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Rosaria Butterfield

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Rosaria Champagne Butterfield
Born1962
OccupationWriter, Speaker
EducationPhD in English Literature
Alma materOhio State
GenreChristian
Notable worksThe Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor's Journey into the Christian Faith
SpouseKent Butterfield
Website
rosariabutterfield.com

Rosaria Champagne Butterfield (born 1962) is a writer, speaker, homemaker, and former tenured professor of English at Syracuse University. Butterfield, who earned her Ph.D. from Ohio State University in English Literature, served in the English Department and Women Studies Program at Syracuse University from 1992 to 2002. During her academic career, she published a book, as well as many scholarly articles.[1] Her academic interest was focused on feminist theory, queer theory and 19th century British literature. She achieved tenure in 1999, the same year that she converted to Christianity. She married in 2001.

Butterfield is more widely known today for the autobiography she published, "The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor's Journey into the Christian Faith," in which she tells about her transformation from a postmodern lesbian professor to the wife of a Reformed Presbyterian Church pastor and homeschooling mother.[2] Following her religious conversion to Christianity, Butterfield developed a ministry to college students and frequently speaks in churches and universities about her experience. She has taught and ministered at Geneva College. She now lives in Durham, North Carolina with her husband, Kent Butterfield, and their children.

She does not identify herself as "ex-gay" and does not think any Christians should identify themselves as "gay Christians." She notes that "[t]he job of the adjective is to change the noun."[3] Butterfield has criticized conversion therapy for contending that the "primary goal of Christianity is to resolve homosexuality through heterosexuality, thus failing to see that repentance and victory over sin are God's gifts and failing to remember that sons and daughters of the King can be full members of Christ's body and still struggle with sexual temptation." Butterfield suggests this is a version of the prosperity gospel.[4]

Publications

  • Crimes of reading: incest and censorship in Mary Shelley's early novels (Thesis, 1992)
  • The politics of survivorship: incest, women's literature, and feminist theory (1996)
  • The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor's Journey into the Christian Faith (Book, 2012)
  • Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ (Book, 2015)

References

  1. ^ Butterfield, Rosaria (2013-02-07). "My Train Wreck Conversion". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
  2. ^ Gryboski, Michael (2013-06-13). "Former Lesbian Professor Says Leaving LGBT Community Had 'Horrible, Mangling Impact'". The Christian Post. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
  3. ^ Bailey, Sarah (2014-08-04). "They're Gay, They're Christian And They're Celibate!". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
  4. ^ Butterfield, Rosaria. "You Are What—and How—You Read". Gospel Coalition. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
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