Dangerous Territory (paperback)

My Misguided Quest to Save the World

by Amy Peterson

Amy Peterson grew up in a Christian home and, like many young people today, absorbed a message that she needed to do big things for God. Her love of the exciting stories of missionaries changing the world for Jesus fueled her desire. After college, she traveled to Southeast Asia where she taught English as a second language while privately sharing the gospel.  But when her idealism clashed with her reality, she found herself questioning both her choices and her faith.

Disillusionment caused Amy to reevaluate her relationship with God and what He was asking of her. She never lost her faith, but she came to understand what it truly means to find her identity in Christ.

Throughout her memoir, Peterson weaves a missionary narrative that includes her own perspective as well as a larger historical overview. Five "interludes" in the book provide this larger view of missions, supporting the personal story.

This book will resonate with the millennial generation and anyone who has wanted to make a difference in the world. Dangerous Territorymay also challenge you if you grew up in the church, but struggle to align your faith with the realities of adult life.

Amy Peterson is a writer, English as a Second Language Instructor, and assistant director of honors programming at Taylor University. She has a master’s degree in missions and intercultural studies from Wheaton College, and has used it to work with people from over a dozen countries. Amy lives with her fellow adventurer husband and their two children on two acres of Indiana farmland. Read more of Amy’s writing on her blog.