Hospitality, Belonging, and Conversion

Sociologist Rodney Stark in his book, The Rise of Christianity points out that, “Conversion isn’t about seeking or embracing an ideology; it is about bringing one’s religious behavior into alignment with that of one’s friends and family members."

What this means is that people are often attracted to the love of a particular community, begin to participate in the life of that community, and then over time bring their beliefs into alignment with those of the community itself.

Crucial to such an approach is the community being open and welcoming to outsiders. The early Irish monastic movement used just such a strategy. As George Hunter points out, in his book, The Celtic Way of Evangelism, the Irish monastics: 1) established community with people; 2) within that community, they engaged in conversation, ministry, prayer, and worship with them; and 3) in time, as the people came to believe, the monastics invited them to commit fully to a life of discipleship.

The Irish aren’t the only ones who have used such a strategy: here at William and Mary, Cambridge House is utilizing a similar approach.

By nourishing an intentional Christian community that radiates love and extends a warm hand of hospitality to the William and Mary campus, Cambridge House recognizes that to effectively articulate the Gospel requires not only presenting the intellectual reasons for belief, but also showing others the Gospel incarnated in God’s people themselves.

By being a welcoming, and loving space on campus, Cambridge House is thus a visible expression of God’s loving heart towards the William and Mary community. People are also often more willing to engage in dialogue that challenges their assumptions, and expands their thinking, once they know the people with whom they’re dialoguing care for them.

Thus, while seeking the moral, spiritual, and intellectual flourishing of the William and Mary community, Cambridge House through its hospitality, paves the way for more traditional apologetics focused on the intellect, and encourages individuals to first belong….then believe.