Book Review: The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert

By Rosaria Champagne Butterfield

This is perhaps the most insightful book I've ever read.

Guaranteed to make you squirm, no matter who you are or what path you're on, she'll step on your toes and make you open your eyes. This book was brilliant, and I would consider it a must-read for just about anyone.

It chronicles the complete upheaval that came when Rosaria left her lesbian, feminist activist lifestyle as an english professor working her way up the career ladder at a big university, and plowed through a train-wreck conversion to Christ. Because of what she refers to as her "R-rated testimony" she offers incredible insight into the way Christ loves people from all walks of life, and points out the often unnoticed collateral damage that His love can bring about in a repentant, new believer's life. Her conversion was earth-shaking, and her perspective can help us to understand not only how to minister to others going through similar situations, but to also understand the fear associated with allowing Christ to enter your life.

Her story continues on to show the way Christ changed her life, leading her to a new town, a new job, a new church, and eventually the godly man to which she is now happily married. 

The last couple chapters in her book describe their incredible experiences with foster parenting and adopting children of different races (she was too old to bear children when they were married), and how they teach and train their children through their rigorous homeschool curriculum. 

I have never read someone with more insight into more of life's various struggles than Mrs. Butterfield.

God has used this woman greatly in His kingdom, and her book is one I would recommend to anyone looking for insight, whether Christian or not.

Just prepare yourself to feel convicted, squirmish, and like she's talking directly to you.

I think she is.

And a couple favorite quotes to end with:

"You can't play poker with God's mercy-- if you want the sweet mercy then you must allow the bitter mercy. And what is the difference between sweet and bitter? Only this: your critical perspective, your worldview. One of God's greatest gifts is the ability to see and appreciate the world from points of view foreign to your own, points of view that exceed your personal experience. That is what it means to me to grow in Christ-- to exceed myself as I stretch to Him."

"When mountains move, the earth shakes. When you stand as close as we have to real life miracles, you will get roughed up."

[This book was one of the books provided to our family by our kind church.]