Immediate Release — April 4, 2018

Finalists Named for 2018 Christian Book Awards®

ECPA to celebrate 40 years of recognizing excellent Christian literature at Awards Celebration held May 1st in D.C.’s Museum of the Bible, featuring Anne Graham Lotz

Industry launches #ReadGoodBooks social media campaign. Sign up through Thunderclap.

(TEMPE, ARIZ., April 4, 2018) The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) named today 58 finalists in eleven categories for the 2018 Christian Book Award® program.

These titles represent the industry’s best books and Bibles of the year in Christian Living, Faith & Culture, Biography & Memoir, Devotion & Gift, Young People’s Literature, Childrens, Ministry Resources, Bible Reference Works, Bible Study, Bibles, and New Author.  The finalist pool includes three ties in three categories, and is representative of the excellent work of 19 publishers and 27 publishing imprints.

“The quality and variety of the finalists exemplify the commitment to literary excellence of the Christian publishing industry,” said ECPA executive director Stan Jantz. “These books and Bibles reflect a professional curation process that begins with an idea in the mind of an author and ends with literature that brings the transforming message of Christ to millions of people of all ages. We are excited to honor our publishers with this recognition.”

The Finalists of the 2018 Christian Book Award® program are:

BIBLES

NIrV Adventures in Odyssey Bible
Focus on the Family Publishing, 9781589979284

Christian Basics Bible NLT
Tyndale House Publishers, 9781496413550

NIV Faithlife Illustrated Study Bible, Lexham Press
Zondervan, 9780310450597

Kids’ Visual Study Bible NIV
Zonderkidz, 9780310758600

The Swindoll Study Bible NLT, Charles R. Swindoll
Tyndale House Publishers, 9781414387253

 

BIBLE REFERENCE WORKS

Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth
John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue, Crossway, 9781433545917

Dictionary of Daily Life in Biblical & Post-Biblical Antiquity: Complete in One Volume
Edwin M. Yamauchi and Marvin R. Wilson, Hendrickson Publishers, 9781619701458

Dictionary of Luther and the Lutheran Traditions
Timothy J. Wengert, Baker Academic/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780801049699

Evidence That Demands a Verdict (completely updated and expanded)
Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, PhD, Thomas Nelson, 9781401676704

How to Understand and Apply the New Testament
Andrew David Naselli, P&R Publishing, 9781629952482

 

 BIBLE STUDY

Adorned, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
Moody Publishers, 9780802412591

Asking the Right Questions: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Applying the Bible
Matthew S. Harmon, Crossway, 9781433554292

The Gospel According to Paul, John MacArthur
Thomas Nelson, 9781400203499

Learning to Love the Psalms, W. Robert Godfrey
Reformation Trust Publishing, 9781567697438

The Women of Easter, Liz Curtis Higgs
WaterBrook, 9781601426826

 

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR (tie)

Dream with Me, John M. Perkins
BakerBooks/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780801007781

Fire Road, Kim Phuc Phan Thi
Tyndale House Publishers, 9781496424297

I’ll Push You, Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck
Tyndale House Publishers, 9781496421692

Katharina and Martin Luther, Michelle DeRusha
BakerBooks/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780801019104

Martin Luther, Volker Leppin
Baker Academic/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780801098215

Struck: One Christian’s Reflections on Encountering Death
Russ Ramsey, InterVarsity Press, 9780830844944

 

CHILDREN (tie)

The Action StoryBook Bible
Catherine DeVries, Illustrated by Sergio Cariello, David C Cook, 9780781414203

Farmer Herman and the Flooding Barn
Jason Weber, Illustrated by Kaylinn Strock, BroadStreet Publishing Group, 9781424553181

God’s Great Love for You
Rick Warren, Illustrated by Chris Saunders, Zonderkidz, 9780310752479

Good Good Father
Chris Tomlin and Pat Barrett, Illustrated by Lorna Hussey, Thomas Nelson, 9780718086954

The Story Travelers Bible
Tracey Madder, Illustrated by Tim Crecelius, Tyndale House Publishers, 9781496409157

‘Twas the Evening of Christmas
Glenys Nellist, Illustrated by Elena Selivanova, Zonderkidz, 9780310745532

 

CHRISTIAN LIVING

A Little Book on the Christian Life
Translated and Edited by Aaron Denlinger and Burk Parsons, Reformation Trust Publishing, 9781567698169

Goliath Must Fall, Louis Giglio
W Publishing, 9780718088866

The Tech-Wise Family, Andy Crouch
BakerBooks/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780801018664

Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community
Brett McCracken, Crossway, 9781433554254

Whisper, Mark Batterson
Multnomah, 9780735291089

 

