9Marks eJournal 9, 2 (March-April 2012) on Conversion

The latest issue of the 9Marks eJournal is now available as a pdf here.

In the Editor’s Note, Jonathan Leeman writes:

‘If you were a fan of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, you might remember that Calvin had a transmogrifier machine. The boy Calvin leads his imaginary tiger Hobbes up to a cardboard box with the word “Transmogrifier” handwritten on it, and explains, “You step into this chamber, set the appropriate dials, and it turns you into whatever you’d like to be.” Hobbes wryly observes, “It’s amazing what they do with corrugated cardboard these days.”

‘The promise of true change is a little unbelievable, isn’t it? It’s the stuff of comic strips and childhood daydreams.

‘But make no mistake: this is exactly what Christianity promises – true and real change. Divine pardon. Reconciliation with God. Smashed idols. A new spirit. A new self. A new family.

‘Since this year’s Together for the Gospel theme is the Underestimated Gospel, we thought we’d jump on the bandwagon and devote the pre-T4G Journal to the underestimated doctrine of conversion. Forget Calvin’s transmogrifier machine. How about a whole new creation!’