Saul was a violent radical. On the road to Damascus, Saul encountered Christ and was transformed. He became the Apostle Paul, and played an integral role in the formation of the early church. Not far from Damascus today, this narrative is playing out again and again.

To learn about modern-day Pauline conversions, we interviewed Scott Gustafson. Scott is researching the world-view change phenomenon among former Muslim refugees in Lebanon and the Levant and the deradicalization of some violent extremists among them. Scott has extensive experience in the Middle East as a practitioner and consultant with faith-based charities and churches in humanitarian relief and mission work. He has lived and worked in the region for nearly 20 years. 

To explore further our episode topic, we invite you to read Scott's articles: Preventing That Which We Fear: The Church’s Role in Countering Radicalization, in Evangelical Missions Quarterly; A Case for Missiological Engagement in Counter/Deradicalization, in the Journal for Deradicalization in the Winter 2020/2021; Short articles by Scott on Acts211.org. Follow Scott on twitter @SonofaGustaf.

The show co-hosts are Michael Mutzner (Twitter @michaelmutzner), and Wissam al-Saliby (Twitter @walsaliby).

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