Tapu Misa on Conversion
September 15, 2007 – 8:41 am | by Duncan
Tapu Misa, columnist with the New Zealand Herald, recently mentioned her conversion to Christianity in passing. In her post, Discovering mum’s right about religion? Priceless, she unpacks the costly nature of that conversion.
…Having become a Christian, I can see why I resisted it for so long. People who dismiss it as a crutch for emotional cripples are wrong. Although I find the world a better, richer, more compassionate place with God in it, there’s no getting away from the fact that Christianity is a demanding religion. I’ve no problem loving my neighbours as myself but loving and praying for my enemies has so far proved more of a struggle (though I have ceased to wish them ill).
And not only am I supposed to face up to my awful imperfections, but I’m supposed to do something about them….
Tapu is helpfully deconstructing the illusion that conversion is merely some temporary fix to an emotional problem or an indication of an intellectual weakness. Following in the footsteps of Jesus is not an easy option - in fact it flies in the face of the natural outcomes of a busy, consumer-driven comfortable lifestyle. Thanks for the reminder Tapu.
