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Gordon Smith: Transforming Conversion

| March 30, 2014 | no comments

Church historians have a treasure trove of insights on understanding conversion. Putting aside the biases of what we have been taught, the differences between the conversion narratives in the Book of Acts and conversions in our own ministries (immediate baptism and filling with the Spirit) could raise deep questions. The Church Fathers soon stretched conversion out over a period of years, the variations multiplied as history unfolded.

Smith leaves us with two final challenges. Where does baptism fit into modern conversions as compared to historic Christianity? What part does the local church play in conversion?

Reviewed by James Williams

 

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Category: Ministry, Pneuma Review, Winter 2014

About the Author: James Williams, the father of five and grandfather of thirteen, has pastored in the Vineyard and in the United Methodist Church. He is a Ph.D. candidate at Regent University writing on the Charismatic Movement in the United Methodist Church and believes that teaching Christian history should be like pulling out the family photo album.

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