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Beautiful Union

How God's Vision for Sex Points Us to the Good, Unlocks the True, and (Sort of) Explains Everything

Joshua Ryan Butler

About Beautiful Union

A powerful call for Christians to understand sex as a window into God's story of redemption, and a validating guide to living with authentic love in a changing culture—from the influential pastor and author of The Skeletons in God’s Closet.

Beautiful isn’t likely the first word that comes to mind when we think about sex.

Our reactions are as varied as our experiences and backgrounds. Perhaps the word brings up past baggage. Perhaps it holds yearning for a dream that has never come true. Maybe we would rather not talk about it. Maybe it’s all we want to talk about. Around us, our culture is divided by this topic. On one side, “progressive” voices seek to dismantle historic Christian teachings to fit current norms. On the other side, “conservative” voices can reinforce messages of shame, judgement, and repression.

Beautiful Union offers a third way, one that is both true and beautiful. It gives us a provocative, positive look into the deepest Christian understanding of sex . . . and what sex reveals about God, our world, and even ourselves. Through biblical teaching and livable, joyful answers to our tough questions about sexuality, author and pastor Joshua Ryan Butler shows how sex illuminates the structure of creation, the nature of salvation, the abundance of God’s kingdom, and God’s heartbeat for the world.

Discover afresh the beautiful invitation of our sexuality . . . as God intended it to be.

Praise

“The timeless biblical truth of God’s story of sex has been lost in our modern era. However, the sexual confusion and pain of our day demand that we return to this brilliant narrative, embracing not simply biblical rules for sex but God’s heart for our sexuality.”—Dr. Juli Slattery, president of Authentic Intimacy and author of God, Sex, and Your Marriage

Beautiful Union is simply astonishing. It’s the Protestant magnum opus on sexual ethics we’ve been waiting for and one of the most important books I’ve ever read.”—Brett McCracken, senior editor at the Gospel Coalition and author of Uncomfortable and Hipster Christianity

“Thank you, Josh—you just made my preaching and leading easier. This is the cultural clarity we’ve all been waiting for.”—Albert Tate, lead pastor of Fellowship Church and author of How We Love Matters

“What a timely and much-needed book! Beautiful Union powerfully shows how sex was intended to be a window into the beautiful dynamics of God’s love for his people . . . Whether you are married or single, this is a must-read that will give you clarity on the meaning and purpose of sex.”—Kristin Nave, creator of SheLovesBible and co-director of Abiding Free Ministries
 
“One of the best books I have read on anything in the last year, Beautiful Union combines a biblical theology of marriage with a compelling piece of sexual apologetics, and it does so with a pastoral warmth and sparkle that few books on this subject attempt, let alone achieve. Indispensable.”—Andrew Wilson, teaching pastor of King’s Church London and author of God of All Things

Beautiful Union is one of the best, most accessible theologies of marriage I have ever read! With the mind of a scholar and the heart of a friend, Josh Butler reveals God’s view of marriage in a way that few people can.”—Preston Sprinkle, PhD, president of the Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender
 
“With joy, enthusiasm, and the wisdom drawn from years of pastoral experience, Beautiful Union will help readers discover what Saint Paul was talking about when he described the union of man and woman as a mega-mystery (see Ephesians 5:31–32). In the process, readers will discover the cure for what ails our sexually confused world.”—Dr. Christopher West, president of the Theology of the Body Institute and author of Our Bodies Tell God’s Story
 
“Josh’s deep work invites us to step back and see the larger narrative so that we can more easily experience the current work, restoration, and beauty of God in our real lives. I’m so thankful for Josh’s clarity, wisdom, and compassion communicated through this insightful and truly transformational work.”—Francie Winslow, host of the Heaven in Your Home podcast
 
Beautiful Union by Joshua Ryan Butler is a marvel. Its simplicity is its profundity; its truth is its love. I finished these pages in tears, my imagination renewed and expanded to consider the pursuing, self-giving love God has shown to his people through Christ.”—Jen Pollock Michel, author of In Good Time

“Sex might be the number one reason many people in the West have left the church or at least begun to doubt the goodness of God’s Word. But if you look deeper, you’ll find signs that the sexual revolution has failed its promises of liberation. You’ll love how he uses biblical theology to reveal God’s good design for sex.”—Collin Hansen, editor in chief at the Gospel Coalition

About Joshua Ryan Butler

Joshua Ryan Butler is a pastor and the author of Beautiful Union, The Skeletons in God’s Closet, and The Pursuing God. He and his wife, Holly, along with their three children, live in Portland, Oregon.

