Anatomy of Conversion

For those who are interested in this sort of thing, here is an article of mine on the  Anatomy of Conversion , attempting to discern what is happening when one moves toward something new. It describes a Catholic conversion for obvious reasons, but I’m thinking it should apply to other sorts.

Looking back at my own youthful discovery of serious Christianity, it does describe how I went from being a clever boy with all the usual opinions typical of his place and time, and the smug sense of superiority that went with them, to someone who gave his life to Christ under the influence of people I and my peers and teachers would have patronized, but who knew something, and Someone, the rest of us didn’t.

Dear Reader,

Can I be direct with you?

War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.

First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.

But we can’t do it without readers like you.

Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.


Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.

Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.

GIVE NOW

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

The Church in the Age of Therapy

Matthew Loftus

In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…

Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot

Anna Farrow

On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…

The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen

Mike Aquilina

Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…