The Chance Of Salvation Summary

Review of The Chance of Salvation: A History of Conversion in America

Lincoln A. Mullen wrote a book called The Chance of Salvation: A History of Conversion in America. Mullen’s book is about religious pluralism in America conversion of Christianity and other religions such as Catholic, Judaism and Mormons. Mullen provided a lot of details about conversion to Christianity from other religions and Christianity to other religions as well. Then Mullen also briefly described about conversion of non-white Americans like Cherokees, African Americans and Jewish. Mullen’s main argument is that conversion to religions in America was choice made by people and religion can be changed by people’s will, which also means religion was chosen not destined.

Mullen used a lot evidence to persuade his argument to readers and his evidences made his argument very persuasive.
First, Mullen briefly explained about Protestant converts in America which was used to described people can change their religion.

Mullen described that Protestants had to go through separation among them. According to Mullen’s statement about Protestants, “From 1826 to the end of the nineteenth century, the Presbyterians in the United States weathered their share of changes. They split into two denominations in 1837, then split again during the Civil War, only to be reunited in the 1870s.” (Mullen) Mullen’s information of Protestants showed that Protestants had to go through rough times in the 1800s. Mullen used this as to show religion can be separated by political view like in the Civil War. It was a turning point for Protestant church, because Protestant followers’ thought on church faced a significant

change.
In addition, Mullen explained what kind of change that Protestant come across. Mullen mentioned in his book, “The most meaningful change for the Presbyterians lay below the surface. The change lay in how people came to think of themselves as Presbyterians in the first place. By 1900, members were far less likely to have become Presbyterian through infant baptism.” (Mullen) Then it also showed that faith of Protestants were challenged after the Civil War and they realized that their faith and religious belief will not stay forever. Also, Mullen focused on infant baptism of Protestants, because it was one of the main reasons that led Protestants to convert to other religion. However, some Protestants believed that infant baptism is a ritual that made them become Protestants against their will, and then it led to convert to other religion from Protestant. Mullen explains, “In 1832, more infants were baptized than the year before, but the percentage dropped so rapidly because there were twice as many adult baptisms that year as the year before.” (Mullen) This means once babies who were baptized and become adults, they choose to leave Protestants.
Secondly, another example of religious conversion that Mullen gave in his book was about Cherokees.

Christian missionaries went to Cherokee territory in order to spread Christianity gospel. Then they managed to make Cherokees to convert to Christianity. Mullen used an example of Cherokees in order to make his point more valid about religious conversion was chosen by people. Mullen explains the process of how Christian missionaries convert Cherokees to Christianity which was also about choice. According to Mullen, “To covenant with the church, these baptismal candidates almost certainly had to answer a series of questions about their beliefs, and they had to be admitted by a vote of the congregation.” (Mullen) This means that the missionaries asked Cherokees to make a choice to believe in

Christianity.
After that, it led Cherokees to adopt Christianity in their own way. For example, “Cherokees who converted to Christianity shaped the Christianity that they received. Though the form of the Christianity that they received was in many respects like the Christianity that the missionaries brought, the Cherokee controlled the terms on which they received it. They tended to receive Christianity in their own language, translating the Bible and rituals of Christianity into their own idiom.” (Mullen) This showed that Cherokees who converted to Christianity, they made hybrid version of Christianity by mixing with Cherokees heritage. It is helpful evidence to understand Cherokee’s view toward new religion and conversion as well. Cherokees saw conversion to Christianity as just adopting new life style.
Third, conversion of African-Americans was evidence that Mullen used to support his main point. African-Americans were enslaved in America and converted Christianity because of their owners. Mullen mentions, “Because of their experience of slavery, conversion for African Americans came to be highly charged with eschatological significance.” (Mullen) Then African Americans’ conversion to Christianity was mostly by their choice because if their owners forced them to believe, they won’t convert to go against their owners. Also, Mullen said in his book about details of African Americans’ conversion. Mullen states, “While African Americans converted like other Protestants and were indebted to the forms of Protestantism, by rejecting their masters’ Christianity but not Christianity itself, they created their own highly distinct form of Protestantism.” (Mullen) This passage also showed African Americans converted Christianity in their way and also they weren’t against Christianity itself. It showed that conversion to Christianity was made by choice.
Furthermore, African Americans adopted Christianity to their culture and it went separate way. Mullen states, “African American Christianity, freed from the shackles of slavery, went on to create its own kind of religious tradition in the spread of African American churches with their own distinctive types of conversion.” (Mullen) African Americans basically made their own choice to believe in Christianity and decided to take separate path from their owners and Christianity was used as the way to freedom. Mullen’s main point from African American conversion was, “The African American Christian tradition, then, represents a distinct case in the spread of religious choice in the nineteenth-century United States.” (Mullen) African American conversion was a choice and it showed people choose their religion by their will.
In conclusion, Mullen’s main point was that conversion to religions in America was choice made by people and religion can be changed by people’s will. Mullen did well on stating his main point and he made it persuasive with his evidences. As overall, Mullen’s book captured essence of religious conversion and provided with a lot details of religious change as well. Also, Mullen pointed out that people made their own decision and religious conversion wasn’t uncommon among people of America.