The transformative power of faith : a narrative approach to conversion / Erin Elizabeth Dufault-Hunter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dufault-Hunter, Erin Elizabeth, 1963-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Conversion.

Conversion--Psychology.

Psychology, Religious.

Physical Description:

xiii, 203 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Md. : Lexington Books, [2012]

Summary:

The Transformative Power of Faith examines how and why some people, particularly those coming out of highly self-destructive, violent, and antisocial backgrounds, who appear beyond repair, experience profound personal transformation through conversion to strong faith. Illustrated by stories of converts who came out of serious drug addiction, gangs, and poverty through adherence to a demanding faith, Erin Dufault-Hunter argues for a narrative approach to conversion. This holistic theoretical perspective offers an alternative epistemological stance on reductionisic models sometimes perpetuated among social scientists and religious ethicists alike. In this study, the narrative lens gives vision of the religious "Other" a depth and complexity too often lacking. Such an approach allows a deeper understanding of the dynamics of personal transformation in ways that make sense of psychological and social factors without ignoring so-called "spiritual" ones. Book jacket.

Contents:

Need for an alternative theory of conversion

A constructive overview of theories regarding religious conversion

Story and the making of the self

Reading conversion through a narrative lens

Hermeneutics and the ethical implications of a narrative approach to conversion

Appendix A : Original research project, its methodology, and goals

Appendix B : Interview form for conversion narratives research project.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780739167830

0739167839

9780739175538

073917553X

OCLC:

773671804