Tackling a politically uncorrect topic

A few years ago, Rosaria Champagne Butterfield wrote a memoir.  Her book was about her journey from being a lesbian, women's studies professor in upstate New York to being a Christian pastor's wife and mom of four kids.  Her book was aptly titled The Secrets of an Unlikely Convert.  She was won over to Christ, not by man's words or by the four spiritual laws, but by Christ and the Word of God.  Her first book was intended to share her story--to encourage people to love instead of to preach.  There was a pastor and his wife who God used to encourage and walk alongside her quietly, listening in love, unwavering in God's Truth.  This book was not intended to be one given to someone living a homosexual lifestyle with the hope that it would convince them of the truth.

But, Ms. Butterfield has now written a second book with tackles sexual sin and God's Truth.  This

new book is one that can be given to one who is struggling.  It is one that addresses all sexual sin and the roots of that sin.  She writes in the same writing style--you can tell she was a college professor.  So, it isn't always an easy read, but rather a worthwhile read packed with nuggets of thought worth chewing on and mulling over.  I deeply appreciate Ms. Butterfield's commitment to God's Truth.

Concern has filled my heart as I've watched the changes in our culture at large and even within the Christian community at large.   Christians seem to be of two minds when it comes to homosexuality.  One camp says that it is not being homosexual and struggling with that temptation that is the sin, but it is acting on that temptation which is sin.  We are all tempted by different sins.  WE are ALL sinners.  This is true.  Another camp says that it is okay for a person to be in an actively homosexual relationship because loving another is glorifying to God.  This second camp relies heavily on the claim that parts of the Bible have been mistranslated or are only culturally applicable to the time in which it was written, therefore the scriptures (which are many) that say homosexual acts are sin are invalid.   Last year, a few years ago a Christian recording artist chose to tour with an lesbian singer and there was some concern deep in my heart.  A year and a half later, that recording artist got a divorce due to his infidelity.  I don't know if there is a connection, but I do know that when we decide we only want to live by part of God's Word we put up walls in our hearts as if we are saying to God, "This isn't comfortable and it doesn't make people feel good, so I don't want to agree with that part of the Bible anymore."  The problem is that the Bible isn't about making us feel good.  It is about God.  Life is hard and all of us should know that just because something feels "good" doesn't mean that it is "right".

Last Sunday evening, I was teaching my Sunday School class about Moses and the ten commandments.  I emphasized to them that God told the people not to touch Mount Sinai or they would die.  I put a fence up in front of my cardboard model to emphasize this point. One little boy asked with glee, "Well, what if I just throw something at the mountain?"  He thought he could get away with it--going around the exact rule.  I responded that the person would die, because God was concerned with their hearts.  Now, I know that isn't in the Bible, but I do know that Scripture tells us over and over that God is concerned with our Hearts.  (Proverbs 21:2, Matthew 6, 1 Samuel 16:7, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)  The little boy was shocked when I told him that he couldn't be sneaky and get away with it.  We need to live by God's terms, not ours.  He gave us the Moral law in Exodus 20 to help keep us safe--to protect us from harm.

In the same way, Ms. Butterfield writes about our hearts.  She wants to challenge us to look at not just our actions, but what is inside our hearts.  It isn't the act of throwing a stick that would alarm God, but the heart behind it.  God is calling us to live on His terms, not our own.

I deeply respect Ms. Butterfield for writing this second book, Openness Unhindered.  But, I respect her more for walking a tough road than for her writing.  That is what is toughest.  I was shocked to realize how some Christians have treated her over the years.  Her stories challenged me to look at my own heart.  On page 32, she says, "It is sinful to write people off because they sin in ways that offend you."  Wow.  She's right.

This book tackles important topics that I think we all need to think about community, loving sisters in Christ that you disagree with about this issue, repentance, sexual orientation, and self-representation. The ideas she introduces can be applied to other areas in our lives.  For example, on page 133, she insightfully explains that "Our tendency is to find others who sin just like we do, so that we won't be alone.  We search for role models, so that we might minimize the sinfulness of our sin.  We enlist others to help us in calling our sin a sanctifying grace.  But we ought to quake in fear when we find ourselves traveling that path.  Because without intending it, such "covering of sin renders us enemies of God, and not friends."  That nugget of truth applies to anger, gossip, lying, cheating...  not just to sexual sin.

I grieve to think that there will be Christians who attack this book and the author.  Please pray for her and for those who attack it.  There are many Christians today who are buying into the belief that we all have a right to be "happy" and because of this, they are absorbing ideas that include thinking that the Bible has been mistranslated and misinterpreted.  Yes, it is hard when people we love are declared sinners by the Bible and that they will go to Hell when they die if they don't believe in Jesus.  I have people in my own family who have outright denied God and attacked Him and His Word.  Should that change that I view the Bible as the infallible, inerrant Word of God?  No.  I am sad for them, but God's Word is the Truth.

