Grand Rapids, Mich. Dec. 4, 2019 – The Infographic Bible: Visualising the Drama of God’s Word is the 2019 Kantar Information is Beautiful Awards bronze award winner in the category of Arts, Entertainment and Culture.

WESTMONT, IL—Christianity Today has released the winners of its 2020 Book Awards, and InterVarsity Press is pleased to announce that it received top honors in four categories and Awards of Merit in three others. These titles are among the thirty-two that Christianity Today has chosen as books that are “most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture.”

The 2020 Book of the Year in the Culture and the Arts category was IVP’s Write Better: A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality by Andrew T. Le Peau. Jason Morehead, pop culture blogger at Opus, said, “In Write Better, longtime editor Andrew Le Peau offers concise, thoughtful advice on a number of writerly topics: struggling with creativity and writer’s block, crafting sentences that captivate and reward readers, publishing, and even copyright and legal issues. Above all, Le Peau encourages writers by reminding them of the gift that God has given to them. Writing can be an insular, introverted activity, but Le Peau does well to remind us that writing should ultimately be a blessing to others.”

The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction by Justin Whitmel Earley tied for the top honor in the Christian Living/Discipleship category. Earley offers four daily and four weekly habits designed to help create new routines and transform frazzled days into lives of love for God and neighbor. He provides concrete, doable practices, such as a daily hour of phone-less presence or a weekly conversation with a friend. “This book is an excellent blend of theological, personal, and practical insight. It describes problems unique to our time in a way that’s easily relatable, in part because Earley makes good use of personal anecdotes rather than merely citing sociological data,” said Matthew McCullough, pastor of Trinity Church in Nashville.

The winner in the Missions/Global Church category was IVP’s Women in God’s Mission: Accepting the Invitation to Serve and Lead. Mission researcher Mary T. Lederleitner interviewed and surveyed ninety-five respected women in mission leadership from thirty countries to gather their insights, expertise, and best practices. She unveils how women serve in distinctive ways and identifies key traits of faithful, connected leaders.

Daniel Yang, director of the Send Institute at Wheaton College’s Billy Graham Center, said, “Equal parts prophetic and pastoral, this book puts Lederleitner’s heart as a scholar-practitioner on brilliant display, showcasing her unique blend of gifts in research, missions practice, and engagement across theological traditions. Women should read it to be reminded of their non-negotiable role in Great Commission fulfillment. Men should read it to gain a better understanding of their responsibility to help remove obstructions that many women face in missions organizations. Ultimately, the stories and research presented here remind us that God’s mission in the world depends on both men and women responding to the church’s missionary mandate. Neither should ever feel sidelined.”

The 2020 Book Award in the Politics and Public Life category went to In Search of the Common Good: Christian Fidelity in a Fractured World. In this book, Jake Meador diagnoses our society’s decline as the failure of a particular story we’ve told about ourselves: the story of modern liberalism. He shows us how that story has led to our collective loss of meaning, wonder, and good work, and then recovers each of these by grounding them in a different story—a story rooted in the deep tradition of the Christian faith.

Bonnie Kristian, contributing editor of The Week, said, “In Search of the Common Good is timely not only in its theology and praxis but in its faithful capture of our era’s sense of disintegration, isolation, and uncertainty. Yet Meador does not follow other critics of the loneliness of the liberal order into a call for a new culture war offensive to compel external Christian virtue via the power of the state. Rather, he invites readers to push deeper into robust community, to cling to hope and work together to incarnate it in every sphere of our lives.”

The three IVP titles that received the Award of Merit include:

As I Recall: Discovering the Place of Memories in Our Spiritual Life by Casey Tygrett received the Award of Merit in the Spiritual Formation category. Tygrett explores the power of memory and offers biblical texts and practices to guide us in bringing our memories to God for spiritual transformation. Tricia McCary Rhodes, author of The Soul at Rest, said, “While we might think our souls are formed through classic disciplines like prayer, meditation or gratitude, Tygrett demonstrates that our journey toward wholeness will fall short without the practice of remembrance. With gentle encouragement and eloquent prose, he invites us on a pilgrimage into our past through practical exercises that help us see our memories for the redemptive treasures God intends them to be. Even painful memories, when brought into the presence of God, can come together to form a powerful story of identity, enabling us to live with uncertainty and flourish in resilience.”

