Believing Like Never Before: Identity and Christian Conversion in a Fragmented World

Abstract

Believing Like Never Before: Identity and Christian Conversion in a Fragmented World.

The purpose of this study is to explore the possibility that the experience of identity and faith formation has changed since the 1990s due to changes in society brought about by the growing complexity and fragmentation of society reflected in the multiplication of media sources and the methods of communication.

The study is structured in two parts: Part 1) A literature review to cover the areas of a) Identity formation and faith formation. b) A review of various understandings of Christian conversion, including case studies of some biographical accounts of conversion

Part 2) An exploration through survey questionnaires and interviews of the experience of conversion, in two groups of at least five people each of: a) those born before 1965, b) those born between 1980 and 1990,

The findings indicate that there have been significant changes to the understanding of conversion over time influenced by changes in the social environment and the development of personal identify. These changes are subtle but they do inevitably impact on how the church should approach the task of evangelism and faith formation.