If you are struggling as a Christian to know how to think about homosexuality, how to respond and love people well, how to stay strong in the Truth that you read in God's Word about homosexuality, and get mind around what is changing in our culture, then I highly recommend that you read this book.  It will give you an enormous amount of food for thought.  I know that it is going to give me much to think about for a long time.

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher, Crown and Covenant Publications.

A Unique Calling

Last week I read a book that I enjoyed.  I began reading the book cautiously, but with curiosity.  The author's unique life experience intrigued me and I wanted to hear what God had taught her and what conclusions she arrived at along the way.

The book is a surprisingly popular book.  It has unexpectedly gained national recognition because of three interviews with the author on Family Life Today in September and there are over three hundred reviews of the book on Amazon with only five reviews giving the book under 3 stars (and one of them isn't a real review because the review doesn't agree with the rating).  That says something about the book.

The book is The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor's Journey Into Christian Faith by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield.  The book has been talked about by John Piper, Family Life Today, World Magazine, and many other Christian media sources.  I'm sure it's all over the blog rolls, actually.

I have to be honest, I didn't know that there was so much attention being given to this book before I read it.  But, after I finished, I went looking around.  I started with Amazon and the reviews posted for the book.  There were over 340 reviews with only 5 under 3 stars. That's actually far better than I expected it to be.  There is a particular issue that the Ms. Butterfield touches on that I knew could really incite people to comment negatively on her book--whether they'd read it or not.  One of the reviews was actually misrated, so I considered there only to be 4 real, negative reviews.  The negative reviews, though, didn't surprise me.

Ms. Butterfield's book is the story of how she came to believe in Christ and the story of her reformed faith.  Her story begins when she was a tenured English professor at Syracuse University in New York.  She was a lesbian women's studies professor.  This book is her story--her testimony.  I began reading the book knowing these basic facts about her.  I was curious to see how she would address homosexuality and Christianity.

In her interview with Family Life Today, she explains that she doesn't see her homosexuality as the crux of her conversion.  But, I understand why many people are reading it simply because she addresses this issue.  She addresses many more issues of faith than homosexuality, though.  She tells the story of how it was the relationships she had with people that God used to bring her to Him.  She shares her thoughts about faith, life, and church.  I don't want to share too many details about what she writes, because it was how her book unfolded for me that drew me in.  

She tells her story well.  She was an English professor.  Her book is very well organized, thought out, and clearly conveyed.  There are lots of big, descriptive words--in all the right places.  What I mean is that the reading level of this book is appropriate for a high school or college student, rather than a middle school student.  In reading so many books over the past few years, I've noticed that many authors use simple sentence structures and common descriptive words to convey their ideas.  Ms. Butterfield stays true to her literature professor roots and writes as one would expect of her.  

Before I finish this review, I want to address the four negative reviews on Amazon.  They were all written by individuals that had been given this book by well meaning Christians.  The intention and hope behind these gifts (I presume) was that this book would open the eyes of the receivers to Christ's love for them.  But, the giving of this book to someone who is homosexual is the opposite of the example that this author's story is for believers.  Ms. Butterfield's testimony is about the relationships in her life and how they shaped her and her faith.  It is about how God used people in her life--not to preach at her, but to first listen to her with respect, and then discuss faith with her when she was ready.  No one handed her a gospel tract or the four spiritual laws.  A local pastor asked her a question and invited her over to dinner at his home.  He built relationships with her and the people in her life.

One of the questions that students consider when analyzing literature is who the intended audience of a book is and what is the author's purpose.  I believe the author's intended audience is other Christians and that her purpose is to inform.  I don't believe the author's purpose is to persuade.  She is very strong in her opinions and states clearly why she believes what she does.  But, these are her convictions.  For example, I can imagine that some readers may feel put off by her exposition about why she feels only psalms should be sung in church.  This is a worship practice specific to the RPCNA, the denomination of which she is a member.  I see this book as Rosaria Butterfield's memoir, testimony, and philosophy about life all rolled into one.  We each could give one.  We all have our own convictions, too.  We are not identical to one another.  It's even scriptural.  I am okay knowing that she feels strong convictions about foster care and adoption.  I am okay that she feels strongly about psalm singing.  I am okay that she has certain convictions about the way the world works that I don't share with her.  When I read this book, I felt like I was getting to know someone--learning who she is, what has shaped her, and how God is working in her life.  This book isn't meant to be a Christian "How to" about anything.  It's a testimony, a collection of thoughts, written with the desire to give the reader something to chew on.

Would I recommend this book?  Yes.  Unequivocally yes.  I hope you will enjoy it.  I'd love to discuss it with you if you read it!

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher Crown and Covenant Publications.