Hello! I'm Randy S. Woodley

writer, speaker, truth in story, dabbler in multitudinous areas of life

I'm honored to share my journey with you as someone privileged to walk between worlds—as a Cherokee descendant recognized by the Keetoowah Band, a recovering academic, and a storyteller.

Over the years, I've been blessed to write and publish several books exploring justice, reconciliation, and Indigenous wisdom. Works like "Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision," "Becoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth," and "Indigenous Theology and the Western Worldview" represent my attempts to bridge different ways of understanding our relationship with Creator and creation. I am especially proud of my children’s books in the Harmony Tree trilogy.

In 2024, my wife Edith and I co-wrote "Journey to Eloheh: How Indigenous Values Lead Us to Harmony and Wellbeing," which reflects our shared commitment to these values. Each book has been an opportunity to learn and hopefully contribute something meaningful to conversations about racial equality, environmental justice, and what it means to live authentically in today's world.

I've also been fortunate to write feature film scripts, an endeavor that has brought unexpected recognition, including acknowledgment from various Screenplay Awards. This work allows me to explore storytelling in different ways while staying true to the same themes that guide my writing—truth-telling, justice, and lifting up Indigenous voices that have too often been marginalized.

I retired in 2023 as Distinguished Professor of Faith and Culture Emeritus at George Fox University/Portland Seminary in Portland, Oregon. Speaking of recovery, I earned my Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies, and I’m an ordained minister with the American Baptist Churches in the USA. Funny though, I am not a Christian, but I do follow Jesus in my Native American traditional culture.

My path has led me to work in Indigenous and Intercultural Studies, ecology, spirituality, issues of race, human and eco-justice, and regenerative farming. Throughout this journey, I've been learning alongside others about what could be called "The Harmony Way"—ancient teachings that I believe offer wisdom for healing our broken world and walking more gently on this earth.

My wife Edith and I also work together through Sho-Kee Cultural Consultants, where we try to help writers, directors, interpretive centers, and others in the entertainment and educational industries approach Indigenous stories and characters with greater integrity and respect. It's challenging work, but I believe authentic storytelling has the power to change hearts and minds.

Edith, an Eastern Shoshone tribal member, and I are grateful to co-sustain the Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice and Eloheh Farm & Seeds, our small teaching farm. Through this work, we try to model what a regenerative relationship with the land might look like while creating spaces for others to explore deeper connections with creation and community.

After more than 35 years of working in Native communities, we're still learning every day. We hope that through our non-profit work, my writing, and our creative projects, we can contribute in some small way to healing the relationships between people and between humanity and the earth. I'm humbled to be part of these larger movements toward justice, reconciliation, and peacemaking, and I invite you to join the conversation. You can learn more about our work at www.randywoodley.com