That street preacher may not convert you — but your best friend will. Perhaps contrary to popular opinion, people rarely actually convert based on rhetoric or arguments. Social science hints that social networks, more than persuasive pastors or even good arguments, explain the phenomenon of choosing a faith.

Baylor University sociology professor and author of 20 books Rodney Stark argues that converts are most attracted not to religious ideas, but by social connections with believers in their new religion. After conversion, new believers say they were satisfied by true doctrine, but the actual process involves social deviance and social conformity. This applies to all religions, and helps explain the growth of Christianity in particular. When it comes to evangelism, making friends can be more important than making arguments.

In his new book A Star in the East: The Rise of Christianity in China, Stark presents surprising findings of a new study on the growth of Christianity in China — Chinese Christians are many times more likely to convert if their friends or family already believed in Jesus Christ. Preachers are much less effective at getting new people in the door.

Read the article “Want to Learn How to Evangelize? Look to the Moonies” on pjmedia.com.