InterVarsity Press (IVP) is pleased to announce that IVP Academic has been approved as an affiliate member in the Association of University Presses.

As the academic publishing imprint of InterVarsity Press, IVP Academic publishes titles and textbooks that facilitate the broader conversations that are taking place in the academy and the church. Engaging in the most important issues, IVP Academic offers texts that enrich the study of scholars and cater to students and courses of all levels.

“We welcome IVP Academic as an Affiliate member to our global community of 153 publishers, committed to the highest caliber of research-based scholarship,” said Peter Berkery, executive director of the Association of University Presses. “As an Affiliate member—approved by our Admissions and Standards Committee, Board of Directors, and voting members—IVP Academic has demonstrated a sustained, mission-driven commitment to scholarly publishing by performing peer review on its publications and meeting our output and staffing requirements. Together, IVP Academic and all of our members pursue a shared mission of ensuring academic excellence and cultivating knowledge.”

Established in 1937 as the Association of American University Presses, the Association of University Presses is a community of publishing professionals and institutions committed to the highest caliber of research-based scholarship. For IVP Academic, applying for affiliate membership seemed like a natural acknowledgment of the conventions of academic publishing they have long followed: the importance of peer review, independent editorial boards, and participation in scholarly discourse.

Jon Boyd, academic editorial director said, “I see joining the AUP as an opportunity to nurture connections for IVP Academic among partners who are in countless ways our kindred spirits in the centuries-long traditions of publishing. I’m confident it’ll be a benefit to our authors and books, and I really look forward to all we can learn from our publishing heroes in the AUPresses membership.”

For more information on the Association of University Presses and IVP Academic, please visit aupresses.org and ivpress.com/academic.

Grand Rapids, MI—Sharon Garlough Brown, author of the bestselling Sensible Shoes series, launches her new novella at Baker Book House at 7 pm Thursday, Jan. 9.  Remember Me: A Novella About Finding Our Way to the Cross is the sequel to Shades of Light, the first in Brown’s new series.

“We are delighted to help Sharon Brown launch her newest book,” said Sue Smith, executive director of retail at Baker Book House. “Sharon is one of our favorite home-town authors and we love to be part of helping her get the word out about her book.”

Remember Me continues the story of Wren Crawford and Katherine Rhodes. Katherine, director of the New Hope Retreat Center, finds her own grief wrapped up in Wren’s struggles with depression and loss. The letters she writes to Wren help them both reflect on the meaning of Christ’s suffering, as well as help them process how to move forward and live again under the weight of grief.

Wren’s journey through grief becomes embedded in her paintings of the stations of the cross for New Hope, even as she comes to know more deeply the Man of Sorrows, Jesus.

A devotional guide with Scripture readings and prayer prompts, as well as full-color art by Grand Rapids-based artist Elizabeth Ivy Hawkins, encourage readers to meditate on the depths of God’s love.

Tickets for the event cost $5, and are available at www.bakerbookhouse.com and at the store, 2768 East Paris Ave, Grand Rapids.

“We welcome long-time Sharon Brown fans, as well as new readers eager to tap into this wonderful writer’s spiritual depth, along with her unique study of mental illness and spiritual formation,” said Smith.

About Baker Book House
Baker Book House was founded in 1939, when Herman Baker started the store with 500 books from his personal library. Baker is known world-wide for a deep selection of Christian titles, including new, used, and bargain books. Visit www.bakerbookhouse.com for more information.

Media Contact: Sue Smith, Executive Director, 616-957-3110, sue.smith@bakerbookhouse.com

Nashville, Tenn. (December 18, 2019) – HarperCollins Christian Publishing (HCCP) today announced Kevin Hyer’s promotion to director of sales for HCCP’s export sales division.

Hyer joined HCCP in 2012 after twelve years in the music industry working for Word Entertainment/Warner Music Group where he managed the international marketing and sales for physical and digital products. After this, Hyer ran his own business specializing in international distribution and licensing of faith-based films, books, and music. At HCCP he served as the key account manager for many of the largest retailers and wholesalers outside the United States. He has also taken the lead in several important growth initiatives for HCCP.

In his new role and in addition to his current responsibilities, Hyer will oversee the Harper360 program in Australia, work to maximize international print on demand opportunities, and head an initiative to grow online sales.

“Since Kevin arrived at HCCP seven years ago, he has been a hard-working innovator, always seeking new platforms and partnerships for our products,” said Rod Schumacher, v-p of export sales. “I am excited for him to help lead our export team.”

