Conversion

"Mere sorrow, which weeps and sits still, is not repentance. Repentance is sorrow converted into action, into a movement toward a new and better life" (M.R. Vincent).

I had a pastor who was fond of saying "what you win them with is what you win them to." I've taken a liking to the phrase myself, and it sprung to mind again recently while reading a chapter on authentic witness in David Augsburger's book "Dissident Discipleship". There was a particular quote by Jim Wallis that caught my attention in chapter seven:

"The gospel message has been molded to suit an increasingly narcissistic culture. Conversion is proclaimed as the road to self-realization. Whether through evangelical piety or liberal therapy, the role of religion is presented as a way to help us uncover our human potential -- our potential for personal, social, and business success, that is. Modern conversion brings Jesus into our lives rather than bringing us into his. We are told Jesus is here to help us do better that which we are already doing. Jesus doesn't change our lives, he improves them. Conversion is just for ourselves, not for the world. We ask how Jesus can fulfill our lives, not how we might serve his kingdom" ("The Call to Conversion").

"Modern conversion brings Jesus into our lives rather than bringing us into his." That sentence lept off the text when I read it. Has our understanding of conversion become another path towards self-fulfillment rather than the death to self Jesus spoke of? Has our understanding of conversion been influenced and shaped by the consumer culture and market-driven church?

Conversion: from what to what?

There's nothing new about the pursuit of self. Nothing new at all. Some Christians would suggest we abandon the ways of the world (which includes "trying to make it on our own") while subscribing to a new-found "faith" that resembles little more than legalism. It's a bit like jumping from the frying pan and into the fire, if you ask me. They would suggest that salvation is dependent upon conformity to the rules and regulations of the law favorable to their own particular ideologies.

Others, as it seems, have attracted countless followers through the preaching of "another gospel" that seems to glorify our selfish pursuits and reinforce this idea that even the King of the Universe exists for my pleasure. What a religion!

But being "in Christ" changes everything. It puts to death my vain attempts at righteousness by my own efforts and "draws us towards his intentions for humanity" (p. 183, Augsburger). Oswald Chambers describes conversion as a human being awakening to true life, and I am convinced we find true life by participating in his.