Conversionism

Conversionism Definition

Conversionism refers, in religious terms, to a sudden and dramatic experience of God that brings about a profound change in a person’s religious status. Protestant evangelical Christianity, with its emphasis on personal and emotional experience of the divine, places particular weight on such conversion.

Sociological Usage

Sociologically, conversion denotes the process by which a person attains membership of a religious group. A standard contrast opposes membership of a sect, achieved through a conversion experience, to membership of a church, achieved through training and ritual; in some branches of Judaism conversion is effected by circumcision. Sociologists argue that individual conversion is normally preceded by a period of preparation or socialisation rather than occurring wholly out of the blue.

Wider Sense

The term can also be used more generally for the acquisition of a new role or ideology — one may speak, for instance, of conversion to socialism. The concept is related to that of religious revival.