Product Details

288 pages | Published by Multnomah

On Sale Date: Apr 11, 2023

Trim Size: 5-1/2 x 8-1/4

Carton Quantity: 24

Sneak Peek

Start reading chapter one

It’s time to better understand God’s redemptive vision for what might just be humanity’s greatest obsession. In his bold new book, Beautiful Union, pastor Joshua Ryan Butler helps readers rediscover the beauty of the traditional Christian theology of sex by framing it within the greater things God designed it to illuminate.

Press Release

In Our Ever-Changing Culture, Acclaimed Author Offers a Biblically-Based Redemptive Vision for Humanity’s Greatest Obsession

Joshua Ryan Butler Helps Readers Rediscover the Beauty of the Traditional Christian Theology of Sex
 
“Josh Butler has done a masterful job of explaining this profound mystery in understandable language, unlocking healing, redemption, and clarity.”
—Dr. Juli Slattery, president of Authentic Intimacy and author of God, Sex, and Your Marriage

The culture is divided on the topic of sex. On one side, “progressive” voices seek to dismantle historic Christian teachings to fit current norms. On the other side, “conservative” voices can reinforce messages of shame, judgement, and repression. At their worst, some Christian theologies of sex have been confused, repressive, and shame-based. These theologies have been used to perpetuate sex-negativity, hypocrisy, and even abuse. But contrary to popular opinion, this is not because of the teachings of the Bible but is, in fact, because those perspectives are directly opposed to God’s intent.

Now, in Beautiful Union: How God’s Vision for Sex Points Us to the Good, Unlocks the True, and (Sort of) Explains Everything (Multnomah; on sale: 4/11/23), award-winning author Joshua Ryan Butler offers a third and better way, found by understanding the sacred symbolism God has inscribed in our bodies. A sacred symbolism that is both true and beautiful.
 
Writing with great compassion and clarity, Butler helps readers rediscover the beauty of the traditional Christian theology of sex by framing it within the greater things it is designed to point to. As our culture's values and expressions of sexuality shift, there is a growing tension between the casual way everyone seems to be approaching sex and historic teaching about the sacred beauty and dignity of the body, which affirms sex as diversity-in-union, marriage as faithful love, and procreation as life-giving presence.
 
Butler’s timely and inspiring guide shows readers all afresh—regardless of their struggles, sexual background, or singleness—the beauty and meaning of sexuality as part of God's story.

Through biblical teaching and livable, joyful answers to often-asked tough questions about sexuality, Butler shows how sex illuminates:
·       the structure of creation,
·       the nature of grace and salvation,
·       the fruitful abundance of God’s kingdom, and
·       God’s heartbeat for the world
 
Both deeply thoughtful and accessible, in Beautiful Union, Butler empowers all followers of Christ to live with clarity, faithfulness, insight, and love.

“I expect that you know, deep down, in your very flesh and bone that you were made for more. More than an aimless sexual searching. More than a dead-end marriage. More than whatever you’ve endured. You were made for more. As we discuss the grand narrative that is above and under and behind and all through each of our stories, I expect you’ll feel something come alive within you. Something big. Something beautiful.” -Joshua Ryan Butler in Beautiful Union
 
For more information, visit waterbrookmultnomah.com and joshuaryanbutler.com
 
About the Author: Joshua Ryan Butler is a pastor and the author of Beautiful Union: How God’s Vision for Sex Points Us to the Good, Unlocks the True, and (Sort of) Explains Everything (Multnomah; on-sale 4/11/23), as well as the acclaimed books The Skeletons in God's Closet and The Pursuing God. He has been interviewed on numerous outlets including Theology in the Raw, Alisa Childers Podcast, Unbelievable?, Awesome Marriage & Moody Radio. Together with his wife, Holly, and their three children, Josh enjoys spending time with good friends over great meals and exploring the scenic beauty of the Southwest. For more information, visit joshuaryanbutler.com and
Twitter: @butlerjosh
Instagram: @joshuabutlerphx

NOTE: The Beautiful Union Study Guide (ISBN 9780593445051) is also now available.

