Conversion

I figured I'd start off reposting some old stuff.  (That way I have some time to develop new thoughts.)  I wrote this in response to a conversation I had in February.  A friend of mine mentioned something about converting people which got me thinking.

I don't really like the word "convert." It carries a lot of negative connotations and really isn't an accurate description of what's going on. You convert binary to decimal or inches to centimeters. These are all changes within the same class of thing. However, meeting Jesus Christ for the first time is fundamentally different. It is a transformation of being. We're not out to make Jews or Muslims or atheist or anyone for that matter convert to Christianity. We are after something far bigger ontologically speaking. My desire is to see this person come face to face with Jesus Christ for the first time. Cultural religious expression is largely irrelevant. This is the powerful thing. It's not just a conversion from one religious system to another. It's a life and being that is completely new and different as a result of their encounter with the living God through his son Jesus Christ.