“My name was Vicky”: The Quest for Change and Truth in Online Conversion Testimonies

People use the Internet to testify about their conversion to Christianity, Islam or other religions. These testimonies may or may not contain accurate information about what ‘really’ happened, but above all these stories are purposeful and selective reconstructions of the biographical past. The stories are told to strengthen and legitimize the new identity and to convince and inspire others. The new converts try to show that their conversion was real and that their life has profoundly changed. The readers are encouraged to follow the same road. In this lecture, the focus will be on the topic of authentication: how do these converts try to convince others (and themselves as well) that their conversion experience was real, that they had a real encounter with God? How do they deal with internal or external doubts and criticisms? An analysis of online conversion testimonies of Evangelical Christians and Muslims is presented.

Hijme Stoffels (*1952) studied sociology and theology. His PhD thesis (1990) was devoted to the rise of the Evangelical Movement in the Netherlands. Since 2001 Stoffels is Professor of Sociology of Religion at the VU University of Amsterdam. His main interests of research are Evangelicalism, miracle beliefs, New Religious Movements, and ‘wild devotion’.

Moderation: Professor Dr. Michael Herbst