Praise for Beautiful Union
“One of the best books I have read on anything in the last year, Beautiful Union combines a biblical theology of marriage with a compelling piece of sexual apologetics, and it does so with a pastoral warmth and sparkle that few books on this subject attempt, let alone achieve. Indispensable.”
—Andrew Wilson, teaching pastor of King’s Church London and author of God of All Things
 
“The timeless biblical truth of God’s story of sex has been lost in our modern era. However, the sexual confusion and pain of our day demand that we return to this brilliant narrative, embracing not simply biblical rules for sex but God’s heart for our sexuality. Josh Butler has done a masterful job of explaining this profound mystery in understandable language, unlocking healing, redemption, and clarity.”
—Dr. Juli Slattery, president of Authentic Intimacy and author of God, Sex, and Your Marriage
 
Beautiful Union is one of the best, most accessible theologies of marriage I have ever read! With the mind of a scholar and the heart of a friend, Josh Butler reveals God’s view of marriage in a way that few people can. Of course, not all readers will agree with everything Josh says or the way he says it. However, the overarching picture Josh paints is rooted in thoughtful interaction with Scripture and serious engagement with some of Christianity’s best thinkers on the subject.”
—Preston Sprinkle, PhD, president of the Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender
 
Beautiful Union by Joshua Ryan Butler is a marvel. Its simplicity is its profundity; its truth is its love. I finished these pages in tears, my imagination renewed and expanded to consider the pursuing, self-giving love God has shown to his people through Christ. Read this book to understand the meaning of bodies in sexual union. But read this book for another reason too: because you want to hear the voice of the Divine Lover calling you home.”
—Jen Pollock Michel, author of In Good Time
 
Beautiful Union is simply astonishing. Every chapter is full of mind-blowing biblical insights, jaw-dropping theological connections, and a profound reframing of the contentious dimensions of sex. It’s the Protestant magnum opus on sexual ethics we’ve been waiting for and one of the most important books I’ve ever read. With pastoral care, theological precision, and worshipful joy, Butler brings refreshing clarity to a culture (and sadly, a church) increasingly confused about the meaning, purpose, and ethics of sex. I rarely use the word masterpiece in describing a contemporary work, but it’s absolutely fitting here.”
—Brett McCracken, senior editor at the Gospel Coalition and author of Uncomfortable and Hipster Christianity

“Josh Butler has done it again. He has a way of taking the things I’ve been trying to think through and giving words and clarity to those issues and concerns. Thank you, Josh—you just made my preaching and leading easier. This is the cultural clarity we’ve all been waiting for.”
—Albert Tate, lead pastor of Fellowship Church and author of How We Love Matters
 
“What a timely and much-needed book! Beautiful Union powerfully shows how sex was intended to be a window into the beautiful dynamics of God’s love for his people, while also speaking personally and tenderly to the painful emotions, internal wrestling, and broken circumstances that can surround sex and intimacy. Whether you are married or single, this is a must-read that will give you clarity on the meaning and purpose of sex.”
—Kristin Nave, creator of SheLovesBible and co-director of Abiding Free Ministries
 
“Sex might be the number one reason many people in the West have left the church or at least begun to doubt the goodness of God’s Word. But if you look deeper, you’ll find signs that the sexual revolution has failed its promises of liberation. In our lifetime, you might even see large numbers turn to Christ because of the church’s view of sex. If that happens, books like Joshua Ryan Butler’s Beautiful Union will probably play a key role. Hand this book to skeptics. Teach it in premarital counseling. You’ll love how he uses biblical theology to reveal God’s good design for sex.”
—Collin Hansen, editor in chief at the Gospel Coalition

Contact Publicist

Brett Benson