Review of "Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert"

As one who has been in the Butterfields home and eaten countless loaves of Rosaria's oatmeal bread, her book was yet another way God has used this dear family to further my sanctification. I read a book review recently in which the author considered the book's ability (or in that case, failure) to point readers to a high estimation of God and His Word as a measure of its merit. Using that criterion, I can say that my awe of God and His Word was certainly increased in reading Rosaria's story.

However, I offer a word of caution. It has been a long time since I've been so uncomfortable in my own skin reading a book. Maybe the last Puritan paperback? It would have been a more pleasant (and forgettable!) read if she had simply said what was comfortable and not what was profitable. I think that would have made me feel better about myself...and kept deeper repentance at a safe distance.

I suffered from a sinus infection as I read the book, but this cannot fully account for the dizziness and shaking muscles I experienced as a I closed the cover. Such physical side effects to soul searching are rare for me. The stories she relates hit too close to home to be brushed aside. Repentance. Welcoming the other. Living sacrificially. Submission. Mercy ministry. Purity in worship. Complacency in comfort. Pride. Lack of prayer. “Is it me?” Yes.

I am grateful to Rosaria for asking with such an evident heart for God's glory, the hard questions and offering honest, if sometimes pointed critiques of the Christian community. What a gesture of love to make herself vulnerable to build up the Body of Christ. By God's grace, I can say that I'd rather the wounds of a friend than the kisses of an enemy. And this book did wound my pride, praise the Lord.