Surprised by Paradox: The Promise of “And” in an Either-Or World by Jen Pollock Michel won the Award of Merit for The Beautiful Orthodoxy Book of the Year. “Michel asks readers to suspend their need for black and white distinctions, learning instead to sit in the tension of mystery,” said Nika Spaulding, resident theologian at St. Jude Oak Cliff Church in Dallas. “As she traces the paradoxes at the heart of ideas like Incarnation, grace, lament, and the kingdom of God, once-unnerving mysteries start to feel like welcome realities. Beautifully written, Surprised by Paradox weaves personal experience, theological reflection, and solid exegesis into a book that will comfort, encourage, and rebuke. Her vulnerability will pull readers in to take a closer look, and her cogent arguments will beckon them not only to acknowledge the mystery of the Christian faith, but also to celebrate and herald it.”

The Award of Merit in the Biblical Studies category went to Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes: Honor and Shame in Paul’s Message and Mission by Jackson W. The executive director for the Center for Baptist Renewal, Matthew Emerson, said, “Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes introduces Western readers to Eastern cultural concepts (particularly the honor-shame dynamic and the matrix of social expectations and behaviors related to it) and demonstrates how these concepts play a major role in Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. This is a sophisticated exercise in cultural analysis for the sake of better understanding the Bible, and it should serve as a methodological primer for and a prime example of such an approach for the foreseeable future.”

For a complete list of award winners visit ivpress.com/award-winners.

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.

WHEATON, Ill.—Crossway is pleased to announce that Rebecca McLaughlin’s Confronting Christianity (Crossway, April 2019) has won the 2020 Christianity Today Beautiful Orthodoxy Book of the Year.

The Christianity Today Book Awards are presented to books in 14 different categories, including Biblical Studies, Children & Youth, and Spiritual Formation. Confronting Christianity also won the award in the Apologetics/Evangelism category for 2020.

“We are deeply honored to publish Rebecca’s book, and we are gratified to see it being recognized as one of the year’s best books,” commends Justin Taylor, Crossway’s executive vice president of book publishing and book publisher. “We are praying that God would continue to use the ‘beautiful orthodoxy’ of this book to help believers and those who don’t yet believe to see that Christianity can be confronted with the very hardest questions and come away with honest, winsome, and compelling answers.”

Confronting Christianity explores 12 issues that might cause someone to dismiss orthodox Christianity—issues such as the existence of suffering, the Bible’s teaching on gender and sexuality, the reality of heaven and hell, and the authority of the Bible. McLaughlin shows how the best research from sociology, science, and psychology doesn’t disagree with but actually aligns with claims found in the Bible, and thus helps skeptics understand why these issues are signposts, rather than roadblocks, to faith in Christ.

“I have spent decades of my life engaging with brilliant friends who have principled reasons for dismissing Christianity,” writes McLaughlin. “But I have also spent years working with Christian professors at leading secular universities in fields ranging from physics to philosophy. Some grew up in the church. Others encountered Christianity later. All have found that their faith has stood the test of their research and left them more convinced that Christianity represents our tightest grasp on truth and our best hope for the world. This book aims to look closely at important questions through the lenses these friends have given me, and to share that experience with you.”

Available in both hardcover and ebook formats, Confronting Christianity has received commendations from Peter J. Williams (Principal, Tyndale House, Cambridge), Karen Swallow Prior (author of On Reading Well and Fierce Convictions), Os Guinness (author of The Call), and many others. For more information about the author, please visit rebeccamclaughlin.org.

Rebecca McLaughlin holds a PhD in Renaissance literature from Cambridge University and a theology degree from Oak Hill College in London. She is cofounder of Vocable Communications and former vice president of content at the Veritas Forum, where she spent almost a decade working with Christian academics at leading secular universities.  rebeccamclaughlin.org  @RebeccMcLaugh

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 Harvey, lharvey@crossway.org, crossway.org

WHEATON, Ill.—Crossway is pleased to announce that five books from the past year—Confronting Christianity; Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy; Sophie and the Heidelberg Cat; Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals; and Between Life and Death—have been named winners in their respective categories for the Gospel Coalition’s 2019 Book Awards.

Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion (Crossway, April 2019) by Rebecca McLaughlin was awarded in the Evangelism and Apologetics category. Channeling state-of-the-art research, personal stories, and careful biblical study, this book explores questions that keep many from considering faith in Christ. TGC writes, “It’s an extensively researched, well-written, and accessible book to confidently put into the hands of skeptics, even to read along with them.”

