Beautiful Union Audiobook By Joshua Ryan Butler cover art

Beautiful Union

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

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection of titles.
Yours as long as you’re a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for $8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Beautiful Union

By: Joshua Ryan Butler
Narrated by: Joshua Ryan Butler
Try Standard free

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.00

Buy for $18.00

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. Christian Living Social Issues Spiritual Growth Marriage & Relationships Christianity
Biblical Perspective • Theological Insights • Beautiful Metaphors • Poetic Prose • Spiritual Wisdom

Highly rated for:

All stars
Most relevant
This was very insightful, paints a beautiful image of scripture and was very enjoyable to read. This book points to the answer that our culture cries out for of meaning in sex, marriage, and ultimately our heavenly destination.

Excellent book for married and singles.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I am convinced that most of the negative reviews are from people who haven't bothered to read the book. They're posting negative reviews because they're offended that someone would use sex as a metaphor of our relationship with God, which makes me wonder if those people have ever read their Bibles.

The Bible is full of sexual metaphor. Mankind is created in the image of God--not the physical image, but a spiritual and functional image--and God created man to get married, have sex, and make babies. It naturally follows that what human beings were created to do must image something about what God does, and the Bible confirms this over and over. Nearly every book of the Bible talks about how God's relationship to his people is like that of a family, and it sometimes uses explicit sexual imagery to talk about it, although that imagery is softened by translation.

Our modern culture is so overwhelmed with sexual pathologies that even the most devout people can't seem to see through the filth to the beauty that God intended. This book could be a great help for people who want to correct their vision, to see themselves, the people of God, and sexuality the way God intends for them to see it. But you have to be able to set aside your instinctive moral outrage at the mention of anything sexual and pay attention to what Butler is actually saying instead of what you imagine him to be saying.

People love to be offended

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book has caused quite the ruckus this far. Though graphic in a section if not read in context it may come across odd for lack of a better word but in the context of the entire narrative this book and all its metaphors bring a forth a new lens to look at sexuality through while not swaying from Biblical truth. Joshua explains his learnings and insights of the gospel and sexuality from a place of humility and wisdom. Which is much needed in this cultural moment.
With all books that are not the Bible, remember you won’t agree with every thought and I’d question if you did. So as always with any work chew up the meat, spit out the bones. Praise the Lord for where unity of thought is and seek the Lord while engaging in further discussion on what you disagree with.

If it’s of any worth I give it a 10/10.
Joshua thanks for all the time and effort you put into this work in order to help further the conversation of sexuality and the Bible as we all seek Jesus on His design for life and flouring.

Read the whole book before forming an opinion

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Joshua Ryan Butler paints a compelling vision of the beauty of biblical sexual love. This work will surprise skeptics and the convinced.

Brilliant and beautiful!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If there can be such a thing as evangelical catholicity, this book should be counted within its ranks. Exceptionally well done.

Superb

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews