Ask the Pastor 142.

Is there such a thing as a “Native American”?

Clearly, the key word here is native, what do you mean by native? By definition this is something or someone who was either born in a place or came to be in a place. A native grass, for example, is a grass that naturally grew out of the soil of that particular region. Therefore, there is native American grasses and plants that may or may not appear in other regions around the world. People who are born in a certain place are then called native to that place. I can refer to myself as native to Kansas which is in America because I was born there. By definition of birth, all who have been born in America are native Americans. The word indigenous applies to people who are known as the earliest inhabitants of a region. Those who call themselves Native American did not ooze out of the soil like grass, they could be considered to be indigenous, as they are a primitive people group with the longest history on this continent. The American Indian is descendent from the line of Ham of the sons of Noah (see Genesis 10:6-20). They migrated to this land either by a land bridge that existed at that time or by ship, being descendants of Noah, they would certainly know how to build a ship. They brought with them the basic form of religion from the tower of Babel but remained hunters and gatherers as a primitive people, who were divided by tribes across what came to be known as the American continent. Others in South America built great cities and pyramids of religious worship, much like the tower of Babel. All people groups began in the land of Shinar and the area of the tower of Babel which is now modern-day Iraq. All people groups then migrated to regions all over the world, in accordance with the command of God. The good news is that God so loved the world, all people groups, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that all might have everlasting life through belief in Him (see John 3:16).

Have questions about the Bible? Send them to Dr. Greg Koehn at gak4850@gmail.com and read the answer here in this article. See my blog at cbclushton.com