Beginning Well: Christian Conversion & Authentic Transformation

Rating:
Summary: Most Important Christian Book in 2001
Review: So many steps that the Church needs to take are explained concisely and forcefully in this wonderful book. There are 2 main arguments made in this book:

(1) Conversion is a process of working out one's conversion, not necessarily a single, conscious moment of conversion. Paul exhorts us to "work out our conversion in fear and trembling". Smith writes that the "punctilear moment" model of conversion does not jive with the honest experience of most Christians, for whom it is more like flying over the Rockies; there is a moment when the plane has crossed the Rockies, but the passenger doesn't know exactly when it is. Rather, conversion is an often lengthy process of transformation and of understanding the work that God has done in one's life. Testimonies, Smith writes, are as a result hugely important, because they provide they structure within which Christians learn to work out their own conversions.

(2) One cannot work out one's conversion within a single denominational tradition. This is fascinating. Smith, far from being a "non-denominationalist" or a superficial ecumenicalist, writes that the major denominational traditions each emphasize something critical to a complete conversion - e.g. faithful reliance on God's sovereignty, taking responsibility for one's spirituality, and being filled with the Holy Spirit - such that Gordon Smith's brand of ecumenicalism relies heavily on appreciation of various denominational traditions.

For those, like me, who have moved between denominational traditions (from Southern Baptist to United Methodist to Willow Creek to Assemblies of God in my case), and for those who have lived within a single denominational tradition, this book is a wonderful midwife to working out one's conversion.

Rating:
Summary: Most Important Christian Book in 2001
Review: So many steps that the Church needs to take are explained concisely and forcefully in this wonderful book. There are 2 main arguments made in this book:

(1) Conversion is a process of working out one's conversion, not necessarily a single, conscious moment of conversion. Paul exhorts us to "work out our conversion in fear and trembling". Smith writes that the "punctilear moment" model of conversion does not jive with the honest experience of most Christians, for whom it is more like flying over the Rockies; there is a moment when the plane has crossed the Rockies, but the passenger doesn't know exactly when it is. Rather, conversion is an often lengthy process of transformation and of understanding the work that God has done in one's life. Testimonies, Smith writes, are as a result hugely important, because they provide they structure within which Christians learn to work out their own conversions.

(2) One cannot work out one's conversion within a single denominational tradition. This is fascinating. Smith, far from being a "non-denominationalist" or a superficial ecumenicalist, writes that the major denominational traditions each emphasize something critical to a complete conversion - e.g. faithful reliance on God's sovereignty, taking responsibility for one's spirituality, and being filled with the Holy Spirit - such that Gordon Smith's brand of ecumenicalism relies heavily on appreciation of various denominational traditions.

For those, like me, who have moved between denominational traditions (from Southern Baptist to United Methodist to Willow Creek to Assemblies of God in my case), and for those who have lived within a single denominational tradition, this book is a wonderful midwife to working out one's conversion.

Rating:
Summary: Recommended for All
Review: Some theological issues are more pressing than others; some issues we can afford to simply discuss or agree to disagree, and with others we can even afford to suspend judgement. Not so when it comes to an issue such as conversion, however: this is an issue that effects all of us.

Is conversion a one-time event, as many Protestant evangelical and fundamentalist traditions would like us to believe, or is it more of a life-long process? Is it a solely individual experience, or does it involve the entire community of faith? Should conversion happen one certain way to everyone, or is there more room for God to deal with individuals in ways specific to their circumstances, giftedness, and relationships?

These issues are pressing issues for all of us -- what we know and believe about the process of conversion will effect the way we live, how we understand Jesus, what we belive about God, how we raise our children, how we relate to others both within and without the Christian community, how and if we can even define the boundaries of the same, and what we believe about "evangelism."

In this volume Smith does an excellent job approaching all of these topics and more, and offers humble proposals to actively reconsider what we belive about this nebulous yet urgent topic. One can sense that there might be somewhat of a reactionary tone underlying his discussion, but all the better: beliefs surrounding some practices are well-worth questioning and reacting against, and conversion -- particularly as it is understood in many evangelical and fundamentalist circles -- is one of them. This book comes highly recommended for all.

Rating:
Summary: Recommended for All
Review: Some theological issues are more pressing than others; some issues we can afford to simply discuss or agree to disagree, and with others we can even afford to suspend judgement. Not so when it comes to an issue such as conversion, however: this is an issue that effects all of us.

Is conversion a one-time event, as many Protestant evangelical and fundamentalist traditions would like us to believe, or is it more of a life-long process? Is it a solely individual experience, or does it involve the entire community of faith? Should conversion happen one certain way to everyone, or is there more room for God to deal with individuals in ways specific to their circumstances, giftedness, and relationships?

These issues are pressing issues for all of us -- what we know and believe about the process of conversion will effect the way we live, how we understand Jesus, what we belive about God, how we raise our children, how we relate to others both within and without the Christian community, how and if we can even define the boundaries of the same, and what we believe about "evangelism."

In this volume Smith does an excellent job approaching all of these topics and more, and offers humble proposals to actively reconsider what we belive about this nebulous yet urgent topic. One can sense that there might be somewhat of a reactionary tone underlying his discussion, but all the better: beliefs surrounding some practices are well-worth questioning and reacting against, and conversion -- particularly as it is understood in many evangelical and fundamentalist circles -- is one of them. This book comes highly recommended for all.