Finding God (ed. John Mulder)
Many believers are moved by hearing other Christians share accounts of their conversion experiences. In fact, one of the hallmarks of evangelical identity has been what historian David Bebbington calls “conversionism.” [1] He’s right—we believe that lives should be transformed through the new birth, otherwise called regeneration.
Of course, not all experiences are equal. The conversion experience that most Baptists think of has its roots in Jesus’ words to Nicodemus: “born again.” While the specifics of the Holy Spirit’s work in conversion are debated across theological lines, one thing upon which we all agree is that God goes to people through different circumstances, in different stations of life, in the course of bringing sinners to salvation. It is in the spirit of this broad perspective that John Mulder has edited an extensive collection entitled Finding God: A Treasury of Conversion Stories (Eerdmans, 2012) [2].
Summary
Mulder informs readers from the outset that this is not an entirely original project. The book is actually a revision and expansion of an earlier work published under the title Conversions: The Christian Experience, and then later reprinted as Famous Conversions. Eerdmans and Mulder worked together to include more accounts from the Western world in this edition, which ultimately brought together 60 first-person accounts.
Each entry begins with a basic summary and description of the person’s life, followed by a relatively brief, but substantial, first-person account of their journey of faith. Before diving into these accounts, Mulder provides a useful evaluation of the term conversion. He acknowledges that “conversion involves complex questions of theology, psychology, and sociology” (xvi). This is perhaps because conversion is portrayed across the pages of Scripture in ways as simple as “a turning around” to acquiring a new humanity altogether.
In Mulder’s words, there is no “single stereotype for an authentic conversion experience” (xv). Thus, he tries to give an overview of the various nuances of the concept and term, ultimately concluding, “If a new kind of life is what conversion implies in the New Testament, the consequence of the Christian conversion experience is a new sense of mission” (xvi). This comment is significant because it certainly provides much of the basic framework that enabled Mulder to select certain stories over others for this collection.
The selections are quite diverse. Figures included range from the patristic era (Constantine & Augustine) to the magisterial reformers (Calvin) to the 20th-century activists (Dorothy Day). Mulder shares the stories of missionaries (David Livingstone), noted evangelists (Charles Finney), and Baptist pulpiteers (Charles Spurgeon & Billy Sunday). Yet public intellectuals like Alvin Plantinga and Francis Collins have their place too, along with authors of centuries past (Tolstoy). From science to literature, and civil rights to leaders of religious movements, little territory is left uncovered.
While the accounts included vary in length and theological depth, they do attest to the very point made by Mulder in the Introduction: conversion can be an ambiguous notion. Some of the figures express a great deal of emotional turmoil in passing from one state to another, while others indicate a more intellectually-driven pursuit that led them to faith in God. Regardless, the portraits are complementary from the editor’s standpoint, which is consistent with the thought behind the volume.
Critique & Analysis
In many respects, this book is more akin to a primary source reader for a person beginning to wade into the waters of the Tradition. It is not intended to provide a theology of conversion through example (a history or sociology of famous conversions might be more accurate). It is this very point that will elicit both praise and criticism from many readers. Some will be pleased that Mulder’s choice of converts is equally nuanced and broad, as his opening introduction indicates. On the other hand, others will wonder if such a broad understanding of “conversion” doesn’t create a dilemma for those hoping to retain a role for orthodoxy in validating what it means to turn to God. Two examples from the book help explain this latter concern.
Albert Schweitzer is one name many will be surprised to find included in this book. His The Quest for the Historical Jesus (1910) ignited a firestorm among conservative biblical scholars. Even Mulder acknowledges that “for Schweitzer, the conclusion of the Christ story remained ambiguous” (189). It is true that this powerful academic would go on to become a missionary doctor in equatorial Africa. He even won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. It is then a legitimate question to ask how reasonable it is to believe that one could have misgivings about Christ’s identity, and still be a true Christian compelled by something beyond humanitarian ideals.
Leo Tolstoy is another example of one whose powerful intellect has left a legacy in the Western world—one that is certainly Christian in many senses. Yet he, like Schweitzer, was motivated by different moral concerns that fall short of an orthodox understanding of the Christian Gospel. In Mulder’s words, “Tolstoy believed that the perfect society would not be achieved by economic materialism but by increasing the goodness of human nature” (126). What does it mean, then, to be converted in the biblical sense if Christ’s sacrificial death is not to awaken those spiritually dead in trespasses and sins?
One way of reconciling this tension for readers more critical of Mulder’s inclusion of such figures is to recognize his project is much more historical and sociological than it is theological. One need only note some of the book’s endorsers to realize that they come from these two fields. When Mulder’s project is seen from this perspective, readers are more able to appreciate the diversity of the stories, while not feeling that he is imposing upon his readers any kind of final judgment concerning this difficult question.
A final observation that most readers will likely make is that a large period of time is skipped as Mulder moves from Augustine to Luther. Approximately 1000 years overlooked is glaring to be sure! Personally, I wondered if there was truly nothing substantive to say of Saint Patrick, Francis of Assisi, Anselm, and Aquinas, to name a few.
Mulder’s defense of such an oversight is two-fold: First, given that the distinction in the Medieval Age between Christians and unbelievers was blurry (culturally-speaking), personal conversion reports were quite rare. Because of the European expansion of Christendom, it becomes a very “delicate exercise to distinguish between authentic conversions and political conquests by might and sword” (xvii). Additionally, Mulder contends that communication of such conversions would have been oral more often than literary in nature [3].
Of course, the former point encounters a contradiction on the basis of Mulder’s selections. Many of the figures he surveys have conversion stories that are shrouded in political and cultural baggage. To say that the Age of Christendom’s problems make it too difficult to include a single voice from that period in a volume of 60 accounts raises many questions, questions that would likely linger from even the most sympathetic reader. In other words, while he argues that the distinction between believers and unbelievers was blurry, many could likewise argue that several of the figures he includes are blurry!
Conclusion
Finding God is a unique collection that will be fascinating reading for those hoping to engage with the Christian Tradition and Western religious history. Yet readers must pay careful attention to Mulder’s opening explanation about the nature of this volume and especially his comments on conversion. As is the case with any book, if this volume is not first read and evaluated in light of the author’s explicit goals and qualifications, then an uncharitable reading will be the unavoidable outcome. But if read critically with proper expectations, then Mulder’s treasury will be an illuminating survey of a rich spiritual landscape.
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[1] David Bebbington, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s (London: Unwin Hyman, 1989), 2-3.
[2] John M. Mulder, ed. Finding God: A Treasury of Conversion Stories (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 2012).
[3] Mulder also argues that in the case of a few of these figures, the material we have as it relates to a “conversion” is quite scant.
[4] Though I haven’t read it at this point, some readers intrigued by the idea and spirit behind this book might also appreciate Colin Hansen and John Woodbridge’s A God-Sized Vision: Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir (Zondervan, 2010).
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