HarperCollins Christian Publishing:
The world’s leading Christian publisher, HarperCollins Christian Publishing Inc., comprises the Thomas Nelson and Zondervan publishing groups, Olive Tree Bible Software, BibleGateway.com, FaithGateway.com and ChurchSource.com.  The Company produces bestselling Bibles, inspirational books, academic resources, curriculum, audio and digital content for the Christian market space.   Bible Gateway is the world’s largest Christian website with more than 20 million unique monthly visitors. HarperCollins Christian Publishing is headquartered in Nashville, TN with additional offices in the U.S. and Mexico.  For more information visit www.HarperCollinsChristian.com.

World Cup Winning Midfielder Julie Ertz Earns Top Award for Second Time

Eugene, Oregon (December 18, 2019)— Harvest House Publishers celebrate author Julie Ertz on being named US Soccer’s Female Athlete of the Year for the second time. Ertz is the first player to receive this award while also having won US Soccer Young Female Player of the Year, which she claimed in 2012 after leading the U.S. U-20 team to the World Cup title that year.

“It’s been a whirlwind of a year and one that I’m extremely grateful for,” Ertz said. “My team lifted me up in so many ways and our experiences on and off the field in 2019 just encapsulate the love I have for the national team.”

In her recent book, Chase your Dreams: How Soccer Taught me Strength, Perseverance and Leadership, Ertz inspires kids to lead a life of faith and virtue as she shares her own stories and the lessons she has learned in childhood and now in her respected  playing career.

For more information about Harvest House, visit www.harvesthousepublishers.com.

About Julie Ertz:
Julie Ertz is a two-time World Cup–winning midfielder for the US Women’s National Soccer Team. In 2017, she was named the US National Team Player of the Year. Julie and her husband, Zach—a Super Bowl champion tight end for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles— founded the Ertz Family Foundation, a ministry dedicated to restoring hope and opportunity to needy families at home and abroad.

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.

Landover, MD, December 17, 2019—RBmedia, the largest independent audiobook producer in the world, is pleased to announce that Megan Dobson has joined its ChristianAudio brand as the new publisher. In her new role, Megan will acquire all content for ChristianAudio, manage relationships with partner publishers, agents, and authors in the Christian market and oversee ways to grow this important RBmedia brand.

Prior to joining ChristianAudio, Megan spent nine years at HarperCollins Christian Publishing, most recently as the associate publisher for W Publishing, where she led editorial strategy for Thomas Nelson’s nonfiction trade imprint that has published bestselling authors such as Chip and Joanna Gaines, Dr. David Jeremiah, and Kathie Lee Gifford. Previously, Megan served as the director of mass-market sales for HarperCollins Christian Publishing, collaborating with publishers on content direction and expanding placement for inspirational books in accounts such as Target, Walmart and Costco. Her early career included editorial and marketing roles with nonprofit Stephen Ministries St. Louis.

“We look forward to Megan continuing ChristianAudio’s commitment to securing the best authors and producing the highest quality recordings with the goal to become the industry leader of Christian audio content,” said Troy Juliar, Chief Content Officer for RBmedia. “We are investing aggressively in this category and are in the strong position to serve audio fans and partner with leading content creators in the Christian market.”

Speaking about her new position, Dobson said, “As part of RBmedia, ChristianAudio is positioned to be a strong partner for Christian publishers looking for the best audio production experience for their authors. I’m excited about our vision for the future of ChristianAudio and the potential to reach a growing, broad audience of Christians looking for content that inspires them to think about God, themselves and the world.”

About RBmedia
RBmedia is a global leader in spoken audio content and digital media distribution technology that reaches millions of consumers—at home, in the car, and wherever they take their mobile devices. RBmedia produces exclusive titles and delivers the finest digital content through its platforms—including audiobooks, streaming video, educational courses, entertainment titles, and much more. Headquartered in Landover, Maryland, the company has a catalog of more than 40,000 exclusive audiobooks through its content brands: Recorded Books, Tantor Media, HighBridge, Kalorama Audio, ChristianAudio, Gildan Media, W.F. Howes in the United Kingdom, and Wavesound in Australia. RBmedia is owned by KKR, a leading global investment firm. Find out more at www.rbmediaglobal.com.

