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UPDATE: TGC Announces Josh Butler’s Resignation as Keller Center Fellow, Issues Apology for Book About ‘God’s Vision for Sex’

In the upcoming book, subtitled “How God’s Vision for Sex Points Us to the Good, Unlocks the True, and (Sort of) Explains Everything,” Butler uses sexualized metaphors for God and Scripture—metaphors that some people describe as ill-chosen or even harmful. WaterBrook Multnomah, set to publish the book in April, also is fielding criticism.

Endorsers of Josh Butler’s ‘Beautiful Union’ Make Retractions, Apologize

Upon removing the article excerpt, TGC writes: “We recognize that the adapted excerpt from Josh Butler’s forthcoming book ‘Beautiful Union’ lacked sufficient context to be helpful in this format. The excerpt was taken from the first chapter of ‘Beautiful Union,’ and you can download and read the entire introduction and first chapter here.” The registration page for a seven-week learning cohort that was going to be part of the book’s launch is also now gone from the TGC website.

After podcast host Morgan Strehlow called out people who had endorsed Butler’s book, some began retracting those endorsements and apologizing. Rich Villodas, a New York pastor and author, tweets that he retracts his endorsement and apologizes for using “poor judgment” by reading only portions of the book—and not the portion posted by TGC.

“While I appreciate the helpful reflections from the segments I reviewed, I clearly see how the excerpt from the [TGC] article creates conditions for sexual harm that contradicts my commitment to the healing and honoring of women,” Villodas writes. “Josh’s exegesis and commentary of Ephesians 5 is not just problematic, it’s dangerous.”

Dennae Pierre, a church planter in Arizona who calls Butler a “co-laborer,” also apologizes for and retracts her endorsement of “Beautiful Union.” In a lengthy statement, she emphasizes that her retraction “is not a distancing from Josh Butler or a dismissal of Josh’s work on this topic as a whole.” She adds: “The foolishness on my part to quickly endorse a book I skimmed now results in me violating relational principles I care about and that grieves me.”

Pierre also cites ongoing concerns and frustrations with TGC, specifically “the ways they tolerate and promote harmful perspectives on women.” She writes: “The behavior and lack of apology when they get critiqued is a serious concern,” adding, “TGC, it’s time to go through a process of institutional repair and repentance. The fact that this [article] was published is a serious problem.”

Longtime pastor and bestselling author Rick Warren tweets on March 2: “I’m glad TGC removed yesterday’s article that was both offensive and erroneous theology. But no apology?”

Others Get Called Out for ‘Doubling Down’

Not everyone is withdrawing support for Butler’s book, however. On March 1, biblical scholar and author Preston Sprinkle retweeted an image of the cover, writing, “Killer book!!” Despite dozens of comments urging Sprinkle to “read the room,” read the entire book, and reconsider his “promo,” he hasn’t yet responded.

Author and podcaster Sheila Gregoire tweets that Multnomah and TGC also seem to be “doubling down on their support for Josh Butler’s book”—by providing the first chapter on their sites. She’s one of the people urging Multnomah to pull the book, calling it “not a healthy view of sex” or of God.

Gregoire clarifies that Josh Butler himself “seems like a good guy who loves God, but who didn’t see where his metaphors went too far & his perspective skewed.” That responsibility, she says, fell to editors, the publisher, Butler’s agent, TGC, the Keller Center, and endorsers.

WaterBrook Multnomah describes “Beautiful Union” as “a powerful call for Christians to understand sex as a window into God’s story of redemption, and a guide to living with authentic love in a changing culture.” In comments on the publisher’s Twitter account, people call the book harmful, “disgusting,” and “embarrassing,” saying it should be withdrawn.

ChurchLeaders reached out to Josh Butler and WaterBrook Multnomah for comment. This article will be updated with any replies.