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

Every person coming to Christ has baggage, but a first-generation believer, especially one coming from little or no connection to Christianity, has an uncommon amount of cultural baggage that they bring with them. This book tackles a variety of issues and sees specific examples play out in the Iranian church as a prime example of these challenges. The Burden of Baggage explores how cultural upbringing is expressed in the personal, interpersonal, family, leadership, and spiritual nuances of church life-contributing to both strengths and weaknesses. Church teaching must shift the emphasis away from the self as perceived by the community in terms of honor and shame, instead encouraging people to give up their honor through humility, and refocus their attention on God and loving others. Readers will walk away knowing they are not alone in their struggles as they deal with gut-wrenching issues that often aren't solved in one generation. 

Roy Oksnevad, PhD, has been an urban pioneer church planter, cross-cultural missionary in Belgium, and founder and director of COMMA (Coalition of Ministries to Muslims n North America). He is an author, speaker, and educator. He also teaches for Pars Theological Centre.