WESTMONT, IL—The Gospel Coalition (TGC) has announced that Christianity at the Crossroads by Michael Kruger was chosen as one of its best books of 2018.
TGC reviews around three hundred titles each year between its regular book review section and its academic journal, Themelios. From those titles judges selected one 2018 TGC Book Award winner and one runner-up for each of nine categories. Christianity at the Crossroads was chosen as the award winner in the History & Biography category.
In an April 2018 Themelios review of Christianity at the Crossroads, David A. Evans wrote, “A masterful account of the church in the second century, this book skillfully describes Christianity’s movement into the wider pagan world and provides insight into the development of doctrine, formation of the canon, and Christian worship and practices. With an excellent summary of contemporary research on the second-century church, Christianity at the Crossroads could also be a manual for the church of the 21st century.”
Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church by Michael J. Kruger examines how Christianity took root in the second century, how it battled to stay true to the vision of the apostles, and how it developed in ways that would shape both the church and Western culture over the next two thousand years.
David A. deSilva, trustees’ distinguished professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary, said, “Kruger takes us into a world in which ‘Christianity’ is still very much at risk and up for grabs, struggling to find its identity in the midst of forces within and without seeking to define its identity or suppress its existence. His book invites us into the tensions and trajectories that would eventually give shape to what we, in distant retrospect, take for granted as Christian faith, practice, and polity. I recommend it highly, alongside the texts that have richly informed it (the apostolic fathers, the early martyrologies, and the apologists), to all those interested in learning how ‘New Testament faith’ found its footing and began to take root.”
TGC winners and runners-up are chosen based on whether they offer gospel-centered argument and application; include faithful and foundational use of Scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament; foster spiritual discernment of contemporary trials and trends; and encourage efforts to unite and renew the church.
For a complete list of IVP award winners visit ivpress.com/award-winners.
About InterVarsity Press: Founded in 1947 as an extension of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, InterVarsity Press serves those in the university, the church and the world by publishing thoughtful Christian books that equip and encourage people to follow Jesus as Savior and Lord in all of life. For more information, visit ivpress.com.
Contact: Krista Clayton | 630.734.4013 | kclayton@ivpress.com
