Another great awakening?

Much literature and media on Native Americans follows one of two narratives: One focuses on prevalent problems such as poverty, high suicide rates, and domestic and substance abuse. The other projects Native Americans as victims who lost a once-glorious heritage to white imperialism. Awakened: The Spiritual Destiny of the First Americans alludes to both narratives while crafting its own: The native peoples—long considered the least, the lost, and the last—are experiencing a great awakening that will make them trumpet-blowers to a spiritually slumbering America.

The documentary, directed and scored by Greg Miller, begins with a famous speech Billy Graham gave in 1975: “The Native American has been a sleeping giant. He is awakening. The original Americans could become the next evangelists who will help win America for Christ.” But Graham also recognized evangelistic missteps of the past: “I think many missionaries mistakenly tried to convert the Indian to a culture rather than to Christ.”

The film then demonstrates how Native Americans are gradually restoring the gospel to their context and culture without the Westernized baggage. It features pastors with long hair, pierced ears, belts buckled native-style, and jewelry gleaming with traditional turquoise. They sing hymns in their tribal languages, dance, and beat drums. Miller travels from Navajo Nation to Los Angeles to Saskatchewan to interview ministry leaders and film church services, conferences, and prayer rallies. He concludes, “The sleeping giant has awakened.”

Viewers might be uncomfortable with some of the theological perspectives in the film. In interviews and sermons, the native leaders (some called “apostles”) share interpretations of visions and prophecies and make close eschatological ties between the people of Israel and the native people (several scenes feature the Israeli flag and native pastors blowing shofars). Nevertheless, Awakened is a heartening reminder that though the original Americans might seem like a forgotten minority, God has never forgotten them. The last could yet become first.