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Conversion: An Adult Education Course by Dr. Richard Peace "Conversion" is a word that raises mixed reactions for those of us in mainline churches such as St. Augustine's. Images of sawdust trails turn us off. On the other hand, St. Augustine himself had one of the "classic" conversions of all times. In recent years, the whole idea of conversion has generated a lot of interest in both academic and popular circles. Conversion is the topic of a four-week adult education course I will be teaching this spring. My wife Judy and I have attended St. A's for the past four years during the winter and spring. (We are in Boston the rest of the year.) I am a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary (in Pasadena) and recently wrote a book on conversion (Conversion in the New Testament: Paul and the Twelve; Eerdmans, 1999). In the course we will look at the great variety of conversion experiences that have occurred down through the history of the church. We will try to get a sense of what the Bible has to say about conversion as well as what the social sciences have discovered about the conversion phenomenon. All the while we will explore conversion as an example of a transforming experience that has the potential to teach us about the nature of the Christian formation process. The class will meet on May 18, June 1, 8 & 15th at 10:00 a.m. (skipping May 25th, the Memorial Holiday weekend). There is no book to purchase for the class, though, please sign up on the patio if you plan to attend.
Copyright © 2003 St. Augustine by-the-Sea
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