A RELIGIOUS
PARADIGM SHIFT FOR ADULT SPANIARDS IN THE CONVERSION
PROCESS TO EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY
Jeffrey A. Turnbough
This dissertation examines how historical/political,
cultural, social, religious, and personal factors impact
conversion to Protestant Christianity in the traditionally
Roman Catholic country of Spain. Based on 21 years of
experience working in Madrid, the author interviewed 21
adult Spaniards that converted to Protestant Christianity,
collecting their common experiences. From this research, he
built a survey instrument that he administered to a random
sampling of the adult Protestant population in the Province
of Madrid. The author describes an emic perspective of
conversion for this minority religious group in a culture
that has historically viewed Protestants as outsiders.
Religious conversion is a multifaceted human experience in
any setting, one that a low percentage of people anywhere
chooses. It becomes more complex when potential converts
live in a pluralistic society, and even more so when
vestiges of hostility exist toward conversion. This
investigation addresses what is involved for converts as
they reject a dominant paradigm concerning religious belief
to embrace a new one. Aside from the spiritual factors
involved, there are historical, political, cultural,
social, and/or personal factors that affect the individual.
In turn, conversion impacts these same factors. This
research examines those factors.
When one thinks of societies that are hostile toward
conversion, one normally thinks of homogeneous cultures in
which one predominant religion exists, and it is either
illegal or socially and culturally unacceptable to convert,
especially to a drastically different religion. The
investigation takes place in a heterogeneous society with
laws promising religious freedom. This research
demonstrates how, in a period of political, religious, and
cultural transitions, historical and societal prejudices
against Protestant Christianity exerted pressure upon
Spaniards, exacting great personal and social cost for
those who converted. The research relates to other
multicultural, pluralistic, socio-cultural contexts and to
socio-cultural contexts where hostility against conversion
to Christianity exists.
Of missiological significance is an alternative response to
McGavran's (1955, 1970) classic question: “How do
people become Christians?” For conversion in complex
and multicultural socio-cultural groups, especially those
that harbor hostility against conversion to Christianity,
the data supports an emerging theory of congruence as
opposed to McGavran's Homogeneous Unit Principle.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Tom A. Steffen