Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age

Rosaria Butterfield

Reviewed by: Joseph W. Smith III

Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age, by Rosaria Butterfield. Crossway, 2023. Hardcover, 368 pages, $25.99 (Amazon). Reviewed by OP elder Joseph W. Smith III.

“The world is in chaos, and the church is divided because we have failed to obey God and value his plan for how men and women should live.” That’s from the introduction to Rosaria Butterfield’s Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age—a bracing wake-up call on demonic deceptions that permeate not only the modern world, but also sadly, sometimes even the church as well.

Butterfield told the fascinating story of her journey to Christ as a lesbian and a feminist professor in 2012’s Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert. The five lies Butterfield addresses in this book are: 1. Homosexuality is normal; 2. Being a spiritual person is kinder than being a biblical Christian; 3. Feminism is good for the world and the church; 4. Transgenderism is normal; 5. Modesty is an outdated burden that serves male dominance and holds women back (12–17).

Initially, the book’s most striking aspect is that Butterfield is not principally interested in refuting these lies. With considerable expertise, she does advance plenty of Scripture, research, and even plain old common sense to show the falseness of these beliefs. But on the whole, Butterfield is more concerned with warning the church against concession to these lies, and also with assisting those ensnared by their delusions—folks who should, as she quotes, “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires” (Eph. 4:22).

Time and again, the author marshals similar passages to confront the lies head-on—which also reminds us that Scripture really does address such issues with clarity and relevance. (I especially enjoyed her application of 1 Timothy 6:4 to the ongoing “pronoun wars.”)

In addition to emphasizing exhortation, the book is notable for its take-no-prisoners approach. Rather than the popular “warm and soft” approach, trying to meet our culture halfway, Butterfield goes on the offensive, relentlessly destroying these deceptions. That too takes some getting used to, but it is certainly biblical.

On the downside, it’s sometimes tough to follow the author’s reasoning—to connect her argument to the topic she’s addressing (particularly with Lie 2, which in any case does not fit well with the other four gender-related issues).

Nonetheless, there are many vital take-aways here: her questioning of empathy (a recent concept, as opposed to the more biblical and time-tested sympathy—see Heb. 4:15); a scathing dissection of social media (chapter 14); and cogently tying transgenderism to the sin of envy.

Perhaps most importantly, Butterfield repeatedly crushes the notion that a Christian can retain and be content with an inner “gay” identity as long as he or she doesn’t act on it. Among other things, this leaves one open to temptation, while also claiming as vital something that will not exist in heaven.

But really, there is so much truth in this volume that a mere book review cannot do it justice. Get a copy and see for yourself.