The Transformative Power of Faith

A Narrative Approach to Conversion

By (author) Erin Dufault-Hunter

Publication date:

26 April 2012

Length of book:

228 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9780739167830

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 to reductionistic 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.

Chapter 1: The Need for an Alternative Theory of Conversion
Chapter 2: A Constructive Overview of Theories regarding Religious Conversion
Chapter 3: Story and the Making of the Self
Chapter 4: Reading Conversion through a Narrative Lens
Chapter 5: Hermeneutics and the Ethical Implications of a Narrative Approach to Conversion

Drawing on narrative ethics, Dufault-Hunter challenges reductionistic theories of conversion. In this richly illustrated book, the author develops a theoretically sophisticated interpretation of the role that religion potentially plays in transforming people with drug additions and other life challenges.