Conversion Converted: A Postmodern Formulation of the Doctrine of Conversion

Abstract

A growing voice in philosophy contends that it is impossible for theologians to formulate a doctrine free from all social, historical, and cultural conditioning. If this insight is correct, then the job of the dogmatic theologian is never finished; doctrines must be continually purged of erroneous philosophical presuppositions, as such errors come to light, and then reworked to achieve a better, though never ultimate, formulation. The adoption of historicism by contemporary Anglo-American philosophers may itself mark the dawning of a new, post-modem, period in philosophy. This paper argues for a postmodern formulation of the doctrine of conversion and discusses the implications of such for the practice of evangelism.