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Full Description
In this challenging and provocative book, Gordon T. Smith contends that the chief cause of spiritual immaturity in the evangelical church is an inadequate theology of conversion. Conversion, he says, involves more than a release from the consequences of sin - the goal is spiritual transformation. But there is little transformation without a complete and authentic conversion. The key is beginning well. In this age of false starts and stunted growth, maturing Christians need help reflecting on and interpreting their own religious experience. Beginning Well is a catalyst toward this end. Through a survey of Scripture, spiritual autobiographies and a broad range of theologies of conversion (Protestant and Catholic, Reformed and Wesleyan), the author moves us from a short-sighted "minimalist" view to one that recognizes seven elements necessary for good conversions. This book - a stirring call to rethink the relationship between conversion and transformation - is a must-read for pastors, evangelists, spiritual directors, seminary professors and others who are concerned about the nurture and development of Christian converts, and the nature of authentic religious experience.
Contents
1. Thinking About Conversion; 2. The Evangelical Experience: An Historical Perspective; 3. Conversion in Christian Theology; 4. Models of Conversion in the New Testament; 5. Autobiography: The Church's Experience of Conversion; 6. The Elements of a Christian Conversion; 7. The Four Internal Actions of the Christian Convert Intellectual, Penitential, Affective and Volitional; 8. The Three Elements That Support and Enable: the Sacramental, the Charismatic and the Communal; 9. Growing Up Christian; Conversion and Second-Generation Christians; 10. The Community of Faith and the Language of Conversion
