A review by emays7
The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor's Journey Into Christian Faith by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield
4.0
I found that Rosaria Champagne Butterfield’s story was interwoven with big questions and broader ideas in the Christian faith which I enjoyed taking time to pause and think about. It was helpful for evaluating approaches to evangelism and identifying unhelpful behaviour and culture in the church which I feel she dealt with in a constructive way. This book felt like a timely read and was helpful in showing me the real power of God to act beyond human ability.
RCB spun many threads of thought in my mind. In particular, my attention was drawn to the topics of adoption, fostering, and hospitality with more focus and significance than previously. I’m looking forward to picking up these threads, learning more, and considering their implications in my life. I was also interested by the content on exclusive psalmody and sabbath-keeping and rest. I wonder if rest is less self-focused and sabbath-keeping more giving and costly than I’ve seen it to be.
I was struck by the amount RCB lost in order to gain Christ, and the consequent difficulty of her journey, which gave me pause for reflection. I admire her integrity and openness to change her opinion. Her academic background was also of interest to me; she writes in an insightful way on the topic of worldview. I could have listened to her for much longer!
It’s important to note, as RCB’s writing communicates, that this isn’t a one-size-fits-all story for all with a similar background in the LGBT community; she writes that her story isn't representative or diagnostic (p. 171). In the section “Letters From Rosaria,” she shares the nuance of her faith journey (see quote below from page 171).
Some more critical thoughts:
- RCB uses the term ‘homosexuality’ rather than ‘practising homosexuality’ (or an alternative) when talking of sin – I was just wary that this could be read as ‘same-sex attraction is sinful’.
- RCB talks of secular psychologists declaring that people in the LGBT community have a fixed nature (p. 169) – I found this interesting as I’ve recently seen content (from a secular perspective) about the fluidity of gender and orientation throughout a person’s life.
Points of curiosity:
- Why didn’t and doesn’t RCB celebrate Christmas? (p. 80)
- A very, very minor point – I was interested by RCB’s use of capitalisation e.g. she capitalises ‘Hand’ but not ‘him’ (p. 93).
- Quote from p. 155 (see below) – I wonder if this might create segregation between home and church life? What does it say about the importance of bringing someone into community of believers - is it enough to do this outside of church? (My general feeling is that the approach of Ken and Floy was healthy and helpful, however I find it important to consider the implications and accessibility of the church environment on non-Christian visitors).
Top quotes for further pondering:
- “Sexuality isn’t about what we do in bed. Sexuality encompasses a whole range of needs, demands, and desires. Sexuality is more a symptom of our life’s condition than a cause, more a consequence than an origin.” (p. 31)
- “I came to believe that my job was not to critique and “receive” a sermon, but to dig into it, to seize its power, to participate with its message, and to steal its fruit. I learned by sitting under Ken Smith’s preaching that the easily offended are missing the point.” (p. 72)
- “The secular academic world is bold in its protection of worldview.” (p. 88)
(On Russell D. Moore’s Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches) “I especially love how he deals head-on with the accusation that adoptive parents are not "real" parents. Borrowing from J. Gresham Machen's book, The Virgin Birth of Christ, Moore says this: "if Joseph is not 'really' the father of Jesus, you and I are going to hell" (p. 67)." (p. 137)
- "This provides another salient picture of how the real (material) is not always the true (Christ-infused)." (p. 137)
- “Further, I am a bit slow about inviting some people to our worship services. It is a long distance for a 21st-century pagan to a biblical worship assembly. We are often not geared to such persons, nor are our worship services. In some ways that's not strange. A worship assembly is the gathering of God's redeemed people. It is geared for them to express their worship to the living God. This involves a godly mind-set with accompanying vocabulary. It is very strange to one unacquainted with it.” (p. 155)
- "Faith is a lens of discernment, not an ornament or accessory that comes or goes." (p. 169)
- "Yes, sexual sin has a searing quality to it, and we live in a world that abounds with sexual sin. Is homosexuality really more fixed in practice than masturbation or pornography? I doubt it. Homosexuality simply has a political lobbying agency." (p. 169)
- "Even our choice sins have been given a death warrant. Oh they may linger for a while - like a decapitated chicken - but the undisputed end is death. With true repentance God promises true redemption." (p. 170)
- "My time in the LGBT community was defined by my affiliation with feminist and queer theory by my affiliation with feminist and queer theory worldviews that endorsed the power of choice in sexual practice, and the process of fluidity in sexual identity. The spiritual battle for me rested in pride, not sexual lust. I wanted to define myself apart from male authority, and at the same time I wanted to enjoy the company, community, and symmetry of lesbian sexuality." (p. 171)
- "It helped that when I called these inner-circle friends, they didn't jolly me out of my problems, but guided me into deeper repentance." (p. 177)
RCB spun many threads of thought in my mind. In particular, my attention was drawn to the topics of adoption, fostering, and hospitality with more focus and significance than previously. I’m looking forward to picking up these threads, learning more, and considering their implications in my life. I was also interested by the content on exclusive psalmody and sabbath-keeping and rest. I wonder if rest is less self-focused and sabbath-keeping more giving and costly than I’ve seen it to be.