The award in the category of Christian Living was given to Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament (Crossway, March 2019) by Mark Vroegop. This book explores an oft-neglected biblical practice for dealing with life’s trials: lament. “The words of [this] book are biblically rich, perennially relevant, and above all, hope-giving—a balm to readers’ world-weary souls,” writes TGC.

Andrew Wilson received the distinction in the Children’s category for his picture book, Sophie and the Heidelberg Cat (Crossway, September 2019), illustrated by Helena Perez Garcia. This imaginative book tells the story of a young girl and a talking cat, who teaches her about the gospel of grace through a conversation based on the first question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism.

Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals: Why We Need Our Past to Have a Future (Crossway, October 2019) by Gavin Ortlund received the award in the History & Biography category. Arguing that the Protestant church today can be enriched and strengthened by engaging historical theology, this book charts a course for evangelicals eager to draw from the past to meet the challenges of the present.

Kathryn Butler was awarded in the category for First-Time Author for her book Between Life and Death: A Gospel-Centered Guide to End-of-Life Medical Care (Crossway, April 2019). Utilizing medical knowledge and scriptural wisdom, this book provides readers with help to navigate a painful and confusing process with clarity, peace, and discernment. TGC writes, “Anchored to the hope of the gospel, Butler shows what Christian discipleship might look like in some of the most agonizing moments in life.”

“Any time one of our books is acknowledged at the end of the year is an honor,” writes Crossway’s publisher for books, Justin Taylor. “But it is especially gratifying when it comes from ministries like the Gospel Coalition, whose theological and ministry heartbeat mirrors our own in so many ways.”

The Gospel Coalition, founded in 2005, reviews nearly 300 books per year on their website and in their academic journal Themelios. This year, winners were awarded in eleven categories—including Popular Theology, Ministry, Arts & Culture, and others. Awards are given to titles that are gospel-centered, faithful to Scripture, spiritually discerning, and unifying and renewing for the church.

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.

Media Contact: Lauren Harvey  lharvey@crossway.org  crossway.org

Christopher L. Heuertz is releasing his next book with Zondervan, called The Enneagram of Belonging, which will guide readers to practicing self-compassion so they can accept all aspects of their personality types—the positive traits, and the ones that can cause us shame.

Heuertz is an international accredited instructor who was introduced to the Enneagram almost 20 years ago while working in the slums of Cambodia and has been mentored by Mother Teresa and Fr. Richard Rohr.

Heuertz’s book The Sacred Enneagram (Zondervan) has sold over 100,000 copies, and a companion workbook was recently released. The Enneagram of Belonging and a companion workbook will release May 19, 2020.

For review copies and interviews, contact Trinity McFadden at trinity.mcfadden@harpercollins.com.

WESTMONT, IL—Send Institute, a think tank for evangelism and church planting in North America, has included three InterVarsity Press titles on its list of Top 10 Church Planting Related Books from 2019. Daniel Yang, director of Send Institute, said, “These books capture how some leaders are responding to the church planting challenges and opportunities in the 21st century.”

The IVP books that made the Send Institute list include Together for the City by Neil Powell and John James, Sent to Flourish edited by Len Tang and Charles E. Cotherman, and A Big Gospel in Small Places by Stephen Witmer.

In Together for the City: How Collaborative Church Planting Leads to Citywide Movements pastors Neil Powell and John James contend that to truly transform a city, the gospel compels us to create localized, collaborative church-planting movements. They share lessons learned and principles discovered from their experiences leading a successful citywide movement. In the foreword Tim Keller, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, said, “While there is an increasing body of literature about church planting in general, there is almost nothing available that describes whole-city collaboration among multiple denominations, networks, and movements. Neil and John spell out what it takes to get this done. I know of no better book on the subject.”

Sent to Flourish: A Guide to Planting and Multiplying Churches is written by a diverse team of scholar-practitioners who have planted churches in a variety of contexts, cultures, and church traditions. This book provides a tested road map based on Fuller Theological Seminary’s renowned church-planting program. In addition to editors Len Tang and Charles E. Cotherman, contributors include Carrie Boren Headington, John Lo, Tim Morey, Johnny Ramírez-Johnson, Scott W. Sunquist, Nick Warnes, and JR Woodward. “Drawing from Scripture and the experience of many church starters and reproducing churches, this book has the capacity both to inspire and to guide planting initiatives into healthy, practical activation,” said Daniel Steigerwald, missional catalyst and coach at Artesia ReSourcing. “Along the way, the authors remain ever attentive to helping startup teams cultivate the supportive environments and practices conducive to their flourishing and the multiplying of new churches.”

In A Big Gospel in Small Places: Why Ministry in Forgotten Communities Matters pastor Stephen Witmer lays out an integrated theological vision for small-place ministry. Filled with helpful information about small places and with stories and practical advice from his own ministry, Witmer’s book offers a compelling, comprehensive vision for small-place ministry today. A Big Gospel in Small Places was also recently listed on Kevin DeYoung’s Top 10 Books of 2019 and was honored with two awards: the 2019 WORLD Magazine Book of the Year Short List in the Accessible Theology category and the 2019 Gospel Coalition Book Award in the Ministry category.

Collin Hansen, editorial director for The Gospel Coalition, said “This is a book whose time has come. I’ve long appreciated Stephen Witmer’s advocacy for ministry in the small places. And now we have an apologetic, a theological vision for this particular work. He makes the case for small places without patronizing them or denigrating ministry in other areas. I even appreciated his pushback to the urban thesis of the early church. That’s what makes this book an important read, even if you could never imagine living in the places where Stephen and I grew up.”

Yang also made special mention of two other IVP books. He said, “In addition to my recommended books on church planting, I offer up eight more books in evangelism and missiology that I think are important as we continue to think about missions in 21st century North America.” The two IVP titles included among the eight were You Found Me: New Research on How Unchurched Nones, Millennials, and Irreligious Are Surprisingly Open to Christian Faith by Rick Richardson and Seeking Church: Emerging Witnesses to the Kingdom by Darren T. Duerksen and William A. Dyrness.

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.

Media Contact: Krista Clayton | 630.734.4013 | kclayton@ivpress.com

WHEATON, Ill.—Crossway is pleased to announce that Rosaria Butterfield’s The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World (Crossway, April 2018) has surpassed 100,000 units in print sales.

With engaging stories from her own life-changing encounter with radically ordinary hospitality, Butterfield equips Christians to use their homes as a means of showing a post-Christian world what authentic love and faith really look like. Such hospitality sees one’s home not as his or her own, but as God’s tool for the furtherance of his kingdom as people welcome those who look, think, believe, and act differently from them into their everyday, sometimes messy lives.

“For Christians to maintain an authentic Christian witness to a world that mistrusts us (at the very least), we must be transparently hospitable,” writes Butterfield. “The Christian life is a cross-bearing life, and the word of God calls and equips God’s people to holy living. All our neighbors must know that we live differently from the world, and they will know as we live visibly within the means of grace, placing ourselves under the authority of the church as members in good standing—and we must be unmistakably hospitable.”

Available in both hardcover and ebook formats, The Gospel Comes with a House Key has received commendations from Russell D. Moore (president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention), Gloria Furman (author of Missional Motherhood), Sam Allberry (author of 7 Myths about Singleness), and more.

Moore writes, “One cannot spend any time at all with Rosaria Butterfield without a renewed sense of how good the good news really is. This book is a needed call to the church to model the hospitality of our Lord. As our culture faces a crisis of loneliness, this is the book we need. The book will inspire you and leave you with a notebook filled with ideas for how to practically engage your neighbors with the welcome of the gospel.”

“It is a great honor for us to publish this book, which Rosaria describes as the work closest to her heart, and it is a wonderful encouragement for us to see how widely it has sold, especially given that this is a book that directly challenges the church to get out of its comfort zone and to become biblically hospitable for the sake of the gospel,” commends Justin Taylor, Crossway’s executive vice president of book publishing and book publisher. “Rosaria is a gift to the church, and we are delighted to see how many are responding to this timely and timeless message.”

Butterfield is also the author of The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert (Crown & Covenant Publications, 2012), and Openness Unhindered (Crown & Covenant Publications, 2015). For more information about the author, visit rosariabutterfield.com.

Rosaria Butterfield (PhD, Ohio State University) is an author, speaker, pastor’s wife, homeschool mom, and former professor of English and women’s studies at Syracuse University. She is the author of The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert and Openness Unhindered. rosariabutterfield.com

Founded in 1938, Crossway is a not-for-profit global Christian publishing ministry that publishes gospel-centered, Bible-centered 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.

Media Contact: Lauren Harvey lharvey@crossway.org  crossway.org

Writing Worship: How To Craft Heartfelt Songs for the Church

Nashville, Tenn. (December 2019) – What’s the most important ingredient in crafting an impactful worship song? Dove Award-winning songwriter and worship leader Krissy Nordhoff knows it’s all about relationships: with God and one another. In her first book, Writing Worship: How To Craft Heartfelt Songs for the Church, available March 1 through David C Cook, Nordhoff invites aspiring and seasoned lyricists on a journey of exploration and skill development because, as she states, “your voice is valued by the King and needed by the church.”

