Imagine that one day you are ripped away from your family and homeland, only to travel across the Atlantic Ocean in such poor conditions that many will die, to spend the rest of your life as a slave. Maybe for a moment after exiting the ship, you feel a sigh of relief, but you are quickly reminded of the brutal life you will now face. You will be forced to work for cruel colonist who provide you with only the bare minimum to survive. It will seem that there is no reason to live. This sad historical truth is illustrated through the words of Jon Sensbach in the novel Rebecca’s Revival. This book follows the life of Rebecca, a free black woman who devotes her life to spreading the word of Christianity, while also detailing the harsh environment,…show more content… Living in a world where the expression of emotion could result in punishment, Christianity allowed them to express their emotions in a judgement free community. The power of this emotional connection to Christ is illustrated when the author states, “The blood of Jesus flows over them, softens their hearts, and makes them see how great his love is…Many of them who were dead as stone have been moved by Jesus’ death, the constant subject of our preaching and they now cry for mercy” (sensbach 86). They were freed from the emotional turmoil once they opened their hearts to Jesus. The emotion they felt through Christ brought these slaves back to life because they no longer had to bury their feelings. In such a harsh world, Christianity allowed them to feel loved again, not only by Christ but through the brotherhood they had created. The author states, “They created a lattice of spiritual mentors and fictive kin who helped incorporate Africans into the evangelical family, then continued to teach and nurture them” (sensbach 93). Many of these individuals were taken from their families when they were brought to St. Thomas, so this enabled them to feel that important bond again. Through the church, the members were able to create a new family which is so crucial to having when life is as brutal as the life they lived day to day. Not only was the family created to mentor and support…show more content… This was an important belief that inspired African slaves to embrace Christianity. The importance of this spiritual revelation was stated in a letter written by Abraham, an African slave living on St. Thomas. He states, “I thank the Lord for letting us see that which we could not have hoped for, to allow us to become a community of Jesus Christ. Before that, we had been as cattle, and thus we did not think that there might be mercy for heathens...we have learned that there is mercy for the heathens and that we can now tell that which is good from that which is evil” (62). Learning about Jesus helped them to see that although they had done wrong in the past, they can now live for a righteous life. I believe that Christianity brought back a purpose to living for many of these slaves. Before Christ entered their lives, they lived day to day working for their masters with no light at the end of the tunnel. By opening themselves up spiritually they can now see that by serving the Lord they will be offered mercy at the end of this life. It gave them a reason to live again despite the poor conditions and harsh punishments they endure. Christianity provided them with the ability to live at peace knowing that Christ will save