Immigrant believers from Muslim backgrounds and factors that facilitate a positive Christian identity

Abstract

Ministry to Muslims has increasingly focused attention on the retention and discipleship of believers from Muslim backgrounds within the Christian community, and is often framed as issues pertaining to identity formation. This article is based on a dissertation completed in 2015 where 20 immigrant believers from Muslim backgrounds in North America were interviewed, and their experiences were interpreted according to Henri Tajfel and John Turner’s social identity theory and self-categorization theory. Interpreted as “walking out of Islam and walking Christianity out,” this article sheds light on believers from Muslim backgrounds’ post-conversion processes as they seek to find the ideal Christian community to walk their faith out, with implications for ministries reaching out to the diaspora and issues pertaining to globalization and cultural hybridization.