Description
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is often hailed as a triumph of modern medicine, a compassionate solution for couples longing for a child. But beneath its promise lies a host of profound moral, theological, and ethical concerns that many Christians have never carefully considered.
Misconceiving IVF: An Essential Guide to the Perils of In Vitro Fertilization is a compassionate yet uncompromising exploration of IVF through a distinctly biblical lens. Written for couples at every stage of the infertility journey, those struggling to conceive, those considering IVF, and those who have already undergone it, this book seeks to bring clarity where confusion often reigns.
Drawing from Scripture, ethical reasoning, and pastoral experience, this book aims not to condemn but to shepherd, helping Christians think faithfully, act wisely, and find hope in the God who opens and closes the womb.
Whether you are wrestling with infertility, counseling those who are, or seeking to understand the moral landscape of reproductive technologies, this book offers the biblical clarity and compassionate truth our age so desperately needs.
This book helps readers:
- Understand God’s purposes and promises in the midst of infertility
- Think carefully about the moral implications of in vitro fertilization (IVF)
- Evaluate questions of moral complicity in assisted reproductive technologies
- Address the difficult question of remaining embryos with biblical conviction
- Explore adoption and other life-honoring alternatives
- Equip pastors and churches to care wisely for couples facing infertility
Endorsements
In this carefully researched and very accessible volume, Dr. Josh Holler writes with biblical conviction, pastoral sensitivity, and ethical clarity about in vitro fertilization. He describes his own journey of discovery as his eyes were opened to the dilemmas involved in supporting IVF and being pro-life. Anyone considering IVF should read this book. Pastors and counselors should read this book. Family and friends of infertile couples should read this book. Unborn human lives hang in the balance.
C. Ben Mitchell, PhD
Professor, Author of Bioethics and Medicine: A Short Companion (B&H Academic, 2025)
Misconceiving IVF is a necessary call for the church to confront ethical questions it has too often avoided. Written with sensitivity to the pain of infertility, this book urges Christians to slow down and thoughtfully examine the ethical and moral realities of IVF. As reproductive technologies advance and expand, Christians can no longer afford to ignore the ethical implications of IVF and the fertility industry as a whole. Misconceiving IVF challenges readers to engage these issues with greater moral seriousness and theological reflection. Even where conclusions may be contested, the church must engage these technologies with theological depth and moral reflection. This book provides a clear, compelling, meaningful starting point for that work.
Kallie Fell, MS, BSN, RN
CBC, Executive Director
Paul Ramsey Institute, Program Director
Venus Rising, Host
Josh writes with sensitivity and conviction toward those considering, engaged in, or having concluded IVF. This issue is personal and complex for couples who are unable to conceive a child naturally. While technology continues to advance and even expensive processes become more affordable through insurance coverage or government subsidies, the ethical and moral challenges remain. In Misconceiving IVF, Josh urges couples to tap the brakes and consider the implications of frozen embryos. Those frozen embryos need a family, and Josh articulates a path forward for families wanting to adopt children in danger of being discarded. Misconceiving IVF is not a light read. The issues are weighty—and that’s why this book is so valuable.
Todd R. Chipman, Ph.D.
Dean of Graduate Studies and
Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, MBTS
Teaching Pastor, The Master’s Community Church (SBC)
Since children are a blessing, IVF may seem at first like a great thing. Yet a closer look reveals serious problems. This closer look is important and timely and can be found in this book. While I may not find all the arguments equally convincing, I do think that Misconceiving IVF gives a helpful overview of the topic and the various problems and concerns with the practice of IVF. Josh Holler not only provides an ethical evaluation of IVF, but he also writes with pastoral attentiveness to those who might be considering IVF or who have already used it, helping them to navigate their situation and the decisions they may face.
Peter Bringe
Pastor | Covenant Family Church
“If you are Pro-life, if you are Pro-Babies, if you are Pro-family, how can you not be Pro-IVF?” Doesn’t this question sound right, wholesome, and true? In this book, Josh Holler flips the script and instead asks, “If you are Pro-IVF, can you even call yourself Pro-life?” What many don’t realize, and what Holler exposes, is that IVF, while promising hope, destroys far more life than it creates. It is the forbidden fruit of the serpent, turning a godly desire for children into a gravely sinful idolatry. Holler’s book is a valuable resource for our time, shining a light upon the dark underbelly of a boundary-crossing practice while also offering wisdom and guidance to infertile couples seeking to honor God in the midst of their tragic plight.
Dr. Josh Wilson
Pastor | FBC Park Hills
Professor of Biblical Studies and Hebrew | International Reformed Baptist Seminary and Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary
Misconceiving IVF is a thoughtful, compassionate, and carefully reasoned treatment of one of the most difficult ethical questions facing the modern church. Josh writes with pastoral warmth, moral gravity, and intellectual honesty as he carefully explains the ethical concerns surrounding IVF while remaining deeply sensitive to the real grief and longing experienced by couples facing infertility. What makes this book especially helpful is its sensitivity to the different stages couples may find themselves in—whether considering IVF, in the midst of it, or reflecting on past decisions. Accessible to lay readers yet academically honest, this is an important and timely resource for pastors, couples, and churches seeking to think faithfully about life, marriage, and the gift of children.
Casey Peterson
Lead Pastor | Main Street Church
St. Charles, MO
Far too many Christians assume that if something “works” that it must be “good.” The rapidly growing use and unquestioning acceptance of IVF in even the most conservative and pro-life Christian communities in America demonstrates this shortsighted approach to reasoning through what are literally matters of life and death. Difficult ethical questions always demand careful biblical answers. And when those questions pertain to the life of vulnerable pre-born humans, and intersect with the sensitive subject of infertility, the stakes could not be higher! Thankfully, Dr. Holler rises to the occasion in this must-read book examining the morality of IVF through a comprehensive, scientifically informed, and scripturally sound worldview. This isn’t just a book for Christian couples considering IVF—it’s necessary reading for every pastor in America right now. And whether you agree with Dr. Holler’s conclusions or not (and I do), you will be challenged, edified, and blessed by the wisdom and careful reasoning contained within.
William Wolfe
Executive Director | Center for Baptist Leadership
Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword by George Grant
Part 1: Before IVF—For Couples Struggling with Infertility
Introduction
Chapter One: God’s Heart for the Infertile
Chapter Two: The Basics of IVF
Part 2: The Present Moral Problems of IVF—For Couples Considering IVF
Chapter Three: The Loss of Life
Chapter Four: The Problem of Complicity
Chapter Five: Counting the Cost
Chapter Six: Denial of the One-Flesh Union
Part 3: After IVF: What Can We Do?—For Couples Who Have Already Done IVF
Chapter Seven: What Do We Do with Leftover Embryos?
Chapter Eight: Adopting Frozen Embryos
Chapter Nine: Adoption as a Biblical Mandate and a Cultural Necessity
Where Do We Go from Here?
Afterword by Dusty Devers
Glossary of Terms
Appendix One: Agencies for Embryo Adoption
Appendix Two: Resources on Restorative Reproductive Medicine
Appendix Three: Recommended Resources
Appendix Four: On the Ethical Realities of Reproductive Technologies and the Dignity of the Human Embryo
Book Details
Misconceiving IVF: An Essential Guide to the Perils of In Vitro Fertilization
by Joshua D. Holler
© 2026 Joshua D. Holler.
ISBN: 979-8-90120-028-5 (Hardcover)
ISBN: 979-8-90120-025-4 (Paperback)
ISBN: 979-8-90120-026-1 (eBook)
ISBN: 979-8-90120-027-8 (Audiobook)
Published by Founders Press
Printed in the United States of America
