When Pengliang Liao decided to transfer to Harding, he knew it was a Christian school. Though he was an atheist, the opportunity to study in the United States was too exciting to pass up. Liao enrolled in the \u201c2+2\u201d program, an exchange program for students enrolled in Chinese universities, and made the move from Guangzhou, China to Searcy. Upon his arrival, Liao realized he had no idea exactly how \u201cChristian\u201d his surroundings would be.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re an atheist, you\u2019re sitting in the (Benson) Auditorium singing songs that you don\u2019t know,\u201d Liao said. \u201cI remember the first time I came I had no idea what was going on. I was like, \u2018Wow, why is everybody standing?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Liao began identifying as an atheist in high school after studying Western civilizations and world religions. His family visited Buddhist temples occasionally but had never been especially religious.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just found that it logically makes sense to choose to be an atheist instead of choosing to be a Christian or any of the other religions,\u201d Liao said.<\/p>\n
During his first year at Harding, Liao not only had to adapt to Western culture, but also to living in a distinctly Christian environment. Throughout his primary education in China, Liao said there was a consistent focus on atheistic values, like belief in materialism. Transitioning to an environment with persistent evangelism presented challenges he did not expect to face in the U.S.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have Bible classes every semester. There was some homework for extra credit once where you had to go to a home Bible study \u2026 it was really frustrating and out of my comfort zone,\u201d Liao said.<\/p>\n
Today, two semesters away from graduating, Liao said he has a better understanding of why his peers deeply value the environment at Harding. Just as many of them are convicted to pursue Harding\u2019s ideal of a \u201ccommunity of mission,\u201d he too is passionate about standing-up for his beliefs. Regularly, Liao is invited to attend church with a friend or classmate but works to remain a stronghold for the other students in the \u201c2+2\u201d program that come from atheistic backgrounds as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of my Chinese friends are just trying to be nice and they don\u2019t want to refuse people, but I really feel like I have to stand up,\u201d Liao said. \u201cI\u2019m really good at refusing people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the sometimes overwhelming presence of Christianity, Liao said he does not regret coming to Harding. One of the most valuable aspects of attending a Christian school, he said, has been the wealth of opportunities to improve his English.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just hard when you\u2019re trying to speak a second language. You need a lot of practice if you\u2019re trying to speak like a natural speaker,\u201d Liao said. \u201cProfessors and friends, students here, gave me the best environment to practice and improve my English. I would say if I were studying at a public school or somewhere else, \u2026 it would be much rougher to improve my English.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many of the conversations Liao has had during his time at Harding have led to meaningful relationships with his Christian peers. Despite differences in faiths, Liao attributes the willingness of the people around him to invest in their relationships with him to their Christian values.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are really nice here, or at least they are trying to be nice, and that\u2019s pretty cool. It makes life much easier,\u201d Liao said. \u201cSome of them really want to know more about me, which makes me want to know more about them too.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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