Inspire, Summer 2009

20 SUMMER 2009 by Dr. Kezia (McNeal) Curry ’92 I recently read Lauren F. Winner’s book Girl Meets God , which describes her journey to Christianity via her initial conversion to Judaism. To my surprise, she shares how ethnic Jewish culture and everyday conversations played a significant role in leading her to accept Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. Her remarkable story inspired me to reflect on how culture and conversations have greatly influenced my own life of faith and world of work. And I was reminded of how my time at Cedarville helped bring it all together. As one of the few people of color on campus, culture was a prominent, recurring theme while I was a Cedarville student. I was the only African-American on my music ministry teams, on the Student Academic Advisory Board, and in many of my classes and student-teaching placements … to name just a few examples. Building bridges between my Southern, urban, African-American roots and the Midwestern, rural, Caucasian way of life at Cedarville required my constant diligence and focus. Although challenging at times, being the only minority in most situations was precisely what God had ordained for me. He used these situations to prepare me for the rest of my life. At the time, I couldn’t fully embrace the “inconvenience” of cultural relevance. My goal was to get a quality-stamped liberal arts education, make good friends, and create some fantastic memories. I felt very strongly about issues of diversity and got involved in many supportive ways, but I never aspired to be the “spokeswoman for soul.” Who l Am My strategic maneuvers not to allow my socio-cultural status to dictate my destiny, however, led me to a critical understanding: culture is neither an afterthought nor an option in the story of redemption. Among other things, Cedarville taught me how closely the Christian faith is connected to Jewish culture. God intentionally called out His chosen people and used them to bless the whole world through the birth of Jesus. This means that anchoring my faith in Christ D esign D iversity “Anchoring my faith in Christ requires highly valuing the cultural context from which it comes.”