Request a Review Copy Request an Interview

Media

Download Hi-Res Book Cover

Download Hi-Res Author Photo

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? & 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