The Christianity Today Book Awards, intended to highlight the books "most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture" according to the editors, were announced Tuesday. Two titles shared the top Book of the Year honor: What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church (Zondervan Reflective) by Gavin Ortlund and Letters to a Future Saint: Foundations of Faith for the Spiritually Hungry (Eerdmans) by Brad East.
Matt Reynolds, CT senior books editor cited Ortlund's "celebration of our Protestant heritage and Brad East’s affable instructions to callow Christians. In our view, both books pair intellectual depth with generous readability. They converse with cultural currents while staying tethered to enduring truths."
Ortlund's title also took top honors in CT's popular theology award among the 15 overall categories. The other award winners by categories:
Apologetics/Evangelism: On the Resurrection, Volume 1: Evidences (B&H Academic) by Gary R. Habermas
Missions/Global Church: Islam and the Bible: Questioning Muslim Idiom Translations (B&H Academic) Edited by Ayman S. Ibrahim and Ant B. Greenham with chapters from missiologists, theologians, linguists, and biblical scholars
Biblical Studies: The New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Bible Commentary (IVP Academic) edited by Esau McCaulley, Janette H. Ok, Osvaldo Padilla, and Amy Peeler with contributions from over two dozen authors
Bible and Devotional: Nearing a Far God: Praying the Psalms with Our Whole Selves (NavPress) by Leslie Leyland Fields
Christian Living/Spiritual Formation: A Short Guide to Spiritual Formation: Finding Life in Truth, Goodness, Beauty, and Community (Baker Academic) by Alex Sosler
Church/Pastoral Leadership: When the Church Harms God’s People: Becoming Faith Communities That Resist Abuse, Pursue Truth, and Care for the Wounded (Brazos Press) by Diane Langberg
Children: Arlo and the Keep-Out Club (Crossway) by Betsy Childs Howard
Young Adults: The Miracle Seed (Eerdmans) by Martin Lemelman
Marriage, Family, and Singleness: God’s Grace for Every Family: Biblical Encouragement for Single-Parent Families and the Churches That Seek to Love Them Well (Zondervan Reflective) by Anna Meade Harris
Culture, Poetry, and the Arts: Word Made Fresh: An Invitation to Poetry for the Church (Eerdmans) by Abram Van Engen
Fiction: This Ain’t No Promised Land (Kregel) by Tina Shelton
History/Biography: God Gave Rock and Roll to You: A History of Contemporary Christian Music (Oxford University Press) by Leah Payne
Politics and Public Life: Curious: A Foster Mom’s Discovery of an Unexpected Solution to Drugs and Addiction (Throne Publishing Group) by Christina Dent
Theology (academic): Mere Christian Hermeneutics: Transfiguring What It Means to Read the Bible Theologically (Zondervan Academic) by Kevin Vanhoozer
