Narrative Summary
Interview with Lin Wang by Marsha McDonald
My interview was conducted with Lin Wang. I became acquainted with her through a
mutual friend of ours, Julie Wrocklage. Julie suggested that I should interview Lin because she
had a unique spiritual background, switching between two major world religions. Lin was born
in China, and she went to college in Qingdao, China. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in English
from Qingdao University and is currently enrolled in the Master’s program of Social Work at
Missouri State University in Springfield, MO. She is 23 years old, and is a Christian. In my
interview with Lin, I wanted to know about three critical stages in her spiritual life, the early
years, more recent times, and what she hopes her spiritual life will look like in the future.
For the majority of her early life, Lin was agnostic. At the age of 17, she converted to
Buddhism. She attributes this decision to the influence of her family, as well as her own
thinking. Both of Lin’s parents were strong Buddhists. Her uncles were also Buddhist. Lin had
been struggling with questions about the meaning of life, and she found that Buddhist
philosophies answered these questions for her. The philosophies inspired her.
I asked about the effect of Buddhism on Lin’s daily life. She talked about Buddhism’s
impact on her life in two ways, on the outside and on the inside. On the outside, Lin was
preoccupied with school and studying so she did not outwardly practice her religion that often.
She was unable to attend temple with her family because there was only one nearby (Buddhism
is not popular in China.) In addition to these things, Lin became a vegetarian. Inwardly, Lin felt
very strongly about her belief in Buddhism. She tried to follow Buddha’s teachings closely, and
especially enjoyed the philosophies of reincarnation and karma.
As I mentioned earlier, Lin is now a Christian. When I asked about the reasons behind
her conversion, she attributed it to her time here in the Ozarks (studying at Missouri State
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University.) The family that hosted Lin, and other friends that she made at the university, helped
to inform her about Christianity. Lin was very open to hearing about Christianity because she
had started to question her life again. Her openness was also attributed to her background in
Buddhism (Buddhists do not deny other religions or their teachings.)
Lin was considering Baptism before she returned from studying away, but hesitated
because she was unsure about how living in China (a predominantly agnostic/atheistic country)
again would affect her. Lin described the experience as a positive one because her faith, in God,
only increased. When Lin was preparing to move back to Springfield and work on her Master’s
degree, she knew that she wanted to be baptized. Lin was baptized on August 26, 2012 and
described the experience as being immensely joyful. Her friends in Springfield were very happy,
and her family was supportive (though Lin felt that they were disappointed as well.) Some of her
friends in China began to view her differently.
These are some things that Lin struggles with today. She prays that her family may
convert to Christianity. She also told expressed that several of her good friendships were
sacrificed because of the misconceptions surrounding her religion.
I also asked Lin what her ideas were regarding women’s roles and Christianity. She was
adamant about her belief that men and women are on equal footing. That, so long as we try to
honor God in the best way we can, other things (such as gender roles) do not matter so much.
Lin had several things to say about her hopes for her spiritual life in the future. She
desires spiritual growth and hopes to achieve it by attending Bible study regularly, as well as
Sunday services. Lin hopes to honor God throughout her life by studying hard in school,
working hard once she graduates and finds a job, and also by spreading God’s word. The latter is
something she is intent on doing once she moves back to China. Although it will be difficult
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(Christianity is unpopular and missionaries not allowed to openly share the Bible) Lin is very
confident that God has a plan for her life. She ended the interview on a positive note, saying how
happy she is with her life, especially right now.
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