They ultimately conclude that conversion rhetoric revolves around a three-stage process.
In the first stage, the evangelist makes the potential convert aware of a severe problem that directly affects him or her. The listener must perceive that “something is amiss in his life and that his existence falls short of expectations.” At the same time, the listener must believe he or she has the power to correct this deficiency. In the second stage, the evangelist shows the potential convert a solution to the problem. The listener is urged to reject his or her old unsatisfying approach to life and adopt a system which will solve the shortcoming described in stage one. The evangelist takes care to make the potential convert perceive only one favorable choice of action, specifically, the course he or she is advocating. Consequently, the evangelist makes alternative solutions appear to be inappropriate or undesirable.[7]
Once the listener accepts the new ideas, the evangelist is ready to enter the third and final stage. At this point, the main concern is to teach the new adherent the associated values and attitudes that go along with his or her new outlook on life. Most importantly, the evangelist must make the convert aware of the types of behavior to be displayed as well as those to be avoided. Golden, Berquist, and Coleman explain that the purpose of this indoctrination stage is “to consolidate gains and to provide a deterrent to possible backsliding.”[8]
http://web.archive.org/web/20220712025214/https://lanceschaubert.org/2021/07/21/the-evangelical-abolitionists-and-the-rhetoric-of-conversion/
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