Conversions: Two Family Stories from the Reformation and Modern America

New Directions in Narrative History

by Craig Harline

The experiences of two families—one in seventeenth-century Holland, the other in America today—and how they coped when a family member changed religions

This powerful and innovative work by a gifted cultural historian explores the effects of religious conversion on family relationships, showing how the challenges of the Reformation can offer insight to families facing similarly divisive situations today.

Craig Harline begins with the story of young Jacob Rolandus, the son of a Dutch Reformed preacher, who converted to Catholicism in 1654 and ran away from home, causing his family to disown him. In the companion story, Michael Sunbloom, a young American, leaves his family's religion in 1973 to convert to Mormonism, similarly upsetting his distraught parents. The modern twist to Michael's story is his realization that he is gay, causing him to leave his new church, and upsetting his parents again—but this time the family reconciles.

Recounting these stories in short, alternating chapters, Harline underscores the parallel aspects of the two far-flung families. Despite different outcomes and forms, their situations involve nearly identical dynamics and heart-wrenching choices. Through the author's deeply informed imagination, the experiences of a seventeenth-century European family are transformed into immediately recognizable terms.

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, Lds, Mormonism, Biography, Biography Memoir

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 2011

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a suspenseful, beautiful, and humane book. Not adjectives you usually associate with a book about (in part) Reformation history. Craig Harline--a devout Mormon and professor of history at Brigham Young--alternates telling two "micro-histories." The first is the story of Jacob Rolandus, the son of a Reformed Dutch preacher, who leaves the protestant faith for Catholicism and runs away to Antwerp. Based on Jacob's diary and his correspondence with his beloved sister, Maria, Harline reconstructs the heartbreak this conversion entails for the Rolandus family. Through their letters, he and his sister try to convert each other--to no avail. The second story revolves around Michael Sunbloom (not his real name), a friend of Harline's whom he had met in a Mormon youth group in the 1970s. Michael, a recent convert to Mormonism, is a charming extrovert and gifted sixth-grade teacher. But when Michael (and this is not really a spoiler)realizes he is gay, he leaves his new church, and slowly over the years comes out to his old friends and to his parents. Unlike Jacob, Michael is eventually reconciled with his family. The two stories are unique, yet Harline leads the reader to see threads between them. Some of these threads turn out to be questions that can only be answered partially. What triggers conversion? How was Michael's fundamentalist family able to reconcile their son's homosexuality with the Bible-based religion? Why were Jacob and his family so intractable about their faith? What enables tolerance? But as Harline writes in his conclusion, both stories are "part of a bigger story about anyone seen as Not The Same, even by their own family" (271).

[Angelina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give this book a 4.5 stars because it was very moving but not one of my favorite books or something I'd read again. This book almost moved me to tears because I loved the messages about how the best way to honor God is to love others, and also because the story of Jacob's conversion was so sad. I didn't really like the format of the book (each chapter switches between Jacob and Michael), but I think it was still effective in telling the story.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely rate books five stars but this was definitely a five star book for me! I have to admit to skipping chapters on Jacob and reading first the ones about Michael--the modern story of conversion--maybe because it seemed livelier and had a happier ending. However, I went back and read all the chapters the next day. What an amazing amount of research Harline did into 17th century Netherlands--and even Brazil. And what a sad story of Catholic-Protestant conflict that took priority over familial love.

Harline enters into the story and I appreciated his breaking that fourth wall. Michael was his friend. He is a Mormon himself and teaches at Brigham Young. He could interview Michael and get permission to tell his story. However, he did have a wonderful find of Jacob's journal--even if written partially in code--and letters between Jacob and his sister. So there were personal touches there.

My standard for five stars is that the book is compelling and readable but also felt worth reading. That it was worth the time spent on it and gave me ideas to think about or research to pursue. I am grateful to Craig Harline (book was purchased from Better World Books)

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

While at first--and second--glance this book is about the social price of converting from one religion to another (particularly the toll that conversion can take on families) what it's really about in the broader sense is the difference between simply tolerating someone who sees things differently and accepting another human being on their own terms. Even if those terms don't jive with our personal beliefs or preconceived notions. Aside from being very well-written this book was a thought-provoking look at what it means to break down the stereotypes of the Other and recognize our common humanity. Just excellent.

[Nathan Hoyt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read another book from Harline (and even one from his spouse). The fact that I enjoyed that book so much led me to purchase this book. It turned out that it was a good move.

The topic is very interesting to me as I have had a faith transition - just as my mother had.

The parallel historic and current transitions were very interesting and enjoyable to read about. The book flows well and I will be looking for other books from the author,

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done, and very 2011.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm sure Professor Harline didn't actually cackle and rub his hands with glee when he discovered the Rolandus primary documents on which he bases this book, but he would have been fully justified had he done so. And although Jacob Rolandus's conversion story is fascinating on its own, I feel like the author's choice to add the parallel narrative--a personal friend's conversion to (and from) Mormonism--added immediacy to the text that might otherwise be lost on those who don't relate easily to dead people or bygone eras. The writing style was engaging without being unprofessional, and I thought the author's decision to break the fourth wall was unusual and interesting.

The book is not at all a traditional monograph; Jacob Rolandus's story is related fairly straightforwardly, and it is Michael Sunbloom's story which prompts most of Harline's musings on tolerance. Sometimes I felt that the Rolandus story got lost in the shuffle, actually. The author does not force moral conclusions on the reader--he does not force you to take sides with one faith or creed, old or modern--except to suggest that it is better to love than divide.

