by Natalia Kirychuk, Public Relations Writer
Author Rosaria Butterfield will speak in chapel at Cedarville University on Wednesday, April 4 at 10 a.m. as part of the Living Water conference.
“Living Water: Living and Sharing the Gospel in a Sexually Broken World” is the second annual apologetics and worldview conference put on by Cedarville’s Center for Biblical Apologetics and Public Christianity. Butterfield and Sam Allberry, fellow author and speaker on topics of sexuality and Christianity, will be the keynote speakers.
Butterfield grew up with a strong liberal Catholic background and fell in love with words during her early years. In her late twenties, Butterfield adopted a lesbian identity which resulted in several relationships and an eventual engagement. She received her doctorate degree from Ohio State University and became an English professor at Syracuse University teaching critical theory and queer theory.
In the late ‘90s, Butterfield wrote an article against the “Religious Right” and what she viewed as their “hateful policies.” This article prompted a meeting with Ken Smith, a Syracuse pastor who would become a devoted friend. After repeatedly studying the Bible with Smith’s guidance, Butterfield gave her life to the Lord in 1999.
Since her conversion, Butterfield has become an author and speaker on the issues of sexual identity and Christianity. Her first book, “The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert,” details her upbringing and conversion. Her second book, “Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ” addresses questions of sin, identity and repentance that she frequently encounters at speaking engagements.
In 2001, Butterfield married her husband, Kent, a Reformed Presbyterian pastor. They live together with their children in North Carolina.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,963 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.