For those who are interested in this sort of thing, here is an article of mine on the Anatomy of Conversion, attempting to discern what is happening when one moves toward something new. It describes a Catholic conversion for obvious reasons, but I’m thinking it should apply to other sorts.
Looking back at my own youthful discovery of serious Christianity, it does describe how I went from being a clever boy with all the usual opinions typical of his place and time, and the smug sense of superiority that went with them, to someone who gave his life to Christ under the influence of people I and my peers and teachers would have patronized, but who knew something, and Someone, the rest of us didn’t.
April 26th, 2010 | 7:24 am
“I believe and profess everything the Catholic Church believes, teaches and proclaims to be revealed by God.”
This stark declaration was repeated by tens of thousands of new Catholics across the US a few weeks ago, at the Easter Vigil. Their arrival immeasurably enriches the Church, for they had to fight for their faith–first, an internal battle against an old and presumably comfortable worldview, and for many a fight of sorts with skeptical family and friends.
A faith bought with such labor and energy is a marvelous testimony to us complacent pew-sitters. Their straightforward declaration of faith is a reminder to us whose attention may have drifted a bit, that the one decent reason to belong to a religion is that it be true.
I am forever grateful to God, and to her, for my Catholic wife who for the first 19 years of her life was not a Catholic.
April 26th, 2010 | 9:00 am
David,
your concluding suggestion in that article, to “read good Catholic biblical studies” would benefit from some examples and maybe even examples addressed to different audiences.
To get the list going, I’ll suggest:
A Costly Freedom: A Theological Reading of Mark’s Gospel, by Brendan Byrne.
April 26th, 2010 | 10:16 pm
Thomas,
I have to go back a step to David’s prior suggestion to read more fiction. You can play apologetics ping pong all your life and never come to understand the reality which lies behind, underneath and all around the “facts” of the arguments. For every Catholic Answers there’s a Christian Research Institute. When Rome has Robert Sungenis on Justification, the Reformation has James Buchanan’s lectures on why Rome is wrong on Justification.
I think David is right to urge folks to read other sorts of works, especially fiction.
And there, I would start with Kristian Lavransdatter.
Kamilla
April 26th, 2010 | 10:17 pm
Ack!
Kristin Lavransdatter.
April 28th, 2010 | 8:31 am
If it’s fiction, I’d start with Tolkien. :)
I believe poetry has a place in the tradition as well. On that score, I’d suggest Gerald Manley Hopkins.
April 28th, 2010 | 9:07 am
I first read Tolkien at twelve, when I had only a dim idea of Christianity, and was enthralled. Only years later did I realize that much of what had enthralled me was the spiritual and moral vision behind it.
Btw, the reading list was a sidebar in the issue. The article ends before the little plus signs.
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