I was struck by the amount RCB lost in order to gain Christ, and the consequent difficulty of her journey, which gave me pause for reflection. I admire her integrity and openness to change her opinion. Her academic background was also of interest to me; she writes in an insightful way on the topic of worldview. I could have listened to her for much longer!
It’s important to note, as RCB’s writing communicates, that this isn’t a one-size-fits-all story for all with a similar background in the LGBT community; she writes that her story isn't representative or diagnostic (p. 171). In the section “Letters From Rosaria,” she shares the nuance of her faith journey (see quote below from page 171).
Some more critical thoughts:
- RCB uses the term ‘homosexuality’ rather than ‘practising homosexuality’ (or an alternative) when talking of sin – I was just wary that this could be read as ‘same-sex attraction is sinful’.
- RCB talks of secular psychologists declaring that people in the LGBT community have a fixed nature (p. 169) – I found this interesting as I’ve recently seen content (from a secular perspective) about the fluidity of gender and orientation throughout a person’s life.
Points of curiosity:
- Why didn’t and doesn’t RCB celebrate Christmas? (p. 80)
- A very, very minor point – I was interested by RCB’s use of capitalisation e.g. she capitalises ‘Hand’ but not ‘him’ (p. 93).
- Quote from p. 155 (see below) – I wonder if this might create segregation between home and church life? What does it say about the importance of bringing someone into community of believers - is it enough to do this outside of church? (My general feeling is that the approach of Ken and Floy was healthy and helpful, however I find it important to consider the implications and accessibility of the church environment on non-Christian visitors).
Top quotes for further pondering:
- “Sexuality isn’t about what we do in bed. Sexuality encompasses a whole range of needs, demands, and desires. Sexuality is more a symptom of our life’s condition than a cause, more a consequence than an origin.” (p. 31)
- “I came to believe that my job was not to critique and “receive” a sermon, but to dig into it, to seize its power, to participate with its message, and to steal its fruit. I learned by sitting under Ken Smith’s preaching that the easily offended are missing the point.” (p. 72)
- “The secular academic world is bold in its protection of worldview.” (p. 88)
(On Russell D. Moore’s Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches) “I especially love how he deals head-on with the accusation that adoptive parents are not "real" parents. Borrowing from J. Gresham Machen's book, The Virgin Birth of Christ, Moore says this: "if Joseph is not 'really' the father of Jesus, you and I are going to hell" (p. 67)." (p. 137)
- "This provides another salient picture of how the real (material) is not always the true (Christ-infused)." (p. 137)
- “Further, I am a bit slow about inviting some people to our worship services. It is a long distance for a 21st-century pagan to a biblical worship assembly. We are often not geared to such persons, nor are our worship services. In some ways that's not strange. A worship assembly is the gathering of God's redeemed people. It is geared for them to express their worship to the living God. This involves a godly mind-set with accompanying vocabulary. It is very strange to one unacquainted with it.” (p. 155)
- "Faith is a lens of discernment, not an ornament or accessory that comes or goes." (p. 169)
- "Yes, sexual sin has a searing quality to it, and we live in a world that abounds with sexual sin. Is homosexuality really more fixed in practice than masturbation or pornography? I doubt it. Homosexuality simply has a political lobbying agency." (p. 169)
- "Even our choice sins have been given a death warrant. Oh they may linger for a while - like a decapitated chicken - but the undisputed end is death. With true repentance God promises true redemption." (p. 170)
- "My time in the LGBT community was defined by my affiliation with feminist and queer theory by my affiliation with feminist and queer theory worldviews that endorsed the power of choice in sexual practice, and the process of fluidity in sexual identity. The spiritual battle for me rested in pride, not sexual lust. I wanted to define myself apart from male authority, and at the same time I wanted to enjoy the company, community, and symmetry of lesbian sexuality." (p. 171)
- "It helped that when I called these inner-circle friends, they didn't jolly me out of my problems, but guided me into deeper repentance." (p. 177)