Written By: Grace Graves
Political Correspondent
In early March, Bryan had the privilege of hearing the testimony of prominent Christian speaker, Rosaria Butterfield, in chapel. Students also had many opportunities to engage with her in events such as “Coffee and Conversation” hosted by our Worldview Initiative.
Dr. Butterfield began her speech by explaining her Catholic upbringing, and how she strayed from the church. As a tenured English and women’s studies professor at Syracuse University, she was an active advocate of LGBTQ+ rights. She started reading the Bible as an attempt to discredit it, and talk about how the text encourages Christians to hate people like her, practicing homosexuals. As an author trying to write with integrity, she examined the entire Bible, over and over. She developed a list of grievances with the book. As she continued to read and learn, she crossed them off one by one.
She came across unlikely friends, that she might not have come to salvation without them. This friendship, with a Presbyterian Reformed pastor and his wife, was a guiding factor to her conversion to faith. Not to be taken lightly, her conversation came after long conversations, extensive Biblical research, and a lot of time.
She discussed some of the key flaws in the LGBTQ+ arguments. She spoke of how sexuality is usually spoke of as an active verb, but could be more accurately portrayed as a noun. The idea of picking your sexual orientation comes from psychologist Sigmund Freud. It reinforces the idea that sexuality is part of the human identity and dignity. Freud, an opponent of religion, believed that experience is everything. Butterfield further explained that same sex attraction is real, but sexuality is not a defining human characteristic. There is a key difference in “this is how I am” verses “This is who I am.”
Many today feel that sexuality is inseparable from the human spirit, and American lawmakers buy into this logic. These issues led Butterfield to an identity crisis, and she explained that all of us are called to carry our crosses, but all crosses are different. She explained that issues like gay marriage are politically advantageous, not sacred.
Issues like these are important topics that need to be better covered by the church and any Christian institution to be better able to impact change and reflect Christ the best we can in our worldview. For more personal and professional information about Dr. Rosaria Butterfield, please read her autobiography The Secret Thought of an Unlikely Convert by Crown and Covenant Publications.
Hear her full chapel talk here.
Bio
Grace Graves is a political communication major. She is the president of Bryan College’s Turning Point USA chapter and serves as a political correspondent on the paper. When she isn’t reading about current events, you can probably find her at your closest coffee shop worrying about her future. You can follow her on Twitter @gracegraves2 or connect with her on LinkedIn (please endorse her skills).
