Deathbed Conversions: Finding Faith at the Finish Line

Karen Edmisten’s Deathbed Conversions: Finding Faith at the Finish Line was one of the most beautiful and unique books on conversions that I’ve come across. By detailing the faith struggles and dynamics (or lack thereof) of eminent figures in cinema (John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Gary Cooper), literature (Oscar Wilde and Wallace Stevens), journalism (Heywood Broun), art (Kenneth Clark and Aubrey Beardsley), crime (Arthur Flegenheimer aka Dutch Schultz), royalty ( King Charles II), showmanship (William Frederick Cody aka Buffalo Bill), medicine (Alexis Carrel) and science (John von Neumann), Edmisten, gives a tight and cohesive summary of how all the famous figures she profiled were, not searching for God exactly, but were-by varying degrees-inwardly empty and substituting God with other things, things that could not quell the unexplainable deep-seated hunger that they had (despite their success) which was not being met by worldly offerings, unless one had faith. Their hardness of heart and indifference to faith made them cold. Actions speak louder than words. And some of their actions were real doozies (read about Patricia Neal). Read also the case of Dr. Alexis Carrel who witnessed not one but two certified miracles at Lourdes and who STILL could not bring himself to belief! They could not ground themselves in any specific doctrine of faith-never mind the Catholic faith-unless it was a personal philosophy or work ethic or love interest of their own making and choosing. To that point, read about Wallace Stevens and the beauty through poetry; for him poetry was an example of uncontaminated graspable transcendence which did not reflect in any way, shape, manner or form of the theological God. And yet, it did, much to his initial intellectual chagrin; these people simply couldn’t take the leery plunge into the belief of God. Despite being atheistic (which was almost all of them with perhaps the exception of John Wayne who seemed more agnostic), each person profiled in Deathbed Conversions, was, primarily, a good person and a good soul. But, it was the latter aspect of ‘soul‘ which they were dubious about. By accepting faith, one does not lose intellect or reason, one does not become silly putty in the hands of a grand human manipulator (although that has happened). But that seemed (to me at least) an underlying and unspoken concern, for there have indeed been hypocritical charlatans of the cloth of all religious denominations who have been only too eager to feed off the vulnerability and gullibility of the innocent. However, to have faith, one must always question and have reason and intellect. Look at the Blessed Virgin Mother Mary in Luke 1:32- 38. She doesn’t hesitate to question: Mary said to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?' But in her humility, she takes the answer at face value whereas Edmisten’s profiled folks struggle at and against the glaring truth. If for no other reason to accept faith, I did like the mentioning of Pascal’s Wager whereby it would be wise to live as if there is a God, because if there is not, one hasn’t lost anything. But if God exists, one has gained Heaven and skirted hell, as mentioned in the case of John von Neumann on page 94. This was a wonderful read, so different from the usual plate offerings of holy people. I could relate to the people in Edmisten’s book. I was rooting for them, wanting them to have this gift of faith, despite their reservations and struggles. In the end, suffering illness and close to death, they did, ultimately accept faith, for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (in all stages of life): Psalm 111:10. Better late than never. I’m sure God lovingly rejoiced with them and for them when they opened themselves to truth, warmly embracing his prodigal children. A wonderful read!

This book is a quick read. It gives accounts of deathbed conversions of some famous people. It is an encouragement for all Christians to live as witnesses to Christ not only for their own sake, but as an encouragement for non-believers.

Karen Edmisten does an amazing job of capturing the lives and deaths of 13 famous Catholic converts. Famous, I should mention, in almost all cases not for their deathbed conversions, but for their exuberant, chaotic, and seemingly tragic lives played out in the public eye. The beauty of this book, however, is that it shows that no life is tragic which ends in God's embrace. With the stories of the Hollywood celebrities, especially, I found myself surprised by the loneliness and unhappiness that dogged these poor lost souls, and by the time they (and I) reached the end of the chapters, their coming home to Christ and the Church was a profound consolation for both of us! The most beautiful lesson the author presents is the one she explains at the outset: it is no stroke of great luck to have your surrender to God delayed until after the party. We might have imagined that the deathbed convert is a man or woman who has drunk deeply of life's chalice of pleasure, only to drink deeply of God's love at the end, and for all eternity. How fair is that, as the older brother of the prodigal son asked, for those who have been faithful -- and hardworking and sacrificial -- from the beginning? The stories here provide a much more vivid and authentic reality than the one the complaining brother imagined. The reality, namely, of the deathbed convert as someone who, having believed the devil's lies and fruitlessly and desperately chased pleasure and elusive happiness for decades, is finally shown the truth when it is too late to recover those lost years and energies. Again and again, though, God's love conquers all. He will eternally make up the lost time to these converts and all converts--and it is a joy to have this book to remind us of how persistently He pursues the souls of His beloved sons and daughters. I hope many readers find this book. Because of the famous people featured, the book is fascinating to read -- like a People magazine you find in the doctor's office and can't help but page through. And yet when you put this book down, unlike when you put down a gossipy magazine, you realize much more about human nature and God's merciful love than when you started. God bless Karen Edmisten for writing such a fine and edifying book!

Very interesting. Enjoyed it a lot.