RE-RELEASE: 026: The LGBTQ Community and the Church with Dr. Rosaria Butterfield

In light of this being “pride month”, I wanted to be sure to do a re-release of an episode which first aired over 4 years ago. I pray you walk away from it built up, edified, inspired, and encouraged.

Dr. Rosaria Butterfield joins me on the podcast today and provides us with just the wisdom and insight we so desperately need in the church today for how to address issues of a LGBTQ nature with both truth and love. Rosaria has an amazing testimony of having been in that community herself when the Lord drew her unto Himself and changed the course of her life forever. It was an honor to talk to Rosaria, and it is our prayer that you walk away from this episode today feeling equipped, encouraged, and inspired for how you, too, can reach out to folks in the LGBTQ community with the love of God and the good news of the gospel.

What we Chat about in This Episode

~Rosaria’s journey of going from a liberal, feminist lesbian to a Christian pastor’s wife and homeschooling mom

~Rosaria’s first two books, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor’s Journey into Christian Faith and Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ

~The two extremes in the church today when it comes to how to respond to LGBTQ issues – either we err on the side of saying those issues are not sin issues or else we err on the side of being hateful towards people who are in that community

~What the proper Christian treatment is of folks in the LGBTQ community

~The importance of loving hospitality and the role it plays in mistering to folks who are LGBTQ

~The oxymoron that is “gay Christianity”

~What does and does not constitute as gender identity; the myth of sexual orientation as being a category of personhood

~How to get started, practically speaking, with a Biblical kind of hospitality ministry

~Unwanted homosexual desires in those in the church

~What it looks like to Biblically love someone from the LGBTQ community and the importance of doing so

~What Jesus would have us do when our son or daughter or another family member or friend comes out as gay or lesbian (and also what we should not do! Hint- don’t disown them!)

~And more!

Resources Mentioned

Offer for a free audiobook and 30 day trial from Audible: www.audibletrial.com/HomeandHearth

Rosaria’s article in response to Jen Hatmaker

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance

The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation by Rod Dreher

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor’s Journey into Christian Faith

Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ

The Gospel Comes with a Housekey: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in a Post-Christian World by Rosaria Butterfield

Inspiring Quotes from Rosaria:

“Both the church and the culture are waffling over these issues in ways which hang millstones over people like who I once was.”

“Every single one of us, regardless of our background, is an image bearer of God. – and that deserves some respect.”

“People are not our problem; sin is our problem.”

“Jesus leads from the front of the line. It is concerning to me to watch Christians retreating over this issue out of fear and confusion.”

“It’s important that we have strong enough relationships that our words are never stronger than our relationships.”

“If we are sinning against our LGBTQ neighbors in how we treat them, I do not believe God is going to honor our prayers as we pray for religious liberty to be fully restored in this country.”

“Members of the LGBTQ community are extremely loving towards one another. If we want to reach them with the love and gospel of Christ, we as believers are going to have to be even more loving towards them than they even are towards each other.”

“As a Christian, you are supposed to be of earthly good to your neighbors. Table fellowship enables you to put the hand of the suffering into the hand of the Savior.”

Where You Can Find Rosaria Online

Website – RosariaButterfield.com

The Gospel Coalition

Desiring God

To Leave a Rating and Review on iTunes

Have you been encouraged or inspired by today’s episode? If so, could I ask a little favor? If you could leave the podcast a rating and review in iTunes, that would be amazing! The more ratings and reviews a podcast receives, the more iTunes shows that podcast to other folks searching for shows to listen to, so by leaving me a rating and review, you truly are partnering with me in this podcast ministry to encourage and help as many women as we possibly can. Thank you so much for taking the time to do that! Here’s how:

If you’re on your computer:

Access iTunes on your desktop and type Home and Hearth in the search box on the upper right hand corner.
Click on the podcast photo when it comes up
Click on “Ratings and Reviews” beneath the podcast title
Under “Customer Reviews”, click on “Write a Review”
Click on how many stars you want to rate the podcast and then write out your review and click submit
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Open the podcasts app
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Scroll down a bit, if needed, until you see “Write a Review” and click on that
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