
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the term “conversion” and all that goes with it. I’m wondering if what we mean when we use the word is what is heard by others. I’m also wondering if we are even sure of what we mean when we talk of conversion.
My thoughts reminded me of a scene in
The Princess Bride:
[Vizzini has just cut the rope The Dread Pirate Roberts is climbing up]
Vizzini - “HE DIDN'T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE.”
Inigo Montoya - “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
The simple idea behind conversion is that of the process that one goes through when he or she changes his or her beliefs, views or faith. It is a process of making a fundamental shift.
The problem that I see, however, is twofold. First, how is the idea of conversion received by those we desire to see follow Jesus. Second, what is the object of the conversion.
In my experience, most people who are not following Jesus don’t hear what we want them to hear when we use the word conversion. They hear something more along the lines of “conformism,” which is the idea that one must conform to the ways of a system or certain rules of behavior. They hear that they must fall in line with an often foreign way of doing things. They hear that they must leave their culture for a new one.
I once visited a very remote island in the southern regions of Bangladesh, which is nearly 90% Muslim. As we walked toward the center of the island and found the local market we were soon surrounded by a mob of curious onlookers. One of the older men spoke a little English and he immediately asked me if we had come to force them to convert to Christianity. My response was to quote him a verse from the Qur’an: “There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path.” (2:256) I then told him that we were there to share with them what we had learned about the Right Path as well as learn from them what they had learned. This set them all at ease and we had a couple of days of great ministry before we had to leave to head back home.
Virtually no one wants to change their culture. I don’t, and, honestly, didn’t when I became a follower of Jesus. Why is it, then, that others think that what we are looking for when it comes to conversion is a change in culture?
I think it may be because that is exactly what we really mean, whether we have thought about it or not. Is it possible that the object of the conversion that we desire for others to go through has become Christianity instead of Jesus? Is there really a difference between a conversion to Christianity and a conversion to Jesus? I think so and I think that this is the problem behind the word conversion.
Conversion to Christianity is a change in culture. Christianity, as it has developed over the past two thousand years, is both a religion and a culture. I don’t think you can truly separate the two. Too often, when we present Jesus, we present Christianity. Most of us can’t even differentiate between the two. However, again, my experience as a missionary has shown that there is a difference. For example, the western concept of church, which falls under the umbrella of Christianity, is often seen as the “right” way of doing church. We meet at a set time on a set day for a set period. We have organized meetings where we know what is going to happen and who is going to do it. I’m not saying that this understanding of church is necessarily wrong. However, it is cultural, not biblical. It is one way of doing church. There are many cultures around the world where this form of church would never work or be embraced and to expect it to be so is to expect a conversion to our way of doing things, which is simply another way of expecting others to convert to our culture.
Jesus never told us to convert people to a new religion. He never told us to have people change their culture. What he did tell us is to make disciples of all nations by going to them, immersing them in the reality of the Trinity and teaching them to obey all that he had commanded. In other words, Jesus is to be the object of the conversion we seek, not Christianity.
Instead of the word conversion I have been trying out the concept of a change of allegiance. The process of making disciples is more like the process of helping someone change their allegiance to Jesus by turning away (repenting) from their allegiance to themselves, their religion, money, power and so on. I like this so far because it seems to carry far less baggage.
What do you think? Does the word conversion have too much baggage? Are conversion to Christianity and conversion to Jesus always the same thing? How do you feel about the concept of changing allegiance instead of conversion? Is it just a play on words or is it a better way of expressing the desired result?
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