Dr. Randy and Edith Woodley

Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley is an activist/scholar and distinguished speaker, teacher and wisdom keeper. He addresses a variety of issues concerning American history and culture, missiology, shalom, postcolonial theology, community-building, faith, socio-justice, diversity, regenerative farming, climate-change and the human relationship to the earth and to Indigenous realities. His expertise has been sought in national venues as diverse as Christianity Today, The Huffington Post, Moody Radio and Time Magazine. Dr. Woodley currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Faith and Culture, and Director of Intercultural and Indigenous Studies at George Fox University/Portland Seminary.

His books include: An Introduction to Postcolonial Theologies (Wipf & Stock 2018); The Harmony Tree: A Story of Healing and Community (Friesen, 2016); Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision (Eerdmans, 2012); and Living in Color: Embracing God’s Passion for Ethnic Diversity (Intervarsity, 2004).

Randy was raised near Detroit, Michigan and is a legal descendent of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. He is a member of the Oregon Department of Education American Indian/Alaska Native Advisory Board, Greater Portland Native American Climate Council and other service organizations. Dr. Woodley and his wife are co-sustainers and co-hosts of a permaculture, regenerative teaching farm, school and community in Newberg, Oregon, housed at Eloheh Village for Indigenous Leadership. They have been innovators and activists for over three decades. The Woodleys have four grown children and three grandchildren, all living in the Pacific Northwest.

Edith Woodley is a teacher/mentor on issues concerning Native American Spirituality and Creation. A full-time mother, grandmother and activist farmer, she has developed a unique relationship with the land, as well as insights concerning how to raise a family on a small farm. Edith is an Eastern Shoshone tribal member raised on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. She graduated from Bacone Indian College in Muskogee, Oklahoma and is co-founder of several organizations with her husband. The Woodleys serve together on the Greater Portland Native Climate Council.

Edith and Randy have been involved in mentoring Indigenous leaders and others for three decades. As co-founders of Eagle’s Wings Ministry in 1999 (eagleswingsministry.com), they were early innovators in the Native American Cultural Contextual Movement. Their service to the most disenfranchised people in America led them to become serious about important issues such as racism and eco-justice. They have co-founded such organizations as Eloheh Village for Indigenous Leadership, Christians for Justice, and CHCKEW (“chikoo”), The Coalition for Healing Chinook-Kalapuya Earth and Water. In 2004, Edith and Randy became co-sustainers of Eloheh Farm & Seeds (elohehfarm.com), a permaculture, regenerative teaching farm, school and community that propagates Open Pollinated, non-GMO, Farm-Direct Seeds (elohehseeds.com). Together, Randy and Edith speak on panels and in talking circles on a variety of topics concerning Indigenous people’s rights, racism, eco-justice, land, sustainability and Indigenous spirituality.

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