I gave two talks today on the topic of conversion and conviction. Below are the links to each. I’ve also included recordings of each. Note that my eyesight is bad enough that I can only somewhat follow my own writing, so the presented version of the talk is different from the written version in every case. The first talk was longer—because no one else showed up, so I got extra time (a blessing, for me!) The second was a shortened version of the first. I also didn’t have time to fully develop the first talk, so the last few points are only bullet points. I suspect that with more time I could have both condensed, polished, and refined my remarks quite a bit. That said, I think this was enough to make a difference to some folks, and I hope that’s what it did.
My hope was to try to parse out what role conviction plays in conversion. I believe that the adversary is undermining testimony and conversion by prohibiting convictions from forming in the first place. I also believe that we are living in a time of knowledge without zeal: we know more than ever, but aren’t willing to live up to that light.
Talk 1: When Thou Art Converted. Rexburg 20th Branch.
Text.
Talk 2: Conviction and Conversion. Henderson 2nd Ward.
Text.
I didn’t include all my references, but most of them are pretty easy to google. The talk I probably borrowed the most heavily from is Elder Bednar’s 2012 talk on personal conversion, found here. CS Lewis quotes are all from The Abolition of Man.