Religious conversion : contemporary practices and controversies

353 Pages·1999·16.048 MB·English

by  Christopher Lamb, M Darrol Bryant

Religious Conversion
ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY RELIGION
Series editors: Christopher Lamb and M. Darrol Bryant
The volumes in this series are interdisciplinary and present their
subjects from global and cross-religious perspectives, examining
issues that cut across traditions and emerge in distinctive ways in
different religions and cultural settings. Based on sound scholarship,
the books are intended for undergraduate courses and for
professionals involved in inter-faith dialogue.
Also available in the series:
Dan Cohn-Sherbok, Understanding the Holocaust: An Introduction
Religious
Conversion
Contemporary Practices and
Controversies
Edited by
Christopher Lamb and M. Darrol Bryant

CASSELL
London and New York
Cassell
Wellington House, 125 Strand, London WC2R OBB
370 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017-6550
First published 1999
r The editors and contributors 1999
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 0 304 33842 7 Hardback
0 304 33843 5 Paperback
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Religious conversion : contemporary practices and controversies /
edited by Christopher Lamb and M. Darrol Bryant.
p. cm. — (Issues in contemporary religion)
Includes biographical references and index.
ISBN 0-304-33842-7. — ISBN 0-304-33843-5 (pbk.)
1. Conversion. I. Lamb, Christopher, 1937- . II. Bryant, M.
Darrol. III. Series.
BL639.R45 1999
291.4'2-dc21 99-10551
CIP
Typeset by BookEns Ltd, Royston, Herts.
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Biddies Ltd,

Guildford and King's Lynn
Contents
The contributors vii
A note on diacritics ix
Introduction: Conversion: contours of controversy and
commitment in a plural world 1
M. Darrol Bryant and Christopher Lamb
Part I: Conversion: theoretical perspectives
1 Converting: stages of religious change 23
Lewis R. Rambo and Charles E. Farhadian
2 Conversion: inward, outward and awkward 35
Donald Taylor
3 Conversion: up from evangelicalism or the pentecostal
and charismatic experience 51
Frank K. Flinn
Part II: Conversion in the world's religions

4 Conversion as a process leading to enlightenment:
the Buddhist perspective 75
Christopher Lamb
5 Conversion to Judaism: a tale of the good, the
bad and the ungrateful 89
Rodney Mariner
6 Conversion from within and without in Chinese religion 102
Jordan Paper
7 Contra conversion: the case of the Zoroastrians of India 115
Homi B. Dhalla
8 Conversion: a Hindu/Gandhian perspective 136
K. L. Seshagiri Rao
V
CONTENTS
9 Conversion to Islam: the Qur'anic paradigm 151
Yasin Dutton
10 Conversion in the Sikh tradition 166
Doris R. Jakobsh
Part III: Conversion in Christianity
11 Conversion in Christianity: from without
and from within 177
M. Darrol Bryant
12 Conversion among charismatics 191
Karla Poewe
13 Charismatic conversion in the light of Augustine's
Confessions 207
Irving Hexham
14 The Benedictine vow 'conversio morum' 220
Macrina Sitzia
Part IV: Contemporary cases of conversion
15 Coming home and coming out Pagan (but not
converting) 233
Graham Harvey
16 Continuing conversion: a personal journey 247
Tim Edgar
17 The story of Darshan Singh, a French convert 256
Darshan Singh Rudel

18 Belonging to a cult or new religious movement:
act of freewill or form of mind control? 263
Martin Eggleton
19 Being Hindu in North America: the experience
of a Western convert 278
Tamal Krishna Goswami
20 Cult conversions: controversy and clarification 287
Lome L. Dawson
21 Rediscovering Islam: a Muslim journey of faith 315
Sophie Gilliat-Ray
Index 333
vi
The Contributors
Dr M. Darrol Bryant, Professor of Religion and Culture, Renison
College, University of Waterloo, Ontario.
Dr Lome L. Dawson, Department of Sociology, University of
Waterloo, Ontario.
Dr Homi B. Dhalla, Researcher in BJPC Institute, Bombay.
Dr Yasin Dutton, Lecturer in Arabic and Islamic Studies, University
of Edinburgh.
Father Tim Edgar, Assistant Director of Studies, Missionary
Institute, London.
Rev Dr Martin Eggleton, Ecumenical Chaplain, Middlesex Uni-
versity, London.
Charles E. Farhadian, PhD student, Boston University, Massachusetts.
Dr Frank K. Flinn, Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies,

Washington University, St Louis, Missouri.
Dr Sophie Gilliat-Ray, Lecturer in Religious and Theological
Studies, University of Wales, Cardiff.
Dr Tamal Krishna Goswami, Governing Body of ISKON, Dallas,
Texas.
Dr Graham Harvey, Lecturer in Religious Studies, King Alfred's
College, Winchester.
Dr Irving Hexham, Professor of Religious Studies, University of
Calgary, Alberta.
Doris R. Jakobsh, PhD student, University of British Columbia,
Vancouver, British Columbia.
vii
CONTRIBUTORS
Christopher Lamb, Head of the Centre for Inter-Faith Dialogue,
Middlesex University, London.
Rabbi Rodney Mariner, Convenor of the Court of the Reform
Synagogues of Great Britain, London.
Dr Jordan Paper, Professor of Religious Studies, York University,
Ontario.
Dr Karla Poewe, Professor of Anthropology, University of Calgary,
Calgary, Alberta.
Dr Lewis R. Rambo, Professor of Psychology and Religion, San
Francisco Theological Seminary, California.
Dr K. L. Seshagiri Rao, Professor Emeritus, University of Virginia,
Columbia, South Carolina.
Darshan Singh Rudel, a French Sikh living in India.
Rev Dame Macrina Sitzia OSB, Benedictine nun, Stanbrook Abbey,
Callow End, Worcester.
Dr Donald Taylor, formerly Head of Religious Studies, Middlesex
University, London.

viii
A note on diacritics
The editors have omitted diacritics in transliterated foreign language
terms on the principle that scholars do not need them and they only
make reading more difficult for others.