Religion and Theology

Conversations with People Who Turned from Other Beliefs to Jesus
Authored by Thom S. Rainer

Author Information
Dr Thom S. Rainer has excellent credentials to write this insightful and incisive book on people from other religions entering the fold of Christianity. Rainer lives in the Louisville area with his wife and family. Rainer is also the acclaimed author of 16 books on various theological subjects. His works include Breakout Churches, Surprising Insights from the Unchurched, and The Unchurched Next Door. Besides writing, Rainer keeps himself engaged in speaking at seminars.    

Rainer graduated in 1977 from the University of Alabama. He has had a long and meaningful association with the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He had initially earned his master of divinity degree, and then attained his Ph.D. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Years later, he was to become the founding dean of Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism, and Church Growth there, and he is currently a teacher at the Seminary.

The author runs a church consultancy body called The Rainer Group. He is also the president of LifeWay Christian Resources, the publishing wing of the Southern Baptist Convention. He served as the pastor of several churches, and has proven himself to be a successful leader of the local church. He has established his authority on the topic of trends within the Christian church, and on growth of the church.  

Content Summary
Thom S. Rainers book documents the religious odyssey of 12 different persons hailing from divergent religious persuasions  including an atheist -- into the fold of Christianity. So, while the depiction is of the respective individuals sundry inclinations and compulsions towards Christianity, the reader cannot but help bear witness to the various original religions or beliefs. Rainer summarizes their personalities, their varied attractions and incentives for the transformation, and the lives that they live after the change in their religion. The different chapters in the book partake of the nature of a journal, and the reader is enabled sharing Rainers thoughts and feelings as he prepares to meet the various persons, and learn of their particular reasons for the change. The author employs a relaxed style of writing, to dwell on how the divine Spirit implants the seed of love in people to draw them to Jesuss fold.

The book is in the form of an interview conducted by Rainer and his wife, Nellie Jo, of people from other persuasions and belief-systems who felt drawn to Christianity. The book progresses in the form of first-person narrations given by persons who had not intended to take the road to Christ, but found themselves embarking on the unexpected journey. The author faithfully records the accounts of the original religions or beliefs of the new Christians, the peculiar circumstances attending their lives, and their variegated inner turmoil that came to be supplanted by faith in Jesus. So, the unmistakable evangelical aspect to the books contents combines with an adverse reflection on each of the 12 different belief-systems that the new recruits to Christianity renounced in favor of their new calling.    

The 12 new Christians could not have been more different from one another in their backgrounds. This motley lot of persons who apparently felt disenchanted with their respective religions or beliefs and turned to Christ include a Jew, a Muslim, a Mormon, a Hindu, a Buddhist, and a Jehovahs Witness. Others in this enlightened group respectively claimed their proud former identities as an atheist, an agnostic, a Unitarian, and a New Ager. Not to be excluded were a witch and a Satanist who are described as prodigals who returned home in good time.

The Unexpected Journey is a clarion call for Christians to undertake evangelism. It is an obvious attempt to depict the suzerainty over all other religions and belief-systems prevalent in the world. This is obvious in the systematic approach that Rainer adopts by including a thoroughly eclectic set of persons to weave his narration around. All the other major religions are effectively sought to be undermined by portraying one person each from their ranks as bearing witness to the apparent hollowness or inadequacy of the respective religions.    

The impetus that Rainer wants his book to lend to evangelic efforts of Christianity becomes explicit as the narration develops. Rainer begins his recordings of the new converts tales with the lament at Christians fail to share their religion with the lost ones out there in the big and bad world. Subsequently, he expresses his greater commitment to evangelism (p. 199). This inclination acquires a keener sense of urgency towards the conclusion of the interviews for both Rainer and his wife (p. 204).  

Critical Evaluation
I personally found the plan and purpose of the book to appear rather contrived. The case that Rainer makes out falls more in the category of wish-fulfillment than an objective reflection of the ground realities prevailing in the world. The book is doubtless a brilliant attempt at evangelic activity, but it can mean nothing much beyond that. Rainer depicts Christianity as too good to be true. The point is not an outright debate on which of the religions is superior to the others. Rainer begins with the assumption of Christianitys suzerainty over all the other religions. Rainer then proceeds to presumably prove it, and with the help of persons whom he views as lost ones upon whom God has showered His love. However, this is just a perception depending on which side of the fence one happens or chooses to be.

The same persons may well be viewed as those who slipped from the essential teachings of their religions and their personal integrity, as individuals who betrayed their religions, and as souls that got diverted from the path. We are here dealing with a multi-faceted issue, and Rainers attempt to view it through black-and-white lens detracts from the complexity and gravity of the matter under discussion. The reader is not convinced by Rainers thorough narrations about the innate or proven superiority of Christianity indeed, the obvious evangelic attempt made in the book appears at times to be insulting to the readers intelligence. If religion could really have been simplified into impressive tales of transformation and of entering a particular religions fold, then this book might possibly have impressed and influenced its readers. As things stand, the book falls severely short of convincing non-Christians that turning to Jesus might be an iota desirable for them.      

Moreover, Rainers dismissing reincarnation as a total lie and tarring the gods that all other religions follow as false gods sounds neither objective, nor very polite. This detracts from Rainers authority as someone scientific and courteous engaged in the service of lost souls. Perhaps Rainer reveals his true colors in such indications, which are not likely to go down well with all objective readers of his book. Further, Rainer views matters through the prism of his own religion. It may represent earnest evangelic effort to try and depict people of all hues suddenly surging towards one particular religion, but the followers of the other religions who read this book are not going to be enamored of having been clubbed together with even an atheist, a witch and a Satanist. There is an attempt at disparagement of the other religions that is perhaps unavoidable, considering Rainers overt evangelic purpose. However, this makes the reader doubt the scrupulous veracity of the narrations recorded, and diminishes the objective value of the book.      

I wondered about who the target readers of the book were, and what Rainers purpose might be. I am afraid I am no wiser now than before about these elementary posers. If Rainer wanted to convince the followers of those 12 different religions or systems that they ought to follow in the footsteps of their brethren who recently got converted to Christianity, I doubt he has any semblance of hope at succeeding in it. On the other hand, if Rainer sought to impress upon fellow Christians to adopt more evangelical ways, the book might perhaps inspire them to do so. So, what does Rainers book achieve Perhaps nothing beyond a feel-good factor in Christian evangelic activity.
 
Finally, Rainer bloats the exception out of all proportion. The one atheist turning a Christian is not ipso facto more important than the millions of atheists who steadfastly remain Christians. Arent there atheists who adopt other religions The exception does not belie the rule. Moreover, conversion is not a one-way street. Are there no Christians that turn atheists Indeed, I should choose to believe that a more interesting book might perhaps be possible on Christians who turn to each of the other 12 religions and belief systems covered in the book. However, I honestly aver that neither Rainers book nor its contrary book postulated above would prove anything decisive one way or the other. Rainers book is an instance of evangelic activity, and cannot be viewed as an objective solution to the complex issues of human longings or religious plurality prevalent in the world.