jesus without being required to cross cultures. Twiss challenges those who long to see an indigenous Native American church that contextualization must go beyond initial changes in music and language and 'address economic, political, legal, health, agricultural, etc., issues as well.' I can't wait to have the conversations Twiss starts in this book with my coworkers and others who long to see Jesus' church thrive in the Native community.
-Megan Krischke,
co-coordinator of Native Ministries, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship

Richard Twiss's legacy is to challenge the distinctions cowboys have made much of to explore how a more faithful life on the Jesus way can be forged. This message is important not only for cowboys and indians but for all who are committed to the cause of the gospel in our twenty-first century global context.
-Amos Yong,
professor of theology and mission, Fuller Theological Seminary

"Christians and ministry leaders, both Native and non-Native alike, will find Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys a relevant text. . . . Twiss calls us to seek dialogue over judgment and control by pursuing authentic worship. If we are Christians committed to corporate enactment of the story of God in worship, then we must be open to relating that story in ways that bring the fullness of who we are to God and to one another. Richard Twiss was also called Taoyate Obnajin, 'He Stands with His People.' In this good work, he has lived into his name." -- Alexandria Macias, Covenant Quarterly, Vol. 75, No. 1, 2017

"An eye-opening viewpoint from witnesses too seldom heard, this volume should be salutary for many pastors and administrative leaders." -- Library Journal, July 2015

"This is a provocative, engaging book. It brought me to tears. It challenged many of my assumptions. I did not agree with every jot and tittle of Richard's approach to contextualization, but this is a book every thoughtful Christian should read. Pastors, missionaries, and educators in particular need to chew on the issues Richard raises about contextualizing the gospel in light of the many cultures and peoples in the world, not least those who have been condemned and silenced and forced to 'unbecome' themselves, whether under the authority cowboys or others." -- Nijay Gupta, Missio Alliance, August 28, 2015

"The late theologian Richard Twiss (1954–2013) makes a powerful case that Native American Christians can pursue their faith 'while still fully embracing (their) tribal identity, traditional customs, cultural forms, worldview and rituals.' . . . Twiss's book offers valuable lessons for those struggling with decolonization in a religious context or any other. . . . Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals." -- W. F. Schulz, CHOICE, November 2015

"This is an important book for non-Natives. We can and must learn the Native story, as we did that day sitting between Luther and Wesley at Gary Church. But we need to walk further by going into Indigenous communities, waiting humbly to be welcomed into their circle and story. The way to learn and restore a shattered relationship is by deep listening as we sit among Richard's oyate, his people. And at that moment a realization will dawn on us; we all are deeply embodied in the story. As Richard said at the end of each address, Mitakuye Oyasin, 'All my relatives.' This is our common story, but we hardly recognize it." -- Gene L. Green, Books Culture, November/December 2015

"The late Richard Twiss here offers both a powerful and dangerous gift to the church. For anyone who has wondered why so few Native Americans follow Jesus, this work reminds us how painful our history is when missionary efforts are wedded to colonization. Be prepared to have your assumptions challenged as you work through this important book chronicling the church's oft tense relationship to indigenous people." -- Andrew Dragos, The Seedbed Blog, December 8, 2015

"Richard was enigmatic. On the one hand, as he made clear in the closing years of his life, he was a common man. Yet undoubtedly in many ways, he was not. He became, for many in the wider Indigenous community, 'the voice of one crying in the wilderness,' inviting believers to make straight paths for people to find Jesus. . . . Richard was a foil to anyone who encumbered the message of Jesus with culturally-bound prejudice. He presented a simple path to faith—inviting people to be all they could be through a renewed relationship with Creator's son. He welcomed everyone to be a part of what Creator was doing among us, making everyone feel special in the process." -- From the foreword by Ray Aldred, Adrian Jacobs, Terry LeBlanc and Randy S. Woodley

"I highly recommend this book as seminal in our thinking about how Christianity is transmitted to others." -- Michael Canning, Anglican and Episcopal History, March 2019