A little over a week ago, a friend of mine sent me a link to a recent article put out by the LDS church newsroom. In it, there was a lot of talk about “conversion.” “Conversion to Jesus Christ” was a particular phrase that was used throughout the article, and I would have thought it was quite a beautiful expression if I didn’t know what it was being co-opted to mean instead. I decided to write this post because, even though I have about 150 blogposts in draft form, it dovetails quite nicely with the whole series on “Two Churches,” and what follows is true of any earthly church today.
There are so many words that are being redefined in our society right now, and words commonly used in the LDS church and culture are not exempt. There are relatively few people who realize this and even fewer who care to take an honest look at the consequences. And a word doesn’t even need to be completely redefined in order for it to lead a person’s thoughts to an inaccurate idea or concept. All that needs to happen is to give the word a little nuance.
Because we talk about “converts to a church,” “convert” (both the noun and the verb), “conversion,” and “being converted” are expressions that get our minds thinking about “conversion” in relation to an earthly institution. Worse, and as a consequence, it has become almost synonymous with “commitment to an earthly organization.”
But “conversion” means “a turning or change from one state to another.” We should know this, really. We convert kilometers to miles, Fahrenheit to Celsius, and dollars to euros. We convert acids and bases to salts and water. And conversion, in a spiritual context, should mean more than just joining a temporal “church.” It’s more than just denomination hopping.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is meant to change us internally.
25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;26 And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. (Mosiah 27)
“Nowise” means “not in any manner or degree.” That’s important, too, because, while we do become new creatures when we meet the conditions of repentance, we won’t realize the full potential of that creation at that time. God intends for us to become as he is, and that doesn’t happen in an instant. Development into “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” takes quite a while, but won’t happen at all unless you begin with that preliminary change.