How did an atheist professor who wrote articles against evangelical Christians become one? In this week's episode Sam Hailes sits down with Rosaria Butterfield who describes her journey from being a liberal sceptic to becoming a Christian. Rather than a clean or easy process, she describes her conversion as "messy and dangerous." A significant part of Rosaria's journey involves her sexuality. From a young age, she found herself more drawn to women than men. However, it wasn't until the age of 28 that she came out as a lesbian to her friends. Her journey towards Christianity began when she decided to explore the religious right's views and beliefs regarding homosexuality. She wrote an article criticising them for infringing upon the rights of consenting adults. This article gained much attention and resulted in a letter from a pastor named Ken Smith who invited her to his home for a discussion. She accepted the invitation, seeing it as an opportunity to better understand evangelical Christianity for her research. Little did she know that this interaction would play a crucial role in her conversion, as she suddenly found herself absorbed in Bible study for hours each day. Rosaria is now an author and speaker whose books include The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, The Gospel Comes with a House Key and most recently Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age.

The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity magazine. Subscribe to receive full access in 2024 for just £24.

Released on 19 Jan 2024