A Christian author retracted her past use of “transgendered pronouns.”
On April 3, Rosaria Butterfield wrote an article on Reformation 21 titled “Why I no longer use Transgender Pronouns and Why You shouldn’t, either.”
In the article, she wrote, “A civil war erupted within broad evangelicalism, and the idol of LGBTQ+ is dividing the house.”
Butterfield identified as a lesbian in the ’90s and referred to herself as a “tenured radical” while working as a college professor teaching “English and women’s studies.” She shared that “this issue is personal, political, and spiritual” for her.
“Christ called me to repentance and belief, and I became a despised defector of the LGBTQ+ movement. But progressive sanctification came slowly, and I have failed many times during these past decades,” she added.
However, Butterfield still refused to make light of her actions.
“My use of transgendered pronouns was not a mistake; it was sin. Public sin requires public repentance, not course correction,” she continued.
Butterfield also shared that she would use certain pronouns “carelessly” which can be found “in books and articles” that she had written and also “interviews and public Q&As.” She continued to refer to her past use as sinning publicly.
She also gave her reasons as to why she did it which she said was “a bunch of lame and backside-covering excuses.”
“It was a carry-over from my gay activist days. I wanted to meet everyone where they were and do nothing to provoke insult,” Butterfield admitted.
She explained how the Supreme Court’s decision to allow gay marriage became a wake-up call for her.
“The codification of gay marriage and LGBTQ+ civil rights launched a collision course between LGBTQ+ and the Christian faith. The LGBTQ+ movement’s understanding of itself as ontological and morally good conflicts with the biblical account in Genesis 1:27,” she added.
At that point, Butterfield realized that she had to pick a side “because the Christian faith is inherently binary, not non-binary.”
She wrote:
“Using transgendered pronouns isn’t a sin because the times have changed, and therefore, using transgendered pronouns isn’t sinful today but a morally acceptable option…Sin is sin. The Bible defines this as sin. Sin does not lose its evil because of our good intentions or the personal sensibilities of others. Changing cultural forces can bring sin into fresh light (as the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision did for me). But a renewed focus is no excuse for sin and no dodge for repentance, not for a real Christian.”
Matthew 3:8 says, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”
Butterfield also encouraged other Christians who “promoted this sin” to follow suit in repentance. She then proceeded to seek God’s forgiveness.
After her Christian conversion, Butterfield married a Reformed Presbyterian pastor and became a homeschooling mother.