Free Republic

Rosaria Butterfield was a tenured professor at Syracuse University, until God used her desire to write a book on the religious right, and the friendship of a biblically orthodox pastor, to draw her to Christ. She became a voracious Bible reader, gradually saw that her new beliefs required her to upend her former life, and has now described what happened in The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert. I interviewed her on Jan. 11 in front of students at Patrick Henry College. By Feb. 20 about 30,000 people had viewed the interview on YouTube. Here are edited excerpts.  Let’s start...

The word Jesus stuck in my throat like an elephant tusk; no matter how hard I choked, I couldn't hack it out. Those who professed the name commanded my pity and wrath. I began researching the Religious Right.. Ken Smith encouraged me to explore the kind of questions I admire: Ken and his wife, Floy, and I became friends. I started reading the Bible. I read the way a glutton devours. I counted the costs. And I did not like the math on the other side.. Then, one ordinary day, I came to Jesus, openhanded..