Lynette Olson

Religious Change, Conversion and Culture

Introduction

Religious change, conversion and culture. Explore religious change, conversion, and culture through interdisciplinary papers. Discover the creative role of converts and the indigenisation of Christianity in a wider context.

Abstract

This book publishes the papers from a conference which grew out of an undergraduate course … the indigenisation of Christianity [was] seen in all of the societies studied, and the creative role of the convert in the conversion process has emerged as perhaps the most important theme of all. …After teaching this course for a number of years, we had the idea of holding a short conference (9-10 April, 1994) in which scholars … in a variety of disciplines would examine conversion in a wider context. …Following the conference, Dr Bill Jobling spoke to me at length about its value in … promoting communication about its subject. … The book of the conference is dedicated to his memory.

Review

This volume, "Religious Change, Conversion and Culture," presents a collection of papers originating from a conference held in April 1994, which itself grew out of an undergraduate course. This background suggests an accessible yet rigorous exploration of the dynamics of religious transformation, aiming to bring together scholars from various disciplines to examine conversion within a broader context. The abstract highlights a particular focus on the indigenisation of Christianity across diverse societies, signaling an interest in how religious change interacts with local cultural frameworks. Dedicated to Dr. Bill Jobling, the collection implicitly seeks to foster interdisciplinary communication and dialogue on this multifaceted subject. A central strength of the volume, as illuminated in the abstract, is its consistent finding of the "indigenisation of Christianity" across all societies studied. This underscores the adaptive capacity of religious traditions as they encounter and integrate into new cultural landscapes. Even more significantly, the book identifies the "creative role of the convert in the conversion process" as perhaps its most important theme. This insight is crucial, as it emphasizes the agency of individuals in shaping their religious experiences, moving beyond a passive reception model of conversion to acknowledge the active contributions of new adherents to the evolution of their adopted faith. Such an emphasis provides valuable perspectives on the complex interplay between individual choice, communal identity, and cultural adaptation in religious change. While the themes of convert agency and indigenisation remain highly relevant to contemporary scholarship, it is important to contextualize the book's origins in a 1994 conference. Readers should approach the volume recognizing that the specific case studies, theoretical frameworks, and methodological approaches may reflect the state of the field in the mid-1990s. Nevertheless, for students and scholars interested in the historical trajectory of religious studies, anthropology of religion, or the sociology of conversion, this collection offers valuable insights into enduring questions about religious change and its cultural manifestations. Its interdisciplinary scope and early emphasis on the active role of converts make it a worthwhile contribution for those seeking to understand the enduring power of religious transformation.

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