The Burden of Baggage: First-Generation Issues in Coming to Christ - Paperback

by Roy Oksnevad (Author)

Overcoming Cultural Baggage One Generation at a Time.

This uncommon resource targets a little discussed, but highly prevalent challenge that first-generation churches face. Specifically, The Burden of Baggage explores how cultural upbringing can be both a strength and a weakness as it impacts expressions of church life as seen in the personal, interpersonal, family, leadership styles, and spiritual walk.

Every person coming to Christ has baggage, but a first-generation believer, especially one coming from a background with little or no connection to Christianity, has an uncommon amount of cultural baggage that they bring with them. This book tackles common issues and sees specific examples played out in the Iranian church as a prime example of these challenges. While the book focuses on Muslim-background believers from Iran, it has transferable insight for Other-background believers from any oppressive regime and therefore is highly encouraging in the universality of the struggle that new believers face as they draw near to Christ.

Readers will walk away knowing they are not alone in their struggles as they deal with gut-wrenching issues that often aren't able to be solved in one generation, and yet gain hope from the redemptive stories within.

Author Biography

Roy has been an urban pioneer church planter in the NYC area, cross-cultural missionary in Belgium, helped start the South Asian Friendship Center in Chicago, director of Muslim Ministries at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, founder, and director of COMMA (Coalition of Ministries to Muslims in North America) and Director of Muslim Ministry for All People of the Evangelical Free Church of America. He is an author, speaker, and educator. He is adjunct faculty for Pars Theological Centre.