Rosaria Butterfield has been a vocal voice over the years in Evangelicalism as she, a former practicing lesbian, has been outspoken in Christian circles about biblical sexual ethics. Butterfield made a name for herself with her book, The Gospel Comes With a House Key, which advanced the idea of inviting sinners into your home to share the gospel with them.

From Butterfield’s theology of hospitality, with which we certainly had some disagreements, sprang forth a new ideology applied to transgenderism which was dubbed “pronoun hospitality.” While this term was not directly used in her book, it was an idea that became prominent within Evangelical circles including former Southern Baptist Convention president, JD Greear.

However, in recent months, Butterfield has taken a new stance on several key issues of sexuality in the Church. In 2022, Butterfield took a U-turn on her former position denouncing “gay conversion therapy” and instead, acknowledged that it could be useful and now believes people should have the freedom to pursue this avenue if they so choose.

But her latest act of repentance comes in the form of using preferred pronouns as the former Syracuse University professor has now publicly repented for her use of transgender pronouns.

Butterfield, who converted to Christianity in 1999, had previously advocated for the use of such pronouns, but now acknowledges that it was sinful. In a statement, she said that using transgender pronouns was a sin against the ninth commandment, the creation ordinance, and image-bearing. She also stated that it discouraged progressive sanctification, falsified the gospel, cheapened redemption, and failed to love her neighbor.

Butterfield argued that Christians who use the moral lens of LGBTQ+ personhood and advocate for the use of transgender pronouns are “pudding in the enemy’s hand” and make false converts to a counterfeit gospel. She called on others to join her in repenting for promoting this sin.

Butterfield, who is married to a Reformed Presbyterian pastor and is a homeschool mother, author, and speaker, is known for her memoir “The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert,” which chronicles her conversion to Christianity. She has been an outspoken critic of the LGBTQ+ movement and progressive sanctification within the evangelical church.

While some Christian leaders, such as psychologist Mark Yarhouse and author Preston Sprinkle, argue that using transgender pronouns is respectful of someone’s chosen identity, Butterfield believes that it makes no Christian sense and is not in line with biblical clarity.

“My use of transgendered pronouns was not a mistake,” Butterfield wrote in her article titled Why I no longer use Transgender Pronouns—and Why You shouldn’t, either at Reformation21,

“it was sin,” she said.

“Public sin requires public repentance, not course correction,” she continued. “I have publicly sinned on the issue of transgender pronouns, which I have carelessly used in books and articles.”

Butterfield’s public repentance comes amid a broader debate within evangelicalism over the issue of LGBTQ+ identity and how the church should respond to it. While we may still have some disagreements with Butterfield on some of the practical things surrounding these issues, this repentance demonstrates a level of integrity that is mostly foreign to Evangelicalism as a whole. If only more would follow her example in this.