Brooke, CBF field personnel
As we were sitting around one night at Bible study, we started talking about religion and culture. We had just finished a study on other world religions, and some in the group were lamenting how much of their culture was lost when Westerners came in to spread Christianity. Many of the people in the group are Christians who grew up in Christian homes, and they wish they had a stronger connection to their heritage. They struggle to understand why their culture had to die when Christianity arrived.
But then, a new Christian spoke up with a different perspective. She had grown up in a village without any Christians. When she became a believer, she wanted nothing to do with her old culture because it reminded her too much of her former religion, which she has now left behind. She wants her new life to be free from her old one, even if that means willingly giving up parts of her culture. In a time when many of us focus on preserving culture, maybe giving it up for a new life matters, too.