Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PROBLEM: The problem of this dissertation is to determine the development of the views of conversion in the Christian church. This study is concerned with the two extreme schools of thought in regard to conversion which are evident in the church today. For the most part, the two trends of thinking have existed independently of each other, yet the objectives in general are the same for both. The gradual growth conversion has been associated with Christian education. The cataclysmic conversion has come to be associated with certain typee of evangelism and revivalism. This study seeks to indicate points of agreement and disagreement between the two methods of entering the Christian life and, further, to find a mediating position between the two. PROCEDURE: The major works of men who represent each era in Christian history, from the beginning of the ministry of Jesus to the present time, have been studied to determine the position the church has held, during these different intervals, concerning the method of entering the Christian life. The findings have been written in chronological order. Once the positions of either the gradual or the cataclysmic conversion have been established, the implications in favor of Christian education have been indicated. Careful analysis of the information gained from an adequate sampling of the books and articles written on the subject has made it possible to arrive at a mediating position between the two methods of conversion. [TRUNCATED]