The Transformative Power of Faith: A Narrative Approach to Conversion [Hardcover]

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.I find this to be an engaging work that offers a compelling argument for thinking about the experience of religious conversions in a way that avoids various forms of naturalistic reductionism promulgated by many in the social sciences.This book argues that thick, embodied faith uniquely sustains moral transformation among those whom society deems hopeless. It insists that by applying a narrative lens to religious conversion, we can better understand the dynamics of personal transformation in ways that make sense of psychological and social factors without ignoring so-called spiritual ones. It also helps us comprehend why religion often refuses to remain tamed or contained in the personal or private sphere many Americans wish.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 spirituallC%