Radically ordinary hospitality. Does this term seem oxymoronic to you? The concept that something deemed “radical” could also be described as “ordinary” is difficult to comprehend. And, further, how could hospitality be considered “radical” in the first place? In The Gospel Comes with a House Key, Rosaria Butterfield’s entire thesis rests upon this concept—Christian hospitality, when lived out in accordance to examples set forth in Scripture, will look radical in our 2020 world, but should feel ordinary as well.

Butterfield does not hesitate to address the key issues of our post-Christian culture, diving headfirst into topics such as our response to the refugee crisis, the needs of those currently imprisoned, the way we interact with our LGBTQ neighbors, and the needs of thousands of children and teens in our country’s foster care system. Sharing experiences from her former life as a lesbian, her conversion story (much due to the hospitality and grace extended to a young Butterfield by a Christian family), and her current life as an adoptive mother and pastor’s wife, she shares the need of so many, both inside and outside of the church, for open arms, a shared table, and a trusted listening ear. The need is for radically ordinary hospitality.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, reading a battle cry for a life built upon open doors and full tables might seem strange or impractical. However, Butterfield provides a timely reminder to look beyond our own stockpiles of toilet paper and disinfectant wipes in order to meet the needs of our neighbor. Although her book was published in 2018, before the thought of shelter-in-place orders and three-household rules ever crossed the minds of Americans, Butterfield provides refreshing encouragement to look for practical ways to open our doors, share our lives, and extend grace to those the Lord has placed closest to us.

Although I did not always resonate with the way Butterfield defended her claims—she being a Presbyterian, and I a Free Lutheran—her words are saturated in the truth of God’s Word. Her writing is filled with references to grace, mercy, and the desperate need of all humans for the glorious truth of the Gospel.

If you are ready to be challenged and pushed from your Christian home-life “comfort zone,” Butterfield’s book is for you. As she states in chapter two, “When our Christian homes are open, we make transparent to a watching world what Christ is doing with our bodies, our families, and our world.”