THE BIRTH FROM ABOVE 179 



between the persons who experienced a conscious 

 conversion and those who have simply kept up 

 their religious growth. More than that, it is cer- 

 tain that the process of growth is in many cases 

 simply a gradual way of going through the same 

 change that conies to others in what is called con- 

 version, and there does not appear to be any 

 special disadvantage in the gradual process as 

 compared with the process of rapid upheaval." 

 (Geo. A. Coe.) 



On the other hand, we can not go with those 

 who represent conversion as a mere adolescent ex- 

 perience. If it were so, all youth would pass 

 through it, and it would eventuate in the Chris- 

 tian life. It is capable of demonstration that 

 of many of those who are converted the experi- 

 ence occurs in adolescent years; but a majority 

 of adolescent experiences do not result in con- 

 version. The larger number of youth do not take 

 the road at that time which is described by con- 

 version, but turn from it into the rejection of the 

 religious life. To criticise the methods of reli- 

 gious workers by which they seek to secure the 

 consent of youth to live the religious life, by as- 

 suming that they were unnecessary, and that these 

 youth would have arrived there by the adolescent 

 route, is to fly in the face of abundant facts. The 

 assumption that nature would bring about the 

 goal is far from being warranted. 



We are of those who believe that the birth from 

 above is not the mere naturalistic development 



