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 books tackles common issues and sees specific examples play out in the Iranian church as a prime example of these challenges. The Burden of Baggage explores how the cultural upbringing is expressed in the personal, interpersonal, family, leadership, and spiritual expressions of church life—contributing to both the strengths and weaknesses. Church teaching must shift the emphasis away from the self as perceived by the community in terms of honor and shame, by encouraging people to give up their honor through humility, and refocusing the 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 able to be solved in one generation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables and Figures

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1: Brief History

Chapter 2: Experiencing Church

Chapter 3: The Luggage We Bring

Chapter 4: Can We Just Play Nice?

Chapter 5: All in the Family

Chapter 6: Everyone Wants to Be a Leader

Chapter 7: Conversion Is Like a Bomb Going Off

Chapter 8: Where Do We Go from Here?

Chapter 9: Conclusion

Appendix A: Research Methodology

Appendix B: Interviews

Appendix C: Research Questions

Appendix D: Distribution of Interviewees

Appendix E: Suggested Readings of Cultural Commentaries

Glossary

References