Teaching and Learning to Be Religious: Pedagogies of Conversion to Islam and Christianity

Drawing on in-depth interviews and ethnographic data, this article provides one of the first empirical of religious classes for converts in the United States. Focusing on “new member classes” in religious communities (a Muslim association and an evangelical Christian church), we introduce concept of “pedagogies of conversion” to describe how religious organizations teach converts about new religion and set up guidelines to frame the conversion process. By examining the pedagogical that religious instructors use on a daily basis to foster spirituality among new members, we investigate how converts learn to become religious people. We demonstrate that while there are significant differences in the doctrines (know-what) being taught in the Muslim and evangelical classrooms, the tips and pieces of advice delivered by instructors on how to be religious (know-how) are strikingly similar.