Is Conversion a Four-Letter Word? Part II

  Ways of seeing 
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If you haven't read the introduction, check it out before reading the following. As I move along in this series, feel free to share your thoughts, questions, critiques or encouragement.

PART II - How Modernity and Postmodernity Affect People's View of Conversion

Ivan Illich was once asked what is the most revolutionary way to change a society.  Is it violent revolution or is it gradual reform?  He gave a careful answer.  Neither.  If you want to change society, then you must tell an alternative story, he concluded.  (Frost and Hirsch 2003:33)

How Modernity Affects People's View of Conversion
So how does modernity affect people’s view of conversion?   As Toulmin shares in Cosmopolis, there were four distinct significant shifts in the 17th Century, that, when taken collectively, exceeded what any one of them would have produced themselves to help shape modernity’s story. These four changes of mind were from oral to written, local to general, particular to universal, and timely to timeless. (Toulmin 1990:34) 

Thus the idea of timeless, universal truth was in the making.  And when the scientific method was made central and autonomous reason supreme, the idea of “objective” universal truth was born.  Now those who are steeped in modernity’s story make the case that “one can only be said to know ‘truly’ if one knows ‘objectively’” (Smith 2006:43).  But, when Christians adopt this view and engage in evangelism to convert others, they tend to come across as bad car salesmen.  They assume they have objective truth, (not open to interpretation) and everyone else has subjective truth.  As a result they emphasize evidential apologetics and try to argue people into the faith.  More than that, as Smith says, “To assert that our interpretation is not an interpretation but objectively true often translates into the worst kinds of imperial and colonial agendas, even within a pluralistic culture” (Smith 2006:51).

For Christians who have bought into modernity, the gospel becomes something to argue about instead of something to be entered into, embodied, and lived out.  And as Fitch said, “When knowledge is viewed as universal fact it must be proved, but when knowledge is viewed as story, it is proclaimed”  (Fitch 2008: Lecture paraphrasing Smith).  This focus on reasoning has also contributed to the idea that conversion is just a matter of mental assent of certain doctrines, which has often resulted in people “believing” the right things without experiencing life change.

Modernity’s focus on autonomous reason and empirical evidence – that which can be measured and quantified – has resulted “in an unhealthy split between the public and the private realm, between facts and values, between science and religion”  (Brownson in Hunsberger 1996:229).  So Christians influenced by modernity’s story consider the good news to be private and not public.  As Newbigin states:

"The idea that the gospel is addressed only to the individual and that it s only indirectly addressed to societies, nations, and cultures is simply an illusion of our individualistic post-Enlightenment Western culture.  Very plainly, when we turn to the Old Testament, we find no such separation of the individual from the society which nurtures and forms him and of which he is a part." (Newbigin 1989:199)

A faith that only addresses the forgiveness of sins through the death of Christ on the cross, without addressing systemic injustice, is an inadequate gospel that is often viewed as quite shallow and self-serving to those outside of the faith.

Comments

[greg]

Thought you might add this to the discussion: I think it's a nice adaptation of something designed in the modern era, aka The bridge Diagram, but shows how the timeless true's that are barried in the model have present application:
http://www.reclaimingthemission.com/2008/03/bridge-illustration-3-last-words.html

[jason ashbaugh]

For me, the word "conversion" carries so much baggage of what I've come to see as a diminished, transactional gospel, that only cares about the atonement. I can see how the conversion, or "decision" in a modern context, became the central point of so much church life. It became the goal of evangelism - and in becoming the goal it pushed lifelong discipleship, relationships, and much out of the realm of our responsibility.

It also, from personal experience, causes us as followers to try and do the work that God says belongs to the Spirit specifically: changing the condition of someone's heart towards God. And I think that goal overshadowed our actual commanded responsibility of making disciples.

I could go on for awhile about my experience and dislike of the term (because of it's baggage & focus), but I do also believe that an unhealthy obsession about conversion vs. lifelong discipleship is what causes (or is symptomatic of depending on the circumstances) a lot of the bounded set type thinking that Hirsch talks about. Conversion becomes the dividing line of who's "in"... which is remarkably not like the pictures I see in the New Testament.

[Ryan Bell]

Great stuff, JR! I think you're really getting to the bottom of the issue. When I get a little time later today or tomorrow I'm going to link to this post/series and engage with it a bit on my blog.

Thanks!

[Chris Garner]

Hi again JR :)

I agree with Ryan, you're 'on the money' with this one..not just a great challenge but an awesome use of quotes and thinking to unpack it for us, thanks!

i think its sad that we need to address the fact that people allow modernity to affect our view of conversion. Wouldnt it be great if we could hit a 'reset' button and go back to thinking about the original commission/missio dei as they did in the books of Acts/Ephesians?

I wonder what Martin Luther would say today? I love how he challenged the church system with the fact of God's word being the only infallible source and that we are saved by GRACE (not buying forgiveness etc - the given method of the day as mediated by the church). I love that he re-discovered grace in salvation from scripture..and i get that same sense from your post: calling us back to rediscover how GOD calls us to engage conversion&society.

Thank you!!
Chris

[JR Woodward]

Greg,

Thanks a bunch for the connect to Fitch, he is one of my favorite thinkers in this area and I appreciate the insights in that post. Great link!

Jason,

Dude I am with you. I appreciate your insights on how we have focused on "conversion" vs. discipleship is vital and important as well as centered and bounded sets. I look forward to your continued thoughts as we work through this.

Ryan,

I'm looking forward to getting your input. I know you have many good things to say in this area, so please contribute.

Chris,

Thanks for your input. Yeah, I can sympathize with your thought about addressing "modernity" and we will also do postmodernity, but it seems that part of our task as the people of God is to connect people to God's story in our time and place. I have to say that I personally gain a lot of excitement in listening to God's spirit so that we might better know the role of the church between Christ and culture. I look forward to your continuing interaction on this topic. You always have something rich and meaningful to say.