WHEATON, Ill.—Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by first-time author Mark Vroegop has been named the 2020 Christian Book of the Year by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). The Christian Book of the Year “represent(s) the year’s best book or Bible for its literary merit and extraordinary impact.”1 Vroegop also won the award in the New Author category. Untangling Emotions by J. Alasdair Groves and Winston T. Smith was awarded the top prize in the Christian Living category.
Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy (Crossway, March 2019) seeks to restore the lost art of lament in order to help readers discover the power of honest wrestling with the questions that come with grief and suffering. Drawing on examples from the Bible and his own story of loss, Vroegop walks through the steps of lament (Turn, Complain, Ask, and Trust) to show what lament is, why it is important, and how to enter into it—teaching the grieving to live between the poles of God’s goodness and the pain of a hard life. More information about the author can be found at markvroegop.com.
Untangling Emotions (Crossway, March 2019) explores how God designed emotions for good and shows readers how to properly engage their emotions—even the more difficult ones like fear, anger, shame, guilt, and sorrow—so they can better understand what emotions reveal about their hearts and handle them wisely in everyday moments. “The Bible has a lot to teach us about emotions,” write Groves and Smith. “It’s true that Scripture warns us about the dangers of emotions. . . . But it also teaches us that they are an indispensable part of being human and play a crucial role in our relationship with God and others.”
“What a joy to see the industry recognizing the value and ministry potential of these books,” comments Justin Taylor, Crossway’s executive vice president of book publishing and book publisher. “Even though both books were published well before the global outbreak of COVID-19, it strikes me that their messages—both, in a sense, about how God wants us to feel about what we feel—are especially timely in these difficult days. One of the reasons that Crossway exists is to provide resources that give hope, comfort, and biblical recalibration, so it is gratifying to know that these books are being used among God’s people.”
The ECPA Christian Book Award® program awards winners in 12 categories, including Bibles, Biographies & Memoirs, Faith & Culture, and Ministry Resources. The program “recognizes the highest quality in Christian books and Bibles and is among the oldest and most prestigious awards programs in the religious publishing industry.”2
Founded in 1938, Crossway is a not-for-profit global Christian publishing ministry that publishes gospel-centered, Bible-based content to honor our Savior and serve his church. Crossway seeks to help people understand the all-encompassing implications of the gospel and the truth of God’s word—for all of life, for all eternity, and for the glory of God alone. Crossway is the global publisher of the ESV® (English Standard Version®) Bible, more than 1,000 Christian books, and an extensive list of gospel literature. For additional information, visit crossway.org.
Contact: Lauren Susanto, lsusanto@crossway.org crossway.org
- “About,” Christian Book Award, ECPA, 2019, accessed May 6, 2020, https://christianbookawards.
com/about.html. - ibid.
