The Gospel Comes with a House Key

Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World

De: Rosaria Butterfield

Narrado por: Rosaria Butterfield

Winner of the 2019 Christianity Today Book Award in the Christian Living & Discipleship Category

"This book is going to shake us all up in the most wonderfully destabilizing way."—Ray Ortlund, Lead Pastor, Immanuel Church, Nashville, Tennessee

What did God use to draw a radical, committed unbeliever to himself? Did God take her to an evangelistic rally? Or, since she had her doctorate in literature, did he use something in print? No, God used an invitation to dinner in a modest home, from a humble couple who lived out the gospel daily, simply, and authentically.

With this story of her conversion as a backdrop, Rosaria Butterfield invites us into her home to show us how God can use this same "radical, ordinary hospitality" to bring the gospel to our lost friends and neighbors. Such hospitality sees our homes as not our own, but as God's tools for the furtherance of his kingdom as we welcome those who look, think, believe, and act differently from us into our everyday, sometimes messy lives—helping them see what true Christian faith really looks like.

©2025 Rosaria Butterfield (P)2025 Crossway

Inspiring

Absolutely inspiring. I’ve never read anything like it. It makes me want to determine how I can be hospitable immediately.

Selfless love by thankful believers who represent Christ well.

The author’s statement was powerful about the impact on the world and the Church by really loving people and by living out the Gospel in front of them. The kindness of what she described should be more normal than unique. She gave the illustrations of the simplicity of sharing life and living with an open hand. She graciously exhibits believers with a thankful heart for God’s grace to them. Well done!

Great perspective on how hospitality should penetrate every Christian home and how simple it really is.

I loved that the voice you listen to was the actual author reading her own book.

Not for everyone-be discerning

I recommend this book ONLY if you think your spiritual gifts are giving, service, and mercy.

A friend of mine highly recommended this book several times, so I finally got it when it came out on Audible. I wish I could get my money back. The whole book is her saying that, since the LGBTQ community practices radical hospitality, we Christians must do the same.

The author starts nearly 85% of her sentences with 'I" did this or that, and you MUST do the same things I do. Otherwise, you are advocating Violence toward foster children, refugees, and anyone else in the world who may possibly have a need. And that makes you not a Christian.
She contradicts herself chapter after chapter, as if 3 different people wrote this book. For example, she says you had better use the right pronouns and titles (Mom, Mama, Mommy, Daddy) when talking with lesbian parents to show them respect, but then says that Christians MUST NOT shy away from offending the sinner, and shall not use their words to describe their reality.
If you don't host lunch after church at your house, "it is an act of violence and cruelty." You MUST open your doors to the drug addict, but not a church brother or sister who needs help if they have sinned. Church discipline is paramount, and you must never host these people.

And she mentioned at least 10 times that she personally makes the communion bread for her church, like she is saying, "Look at me and all I do. Aren't I just the BEST Christian?"

While part of the message is true, we, as Christians, need to be more open and inviting to others. She takes it way too far by saying that if we don't do what she does in the way she does it, (open doores 24/7) then we'd better not call ourselves Christians.

Look, I'm happy for her. She has discovered her spiritual gift and is using it. Fantastic. Praise the Lord.
However, not EVERY person has THIS spiritual gift. It is important to use the spiritual gift(s) we have been given. Not try to mimic/fake a gift because someone else claims it is the ONLY gift.

I can't listen to someone tooting their own horn for 9 hours and 11 minutes.

If she had a forward or mentioned in her introduction a little something saying that this whole book is about these specific spiritual gifts, and stopped using the word "MUST in nearly every sentence, maybe it would not have been so bad. Without this disclaimer, I think many impressionable people, especially women, will read this book and think that they have to mimic her in order to feel like they are worthy of salvation. And that is preaching a salvation of works-heresy.