DEVOTION & GIFT

ESV Devotional Psalter
Crossway, 9781433557217

GraceLaced, Ruth Chou Simons
Harvest House Publishers, 9780736969048

He Holds My Hand, Carol Kent
Tyndale House Publishers, 9781496421654

Jesus Always, Sarah Young
Thomas Nelson, 9780718039509

On the Go Family Devotions: Journeying Together
Matt Guevara and Noel Guevara, Rose Publishing, 9781628625011

 

FAITH & CULTURE (tie)

Adam and the Genome
Dennis R. Venema and Scot McKnight, Brazos Press/ Baker Publishing Group, 9781587433948

Finding Grace in the Face of Dementia
John Dunlop, MD, Crossway, 9781433552090

The Last Christians: Stories of Persecution, Flight, and Resilience in the Middle East
Andreas Knapp, Plough Publishing, 9780874860627

Standing in the Fire, Tom Doyle
W Publishing, 9780718088620

The Story of Reality, Greg Koukl
Zondervan, 9780310525042

Why Does God Allow Evil?, Clay Jones
Harvest House Publishers, 9780736970440

 

MINISTRY RESOURCES

The Lost Sermons of C. H. Spurgeon Volume I
Christian T. George, B&H Publishing Group, 9781433686818

Rose Guide to Discipleship
Rose Publishing, 9781628623581

Sacred Privilege, Kay Warren
Revell/ Baker Publishing Group, 9780800728168

Sing! How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church
Keith and Kristyn Getty, B&H Publishing Group, 9781462742660

Who Lynched Willie Earle? Preaching to Confront Racism
William H. Willimon, Abingdon Press, 9781501832512

 

NEW AUTHOR

Follow the Cloud, John Stickl
Multnomah, 9781601429254

Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline
Catherine McNiel, NavPress, 9781631466434

The Marvelous Mud House, April Graney
B&H Publishing Group, 9781462740994

No Easy Jesus, Jason Mitchell
Tyndale House Publishers, 9781496402172

Sing! How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church
Keith and Kristyn Getty, B&H Publishing Group, 9781462742660

 

YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE

The Bible Explorers Guide, Nancy I. Sanders
Zonderkidz, 9780310758105

Cold Case Christianity for Kids: Investigate Jesus with a Real Detective
J. Warner Wallace and Susie Wallace with David Suggs, David C Cook, 9780781414579

40 Answers for Teens’ Top Questions
Gregory L. Jantz, Ph.D. and Gregg Jantz, Jr. with Ann McMurray, Rose Publishing, 9781628624236

Know Who You Are. Live Like It Matters., Tim Tebow
WaterBrook, 9780735289949

The Radical Book for Kids: Exploring the Roots and Shoots of Faith
Champ Thornton, New Growth Press, 9781942572718

 

The Christian Book Award® winners in each category, along with the 2018 Christian Book of the Year®, will be announced on May 1st at the ECPA Awards Celebration held during the ECPA Leadership Summit in Washington DC.  The dinner event will be held “after-hours” in the Museum of the Bible and will celebrate 40 years of Christian Book Awards with Anne Graham Lotz — author, evangelist, and daughter of Billy Graham — as keynote.

The announcements will coincide with a social media blitz through Thunderclap.  Through a quick sign-up, participants allow Thunderclap to send a one-time-only post to their followers the evening of May 1st, resulting in a huge blitz of awareness of the Christian Book Awards® and #GoodBooks that #FeedYourSoul. Last year’s campaign reached over 660,000!

Anyone with a Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr account is invited
to join the one-time campaign at
https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/69295-the-readgoodbooks-revolution

Christian Book Award finalists and winners will also be promoted through multiple retail and media outlets including media sponsor Christianity Today and the following retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ChristianBook.com, Covenant Group, LifeWay Christian Stores, Mardel, NetGalley, Parable Christian Stores, and the Signature Marketing Network.

To learn more, visit ChristianBookAwards.com.

• View the 2018 Finalists
• Join the Thunderclap social media campaign
• Purchase ECPA Awards Celebration dinner tickets
• Register for ECPA Leadership Summit

The Christian Book Award® program has recognized the absolute highest quality in Christian books since 1978. Based on excellence in content, literary quality, design, and impact, the Christian Book Award® program is the oldest and among the most prestigious awards in the religious publishing industry.  ChristianBookAwards.com

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade organization comprised of member companies that are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian content worldwide. Since 1974, ECPA has strengthened Christian publishing by building networking, information, and advocacy opportunities within the industry and throughout multiple channels so that our members can more effectively produce and deliver transformational Christian content. For more information about ECPA: info@ecpa.org, ECPA.org.

Media contacts:
Stan Jantz, ECPA Executive Director, sjantz@ecpa.org, 480-966-3998
Cindy Carter, ECPA Awards & Recognition Manager, ccarter@ecpa.org, 480-966-3998