615.902.1109 Casey.Harrell@HarperCollins.com
Zondervan celebrates over a million copies sold of “Sacred Marriage” by Gary Thomas
Grand Rapids, Mich. — With over a million copies sold, Sacred Marriage has become a classic for married couples since its original release in 2000. Revised and updated in 2015 by author and speaker Gary Thomas, Sacred Marriage continues to be a perennial bestseller, meeting the needs of today’s pre-married and married couples.
“I can’t count the number of couples that have told me this message saved their marriage,” says Thomas. “So many had given up but looking at marriage as a way to grow closer to God gave them a new foundation.”
Thomas remembers the first time a couple came up to him and showed him their baby, saying it was their “Sacred Marriage baby.” They were on the brink of divorce and said their marriage wouldn’t have survived and they never would have had this child if it wasn’t for the message of Sacred Marriage.
Sacred Marriage offers help with insights from Scripture, church history, time tested wisdom from Christian classics and examples from today’s marriages. It reveals how marriage trains us to love God and others well, how it exposes sin and makes us more aware of God’s presence, how good marriages foster good prayer, how married sex feeds the spiritual life and more.
“We recognize that the principles behind Sacred Marriage are timeless,” says Tom Dean, Vice President of Marketing. “We want a new generation of readers to look at marriage in a new light and ask the question Gary has been asking all along – what if marriage was meant to make us holy more than to make us happy.”
Gary Thomas is a writer-in-residence at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, and an adjunct faculty member teaching on spiritual formation at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon and Houston Theological Seminary in Houston, Texas. He is the author of nineteen books including Sacred Marriage, Sacred Pathways, Cherish, Sacred Parenting and When To Walk Away.
Zondervan Books publishes books that ask big questions and bring inspiring insights. Part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the imprint works with gifted writers and communicators who engage readers with books about spiritual and personal growth, everyday living, memoir, family and marriage—topics that fuel life transformation through faith. Zondervan Books’ products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Their offices are located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For additional information, please visit zondervan.com.
Contact: Robin Barnett, Director of Public Relations (616) 698-3251 robin.barnett@harpercollins.
Harvest House Publishers celebrates 45th anniversary
2020 List Marks the Publisher’s Strongest Lineup Yet
Eugene, Oregon (October 29, 2019)— Harvest House Publishers celebrated the company’s 45th anniversary last week, marking the historic moment with a staff celebration. In remarks to the team, Harvest House president, Bob Hawkins Jr., reminisced about significant corporate milestones and embraced the work ahead with a positive and encouraging message.
“When my dad originally founded the company with five titles and a dream, he never imagined the company would be one of the leading publishers of Christian literature in the world,” said Hawkins. “Now, after publishing over 140 million copies in more than 75 languages around the world, comprised of works by 907 authors, with eight titles that have each sold over 1 million copies, we know more than ever that the mission has just begun and the best days are yet ahead.”
Harvest House’s 2020 publishing roster is home to one of the most noteworthy lists in the company’s history, with titles forthcoming by Ruth Chou Simons, Gloria Furman, Amir Tsarfati, Naomi Zacharias McNeil, Donna VanLiere, Jerrad Lopes, Tony Evans and Jeremy and Adie Camp, to name a few.
“We’ve been blessed to publish so many important messages, but I have to say I am personally excited about the lineup for next year and the world-class team here that will be responsible for shepherding those launches,” said Hawkins.
True to the company’s guiding principles, management stayed late the night before the party to decorate the corporate office to surprise workers when they arrived the next day. “Our core values include fostering an environment in which people are highly valued as well as placing an emphasis on teamwork,” said Hawkins. “We wanted to celebrate our staff, and what better way to do that than to have the leadership team throw a party?”
Hawkins Jr. has led the company since 1991. With a commitment to distributing biblically sound books that proclaim Jesus as the answer to every human need, he believes that their work is more important now than ever before.
“When you work with our company in any capacity or purchase one of our books, we want the end result to be an affirmation of biblical values. In a world that can place priority elsewhere, we have chosen to glorify God through our high-quality products, and that will continue to be the mission of the company for the next 45 years.”
For more information about Harvest House, visit www.harvesthousepublishers.com.
About the Publisher
Harvest House, a Christian publishing company based in Eugene, Oregon, publishes more than 135 books per year and carries a strong backlist offering more than 1,200 titles. Over 140 million Harvest House books have been sold worldwide through diverse distribution channels, and additional millions have sold in over 75 different languages. For more information, visit www.HarvestHousePublishers.com.
Media Contact: Jennifer Willingham, jennifer@epic.inc 615-483-4729
IVP releases book by United States presidential candidate
On Tuesday, November 5, InterVarsity Press will be launching its first book by a United States independent presidential candidate. Mark Charles, and coauthor Soong-Chan Rah, will be releasing Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery.
A recent Publishers Weekly starred review described the book this way: “This sobering critique presents a disturbing yet welcome analysis of how the Doctrine of Discovery has split American church and society along racial lines, and makes a powerful argument for engaging in national dialogue around issues of class, gender, and race.”
With a prophetic blend of history, theology, and cultural commentary, Charles and Rah reveal the damaging effects of the Doctrine of Discovery and call the nation and churches to a truth-telling that will expose past injustices and open the door to conciliation and true community.
