Book Review: The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert
Filed under {!-- ra:000000007a0c9ab3000000005da51743 --}{if 'Book Review: The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert' == '52home' && category_name == '52home'} Resource Recommendations {if:else} Resource Recommendations {/if}Back in December, at a gathering of moms from our church, I was talking with another mom about our love for reading and swapping book recommendations (one of my favorite things to do!). She told me about this book she had recently read in one sitting—The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield.
Of course I had to read it and sure enough it was as unique and beautifully written as she had promised. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever read such a compelling account of God drawing someone to himself or such a personal, beautiful description of how the gospel changes and transforms every corner of a person’s life.
Rosaria Champagne Butterfield was a liberal, lesbian professor who was drawn by the grace of God through the friendship and hospitality of a pastor and his wife. Today she is a pastor’s wife, and an adoptive and homeschool mom.
There are two things in particular that I love about this book. First of all, her description of the work of God’s grace in her life is the most powerful I have ever read. Not primarily because her conversion was “dramatic” or “unlikely” but because she captures (as much as anyone can!) the sweet and irresistible grace of God that draws a person to himself and reveals the truth of the cross. To read this book is to be freshly amazed and grateful at the mercy and grace of God in Rosaria’s life and in your own.
Secondly, Rosaria is a godly example for women. She has rigorously studied the Scriptures in order to understand what God requires, and then she has sought to live by God’s commands. This woman has a firm grasp on the ethical implications of the gospel—how it works out in every day trust, service, and sacrifice, what it means for marriage, motherhood, church life, and evangelism. Rosaria’s thoughtful and intensive study of Scripture is not mere “head knowledge” but infuses every moment of her days as she cleans carpet stains, converses with neighbors, helps her pastor- husband, and teaches her children at the kitchen table. The gospel has turned her life upside down and it continues to do so, every single day.
So read this book, marvel at the gospel, and be mentored by Rosaria.