I wish Dr. Harline had focused a little more on ways in which tolerance DID occur in early modern Europe; while his last section briefly discusses general instances, I feel that a deeper analysis or a short case study in which tolerance WAS practiced would have enhanced my reading experience. As is, it felt like "Hey, guess what? Even in the seventies, Evangelical parents could get over their son's emerging homosexuality, and we should take from this that our modern society can be loving and compassionate. Too bad those Catholics and Protestants just couldn't work it out amongst themselves back in the 17th century. Man, those zealots would rather leave their families than try to understand each other." Consequently, I feel like this would make a great companion book to Kaplan's "Divided by Faith" for those interested in practical tolerance (or intolerance) in early modern Europe.

While I came to enjoy the writing style, it freaked me out a bit at first. The venerable author discusses "a breeze pushing through the leaves and mostly empty streets" around nine o'clock in the evening in 1654--how does he KNOW there was a breeze? And that the streets were empty around nine o'clock? Are historians even ALLOWED to use artistic license to set a great scene for a case study? Or did Jacob Rolandus actually discuss the weather in his journal? I had no way of finding out, since the text is presumably still locked in an archive (and I'm monolingual). Fortunately, I soon relaxed and got sucked into the parallel narratives.

Overall, this book was an enjoyable and thought-provoking (if highly untraditional!) historical study.

(And I would love to know what the author's own "master status" is.)

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book about conversion and how it impacts families. Harline tells two true stories, one about a young man, the son of a Reformed preacher, who converts to Catholicism in the 1600s and drives an irreconcilable wedge between himself and his family, and another young man who converts to Mormonism in the 1980s and later leaves as he identifies as gay, both of which cause considerable rifts in his family. The commonalities in the experiences despite the hundreds of years between them and differences in details of who is converting and from what are striking. It is a heavy thing to make a fundamental shift in how one identifies oneself if it is away from the family identity. I myself converted to Mormonism as a young woman, and while my family relationships weathered the experience I caused considerable strain and confusion and pain. (As an interesting side note, I actually knew Dr. Harline peripherally as a young freshman at BYU in 1995 and a new convert myself. Much of the book made me reflect on and reinterpret that time in my life, and it is interesting to think that the person who would write this book years later was actually present as I was experiencing that time.)

The book raises many important questions, most notably about what it means to be family and what responsibilities that role lays on us - both in terms of what responsibility we have to accept and live out our family identity even if it might conflict with our individual inclinations, and in terms of in what way we are required to accept the identities our family members choose for themselves even if they feel like a betrayal of the family heritage.

[Michael Hattem · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book juxtaposes the story of Jacob, a 21-year old 16th-century Dutch Protestant, who defies his father, a clergyman, and leaves his family to convert to Catholicism (and eventually become a Jesuit) with a story about Michael, a friend of the author, who during the 1970s converted to Mormonism and then left it upon accepting his own homosexuality.

The book focuses on the reactions of the families: Jacob never reconciles with his family while at the end Michael's makes an effort to accept his sexual orientation. However, because the two stories are told throughout in alternating chapters, the author never really addresses them both at the same time and also never fleshes out what he sees as the connecting thread(s) between the two stories. One could read it as using the modern story to illuminate religious tension and intolerance in the 16th-century by likening it to Mormon's treatment of homosexuals and homosexuality. One could also see it as primarily an exploration of the changing nature of intolerance, particularly in intra-familial settings.

Unfortunately, the writing of the book comes off as uneven as the chapters on the 16th century are written in the tone and voice of a historian while the chapters about his friend employ a tone and voice that come off as closer to that of long-form magazine writing. This disparity only serves to reinforce uncertainty in the reader as to the author's intentions regarding the readers' perception of the relationship between the stories.

[Judith Works · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book contrasts the experiences of two young men - one in 17th century Holland who converts to Catholism from the Reformed Church and another, an evangelical who becomes a Mormon and then drops away from the church.

The author did extensive research on the life of the first man - very interesting analysis of his life-alterting decision as he becomes almost a fanatic, and also conditions in Holland and Belgium during that period. The second man seems to be a personal friend and I would have liked his story if there had been a bit more distance between author and "subject."

In the end it was difficult to understand just why the men made their decisions, perhaps motivation for religious conversions are so deep that they cannot really be understood.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conversions splits its time between late Reformation and 1970s America following two converts and the effects of those conversions on the families involved. When it sticks to story-telling it is wonderful, as are all of Harline's books. When he tries to take a moral from the stories it becomes less interesting to read. History certainly teaches us things - it's just better when the historian does not hammer us over the head with his moral conclusions, especially when they are banal reassertions of the value of tolerance.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved Dr. Harline's insights into religious identity and I wish I had known more of his perspective when I was enrolled in his course at BYU-- it probably would have saved me a lot of later heartache. This book appealed to many different facets of my personality, probably the least of which my interest in history, which proves that just about anyone could pick it up and enjoy it, provided they see, as Harline suggests, just a bit of themselves in the story.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good...but not that good. It told two stories in detail - taking only minor creative license with the historical story (set circa 1650) and appropriately telling the story from the late 1970s. I just didn't feel it was very insightful. There was one quote that spoke to me, and other than that, I'll probably forget the whole thing within a couple of weeks. However, the reading was good and engaging.

[Shayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved that the relationship between past and present was presented explicitly: this is the sort of writing that can help laymen extract value from history.

[Samuel Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book and represents an exciting step forward in thinking about religious history. I like that Yale has been working on this series and am hopeful they will continue in this vein.

[Cecil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bravely written. A great tour de force.