Our preaching is less emotional and charismatic. We reach out to the reasoning mind. And we question strong feeling as a basis for commitment, enthusiasm as an ingredient in change, and any change that appears suddenly in people's consciousness and behavior. I agree with our forebears about the value of well-considered spirituality, about thoughtful growth, about decisions that come after a long incubation, about the role of time in seasoning character. But I part company with them when it comes to their ambivalence about enthusiasm.
Emotion is a central ingredient in personal change and transformation.
Enthusiastic expression is a form of regeneration. Consciousness can focus and change quickly. Things can fall suddenly into place. Issues that have been cloudy can suddenly become clear. We receive people into membership two or three times each year.