“I recall hearing Mark Charles speak at a Confessing Church consultation in Alexandria, Virginia, on the topic of the Doctrine of Discovery, several years before the publication of Unsettling Truths,” said Jeff Crosby, publisher for IVP. “I thought then, Mark’s message must be taken more widely than his speaking engagements will allow. I’m grateful for the InterVarsity Press team’s courageous commitment to publish this book about a topic that is not well understood, a topic we would do well to grapple with. If, as Mark and Soong-Chan write, the ‘unsettling of deeply entrenched beliefs’ leads to healing for a nation, then this book is one to be celebrated for not only its prophetic challenge but also its healing powers.”
Unsettling Truths and the ideas within it were in the works long before Charles decided to run for president. Together Charles and Rah put in nearly a decade of research, three years of writing, and another year of editing. Crosby said, “Unsettling Truths is an unsettling book because it challenges its readers to evaluate what we have long been taught and perhaps blindly accepted regarding American history and our country’s notion of its ‘exceptionalism’ and forces us to consider another viewpoint. It also helpfully and with precision probes questions regarding the intersection of Christian doctrine and a faithful pursuit of justice. While we may not agree with all of Mark’s and Soong-Chan’s interpretations and applications, we will benefit—as individuals, as communities, and as a nation—from giving the work careful, reflective attention.”
Charles, a man of Navajo and Dutch descent, is a speaker, writer, and consultant on the complexities of American history, race, culture, and faith. He and his family live in Washington, DC. Rah was born in Seoul, South Korea, and immigrated to the United States shortly after his sixth birthday. He currently serves as Milton B. Engebretson Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago. Rah is the author of Prophetic Lament, The Next Evangelicalism, Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church, and others.
Charles and Rah wrote, “The coauthors of this book have been friends for many years. . . . Our connection stems from our mutual love for Jesus and our mutual passion for Justice, both of which have found expression in our mutual lament for the church. In our journey together, we have discovered the power of developing common experiences and a common memory, which moves us toward a common purpose.”
Al Hsu, senior editor at IVP, said, “Mark and Soong-Chan are an ideal team for this project, bringing together history and theology, pointing readers to original sources and grappling with contemporary issues. Together they help us reckon with how the past continues to have ongoing implications for our present. Their unflinching exposition of hard truths will be deeply unsettling to many, in ways that will open us to a more hopeful future.”
The November release of Unsettling Truths also coincides with Native American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of Native people and to acknowledge their important contributions.
Zondervan Books to publish heart-stirring story of Bud Welch and Bill McVeigh 25 years after Oklahoma City bombing
A Moving Story of Two Fathers—One Whose Daughter Was Killed in the Bombing, and the Other the Father of Her Killer, Timothy McVeigh—and of Forgiveness and How Good Can Overcome Evil
Grand Rapids, Mich., Nov. 4, 2019 – Zondervan Books has contracted to publish Grace from the Rubble: Two Fathers’ Road to Reconciliation after the Oklahoma City Bombing, the riveting true story of two men who appeared destined to be enemies—but who instead formed an unexpected bond in the wake of terrorism and tragedy.
Written by Jeanne Bishop, Grace from the Rubble will release April 14, 2020, five days before the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. Bishop is represented by Greg Daniel of Daniel Literary Group. World rights were acquired by Senior Acquisitions Editor Mick Silva.
The Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, was the deadliest attack of domestic terrorism in U.S. history, and it became one in a long line of violent attacks that have left communities across the nation searching for healing and hope.
Grace from the Rubble tells the intertwining stories of four individuals:
- Julie Welch, a young professional full of promise;
- Timothy McVeigh, the troubled mind behind the horrific event;
- Bud Welch, a father whose only daughter (Julie) was murdered; and,
- Bill McVeigh, Timothy’s father.
With searing details by first-hand witnesses (including the governor of Oklahoma), masterful storyteller Jeanne Bishop describes the suspenseful scenes leading up to that fateful day and the dramatic events after, as one father buried his daughter and the other saw his only son arrested and tried for mass murder. Vivid and haunting, this true story is rich with memories and beautiful descriptions of the nation’s heartland, a place of grit and love for neighbors and family. Bishop shares how murder affected her own family and led her to meet Bud and, ultimately, how they learned to see humanity amidst inhuman violence.
“With compassion for all who have been touched by tragedy, this poignant narrative will touch readers’ hearts with the astonishing forgiveness that led to an extraordinary friendship,” says Mick Silva, Senior Acquisitions Editor.
For review copies and interview requests, email Trinity McFadden at trinity.mcfadden@
About the Author: Jeanne Bishop grew up in Oklahoma City and is a public defender and human rights advocate who has written for online publications including Huffington Post and CNN.com, magazines, newspapers, law journals and academic books. Her memoir, Change of Heart, chronicles the murder of three of her family members and her forgiveness of and reconciliation with their killer.
Zondervan Books publishes books that ask big questions and bring inspiring insights. Part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the imprint works with gifted writers and communicators who engage readers with books about spiritual and personal growth, everyday living, memoir, family and marriage—topics that fuel life transformation through faith. Zondervan Books’ products are sold worldwide and translated into nearly 200 languages. Their offices are located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For additional information, please visit zondervan.com.
Media Contacts:
Robin Barnett, Director of Public Relations, 616-698-3251 robin.barnett@harpercollins.
Trinity McFadden, Senior Manager of Public Relations, 616-698-3331 trinity.mcfadden@