Openness Unhindered {A Book}
After reading The Gospel Comes With a Housekey, I was fascinated by Rosaria Butterfield's unique testimony, as well as her exceptional writing and thinking skills. In other words, I was curious about reading her other two books, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert and Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ.
I just finished Openness Unhindered. It is very different than what I expected it to be. Because of Butterfield's incredible testimony of how she came to Christ as a proclaimed lesbian, I began reading this book expecting it to be saturated with "how the Church should view and deal with the sexual identity crisis that is inundating today's culture."
While she does dig deep into the sexual identity issues overwhelming today's culture and how the Church should approach it, more importantly, she lays a theological foundation that is applicable for every believer, not just those struggling with sexual sin.
The first half of this book presents an in-depth discussion of our position in Christ, or our union with Him. Butterfield dives right into Scripture to reveal why the reality that we have died, were buried, and have been raised again to new life with Christ is indispensible to our daily walk with Christ.
In short, Butterfield lays out how the believer is to find his ultimate identity in Christ, nothing else.
After laying the groundwork for understanding our union with Christ, Butterfield discusses how the believer is to view and deal with temptation and sin. While some Christians may argue that after conversion, a believer does not sin, it is only clearly Scriptural (and experientially obvious) to argue that the believer does struggle with sin after conversion. Indeed, the believer deals with temptation every single day. However, Butterfield quickly reminds us that the mere presence of the temptation to sin is not an indicator of one's spirituality or the lack thereof. It is through our union with Christ that we have the ability to emerge from these temptations victorious.
While this book is clearly set in the context of sexual identity and does address the application of these doctrinal truths to issues concerning sexual sin (Butterfield herself speaks from the perspective of having been saved by God's grace and convicted of her sinful lifestyle as a declared lesbian), Butterfield is insightful in the way she presents the doctrinal truths concerning the believer's new life in Christ and way they impact how we are to deal with any form of besetting sin.
The second half of this book deals more specifically and directly with the sexual identity issues going on today. While at times the discussion goes both deeper and higher than I was able to fully grasp, it was, overall, a very beneficial and informative read on the subject of sexual identity (although admittedly, I haven't read much at all on this subject, so I don't have much to compare it with.) Once again, because Butterfield writes from the personal experience of herself having been a lesbian before she came to Christ, she writes with unusual perceptiveness to many of the underlying issues at stake, particularly within Christianity. (For example, she discusses at length "What Happens to Identity When gay Modifies Christian: Nothing? Everything?")
Over all, Butterfield has helped to connect several theological "dots" in my mind. Here is an attempt to convey these particular "dots" that have been connected:
- "Salvation does not guarantee that life will be free of temptation and sin." While we know this is true, it is easy to have the mentatlity that upon being saved, one who struggles intensely with deeply-carved patterns of sin will be freed from the temptation to remain within the clutches of that sin. However, Scripture does not promise this immediate (or even eventual) deliverance from temptation. In fact, the temptation may simply become stronger, for Satan is now working over-time because that person is now at peace with, and an adopted child of God, his archenemy.
- The natural revelation as spoken of in Romans 1 does not reveal the full Gospel message. It simply condemns. As Butterfield states, "God does not claim that the gospel is found within this portrayal of his power and divinity in nature. In other words, 'natural revelation' exposes my sin, but God understood that there is a difference between the diagnosis and the cure. Natural revelation portrays God's diagnosis, but only in the gospel do I find the cure." (Page 103)
- God gives grace so that we might repent and obey, not fail, as we strive for victory over sin.
- Heterosexuality is not the Gospel's cure for homosexuality. In other words, God does not promise that the Gospel will remove all homosexual desires at the moment of salvation.
And finally, just a few quotes that stood out to me:
"It is not the absence of sin that makes you a believer. It is the presence of Christ in the midst of your struggle that commends the believer and sets you apart in the world. Real conversion gives you Christ's company as you walk through the valley of the shadow of death." (Page 8)
Concerning the believer and temptation,
"...[temptation is] not primarily about us. That's right. If you are in Christ, temptation is not about some essential truth or inherent wisdom about us—and therefore should not become a term of selfhood, self-representation, or identity. It is about warfare. And for Christians, it is about our allegiance to Christ in this war." (Page 82)
She goes on to quote Russell Moore:
"Temptation is so strong in our lives precisely because it's not about us. Temptation is an assault by the demonic powers on the rival empire of the messiah. That is why conversion to Christ doesn't diminish the power of temptation—as we often assume—but only ratchets it up." (Pages 82-83)
In tracing the history behind the sexual identity issues of today and why it's such a big deal to God,
"...while the Christian maintains that image-bearing is what sets apart humans from animals, the nineteeth century ushered in a new measure of man, one for whom sexuality and sexual pleasure became a defining marker." (Page 96)
She goes on to explain that "[t]his is no small issue. If we privilege secular categories of personhood over and against God's, we are doubting the Bible's ability to understand humanity, and we are denying to ourselves our Maker's instruction. Freud did not invent or discover or name something true about humanity that the writers of the Bible missed. Categories we use to represent image bearers of a holy God matter." (Page 96)
Finally, such a definition of sexual orientation is huge because,
"[s]exual orientation is thus said to encompass every fiber of a person's selfhood, from margin to center. If I self-define as heterosexual or homosexual, I express that this deep and originating mark of selfhood presents itself in everything I do, from how I walk the dog in the morning, stir the pot of soup at lunch, and take the garbage out at night. With this comprehensive shift in personhood, a new kind of sexual freedom emerged, where everything, including nonsexual affection, is subsumed by this new humanity of sexuality, and everything is a character trait that flows from this humanity of sexuality." (Page 98)
I finished this book being encouraged by the in-depth reminder of who I am in Christ and what He has provided for me to live a life of victory over sin. This book also gave me a better understanding of and a greater compassion for those, particularly believers, who deal with unwanted homosexual attraction. While this book may not be for everyone, it is definitely an insightful read for anyone who is willing to take the time to read it!
Be forewarned: this book requires slow and thoughtful reading. It was at times way over my head, both because of some concepts she discussed, and even just particular words that she used with which I'm unfamiliar. (There were numerous times when I thought to myself "I don't think I understand what I just read...but I'm going to keep reading anyways!")
It was definitely worth the effort!
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