A professional songwriter for over twenty years and founder of the Brave Worship writing community, Nordhoff is the recipient of three Dove Award nominations and the winner of a Dove Award for Worship Song of the Year for the beloved anthem “Your Great Name.” Her songs have been recorded by artists including: Natalie Grant, Tauren Wells, Darlene Zschech, Jenn Johnson (Bethel Music), Mandisa, David and Nicole Binion, Corey Voss, Aaron Shust, Travis Cottrell, Prestonwood Worship and Philips, Craig & Dean.

Though she’s been writing since childhood, it has only been within the last 10 years that the Nashville area wife and mom’s songs – born from her tears and triumphs – would travel the globe and help others plumb new depths in their relationships with God. Through Writing Worship, Nordhoff hopes to impart the lessons she learned to help writers discover, cultivate and nurture the songs in their hearts in order to write impactful worship songs for themselves, their congregations and the global church.

While focusing on their relationship with God through prayer and two-way journaling, readers of varying skill levels will learn to craft lyrics and melodies, learn to self-edit during the writing process, clarify a song’s purpose and co-write songs customized for their churches and communities. Nordhoff also offers free resources such as video tutorials, a songwriter personality assessment, topical podcasts, a leader’s guide for group learning and a bonus audiobook.

An instructor who regularly coaches individuals and church worship teams in writing and co-writing for their communities, Nordhoff is passionate about unlocking God’s fresh revelation through new songs and the head-heart connection found in music.

“Whether in times of challenge or victory, worship leaders and songwriters have an opportunity to meet the congregation right where they are,” she explains. “Worship songs help us gently approach people experiencing trials and lead hearts to healing. Often we can encourage through song as we never could through the spoken word.”

Nordhoff and David C Cook release Writing Worship [Paperback | $16.99 (US) | ISBN 978-0-8307-8079-2] globally March 1. For additional information, visit KrissyNordhoff.com or follow Nordhoff on Twitter @KrissyNordhoff and Instagram @Krissy_Nordhoff.

David C Cook is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the global Church with life-transforming, Christ-centered materials. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado—with offices in Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, and the United Kingdom—David C Cook produces resources that are published in over 150 languages and distributed in more than 170 countries. Originally founded in 1875 as a curriculum publisher, David C Cook now also publishes numerous bestselling books, resources, music (Integrity Music), and media from a variety of award-winning authors and artists. Learn more about David C Cook’s mission at DavidCCook.org.

Media contact: Shannon Walker Media Relations, shanwalkr@gmail.com

What others are saying about Writing Worship:

“Krissy Nordhoff is a true craftsman of songs, a true worshipper of God, a true lover of people, and a true believer in helping others. I know that if you carefully and prayerfully apply the principles she shares in Writing Worship, the songs will come… whether for an audience of the One or many.”
Darlene Zschech, worship leader, songwriter, author, senior pastor of HopeUC (New South Wales)

“No matter what stage or skill level you are at when it comes to songwriting, you will take away a deeper knowledge of not only practical songwriting techniques but also what really matters when it comes to writing songs for the church. This book is a must-read for anyone wanting more of Jesus and more songs!”
Mike Grayson, worship experience director for Cross Point Church (Nashville, TN), songwriter, former lead singer of MIKESCHAIR

“Krissy’s focus and passion for saying just the right words with just the right melody is her trademark, along with keeping the writing process fun and heartfelt. You will learn so much from reading her book and will be inspired to write your new songs immediately…”
Paul Baloche, Dove Award-winning songwriter, worship leader, founder of LeadWorship

“Krissy carries the heart of the Father and the kingdom of God with unspeakable depth. This isn’t just any book—this is an awakening of identity and destiny. You’re about to go to a whole new level!”
Jenni McGrew, founder of Worship Leaders Collective, pastor of Hope City Church (Abbotsford, B.C.)

“Very few people have encouraged me in songwriting like Krissy has. She is a gifted songwriter who has devoted her life to helping others find their voice. This book should be read by anyone who wants to write songs for the church. It is not just for the professional, but it is for anyone who has ever dreamed of writing a song. As Krissy will tell you, “everyone is invited to the table.”
Dustin Smith, worship leader, songwriter, founder of Here Be Lions, pastor of HopeUC (Nashville, TN)