Biography Of Lewis Ray Rambo - A Father Of Conversion

Lewis Ray Rambo was born on December 29, 1943 in Stephenville, Texas, United States. He acquired his bachelor’s degree from Abilene Christian University, 1967, Master of Divinity from Yale University, 1971, Master of Arts from University Chicago, 1973, degree of Doctorate from University Chicago, 1975, Postgraduate Graduate from Theological Union, Berkeley, California, since 1978. He was appointed as a Professor, Trinity College, Deer-field, Illinois, 1975-1978; professor, San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Anselmo, California, since 1978; member of faculty, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California, since 1978. He was member of American Academy Religion, American Psychological Association, Society for the Science Study of Religion, American Society Missiology. He was American psychology and religion educator. His famous three works are; How to Bring Your Children to Christ. & Keep Them There: Avoiding the Tragedy of False Conversion, the divorcing Christian and Understanding Religious Conversion. His well-respected book, Understanding Religious Conversion presents this comprehensive definition, typologies and seven step models of the conversion process.

Sociologists, Psychologists and Anthropologists have been struggled with the definition of conversion, it is not an easy task. It is personal religious and abstract understanding or procedure of transformation. During the period of 20th century numerous researchers in the department of psychology presented their own definitions, typologies and methods of conversion, all of them were doing to include the widespread modification in religious civilizations as well as specific change and historical environments. Primarily, conversion was viewed as the occasion where an individual faced a state of confidence, in a perfect world an astonishing tiny went before by an emergency. This impression was grounded on a Christian thought of conversion, where the conversion of Paul, defined in 9th chapter of the book of Acts, was viewed as the top category of conversion, the perfect example. Though, on other views, experts instigated that the scope of conversion was much wider than that.

The researchers were compelled to redefine the term “Conversion” while keeping its personal, historical, religious and contextual framework in context. Rambo says that, conversion is constantly a multipart progression “that takes place in adynamic force field of people, events, ideologies, institutions, expectations, and orientations”. This idea of change as a procedure is one of the essential views that describes the field of the research of conversion. All the vital subjects mentioned above, recognized from the beginning of the research of conversion, still portray the current research of conversion.

There are several types of conversion, which are based on different definitions and theories presented by scholars. And some of those theories are based on types of conversion.Rambo also contributed in this aspect as he familiarized an expressive typology in which he highlights the variance between intra and inter religious conversion in other words from one sacred institution to another and within a sacred institution. This type of conversion he states that, “portrays the nature of conversion in terms of how far someone has to go socially and culturally to be considered a convert”. According to him there are five types of conversion; Apostasy, Intensification, The affiliation, Institutional transition, Tradition transition.

Apostasy is the denial of the religious tradition or belief by earlier followers, without acknowledgment of some other religious beliefs or customs. This often implies the acknowledgment of atheist framework or qualities.

Intensification is the reestablishment and renewal, the renewal of faith the follower already had a formal or informal affiliation with.

Affiliation is dissimilar to intensification because it is not actually limited to the belief and more about contribution to an organization or spiritual group. This sort of conversion is a modification in this respect: the community or individual transfers from no or nominal spiritual vow to full commitment in an organization or spiritual group.

Institutional transition can likewise be the twice-conceived. This is the only classification inside these types of conversion, meanwhile intensification can likewise be the consequence of a more drawn out process. Institutional transition is the change starting with one group then onto the next group in an indistinguishable real religious custom from Islam and Christianity. In Islam, a case is a change from a Shiite Islam to Sunni Islam. In Christianity, a case is a change from Roman Catholic Church to the Protestantism.

Traditional transition is unique from others because as this conversion is from one religion to another one on a wider basis. Both Christianity and Islam have commenced and earned from immense tradition transition in the previous fourteen centuries. Malcolm X is a sample of this type as first he was born Christian, later he converted to the NOI and lastly, he converted to the authentic Islam. He was constrained through emergencies to acknowledge or understand his confidence through his experience. It is sufficing to say that the main theme in Rambo’s, Paloutzian’s and other researcher’s work is “change”. The word “change” plays key role in individual’s religious conversion. Even though the roots of the concept of conversion can be found in Abrahamic Religions, because till the dawn of the 20th century scholars were agreed on the point that conversion basically means a religious change. Until now, religious conversion is “malleable”.

All the mentioned definitions and types are not same for each convertor it varies one from another. In this way, conversion is the term that individual says it does not imply that all the learning about conversion picked up until this point, is lost. Rambo was one of the pioneer researchers who attempted to draw the complete depiction and emerged with a heuristic /holistic in the last decade of 20th century.