About ChristianAudio
For more than 10 years, ChristianAudio.com has been providing top-quality Christian audiobooks. Already the leading site of engagement between Christian authors and their audio listeners, ChristianAudio.com is working toward a goal of becoming the largest provider of downloadable Christian audio. The site offers a diverse variety of digital audio products for immediate download. A love for audiobooks drives production and the organization’s mission is to be one of the most trusted places on the internet for the refreshment and growth of the soul. Find out more at christianaudio.com.

[NASHVILLE, TENN., December 16, 2019—] Award-winning singer-songwriter and author Andrew Peterson’s first adult trade book, “Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making,” has been the recipient of numerous accolades and awards since its October release.

The highly-anticipated “Adorning the Dark” is both a memoir of Peterson’s journey and an encouragement for artists, written in the hope that his story will provide practical tools to others stumbling along in pursuit of a calling to adorn the dark with the light of Christ.

The Gospel Coalition selected “Adorning the Dark” as the winner in the Arts & Culture category of TGC’s 2019 Book Awards, announced December 2. Judges Brett McCracken, Ryan Lister, Caroline Cobb and Trevin Wax commented, “Like his other projects, [Peterson] has a story to tell that we want and, often, that we need to hear. And maybe that’s why this is such a captivating book. Peterson’s story is unique, and yet he uses his life to help us understand our own—giving us a vision for how our gifts might also adorn the dark with light.” Read the judges’ full comments here.

“Christianity Today” gave “Adorning the Dark” the “Award of Merit” in the Arts and Culture category for their 2020 Book Awards, announced December 10. Taylor Worley, associate professor of faith and culture at Trinity International University, wrote: “Falling somewhere between memoir and manual, this odd and wonderful tale about Peterson’s calling and craft has to be the most remarkable book of its kind this year. . . At turns vulnerable and exuberant, ‘Adorning the Dark’ is both eminently practical and yet inspires with the comforting wisdom a trusted friend would give.” Read Worley’s full comments here.

Russell Moore, award-winning author and president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, selected “Adorning the Dark” in his yearly roundup, “My Favorite Books of 2019.”  Moore wrote, “…this book motivated me to get back to work on the book I’m writing now, and I’ll bet it will spark in you the same sort of motivation to plunge into whatever God has called you to create.”

“For the Church” of Midwestern Seminary also chose “Adorning the Dark” for their 2019 Book Awards. Charles Smith, Vice President of Institutional Relations at Midwestern Seminary and FTC Editorial Council member, wrote this: “I always cringe when someone says ‘I’m not creative.’ In one sense, I know exactly what they mean: they prefer spreadsheets to sonatas. But Scripture tells us that man is made in the image of a creative God and is therefore called to a life of creativity. If this is true, creativity is not only something we do, but also is something we are. In his book ‘Adorning The Dark,’ Andrew Peterson explores this reality, helping Christians understand and cherish the glorious reality of creativity.”

Finally, “WORLD Magazine” named “Adorning the Dark” to their short-list for Book of the Year in the Accessible Theology category, which appeared in the December 7 issue. “WORLD Magazine” is one of the nation’s most widely-read news outlets from a Christian perspective, with a half-million people reading the magazine and website or listening to their podcasts.

For more information about the book, visit AdorningtheDark.com

Andrew Peterson is an award-winning singer-songwriter and author. The second book in his Wingfeather Saga, “North! Or Be Eaten” (2009) won the Christy Award for Young Adult Fiction, and the fourth, “The Warden and the Wolf King” (2014) won Children’s Book of the Year in 2015 from “WORLD Magazine.”

In 2008, driven by a desire to cultivate a strong Christian arts community, Andrew founded a ministry called The Rabbit Room, which led to a yearly conference, countless concerts and symposiums, and Rabbit Room Press, which has published 30 books to date.

He’s been married for 24 years to his wife Jamie, with whom they have three children. His eldest is an animation student at Lipscomb University, his second son is a touring drummer and record producer and his daughter recently released her first album. In his spare time Andrew keeps bees, builds dry stack stone walls, gardens, draws and sleeps.

B&H Publishing Group, an imprint of LifeWay Christian Resources, is a team of mission minded people with a passion for taking God’s Word to the world. Because we believe Every Word Matters® we seek to provide intentional, Bible-centered content that positively impacts the hearts and minds of people, inspiring them to build a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ. Among our print and digital releases for the trade, church and academic markets, titles include “The New York Times” No. 1 bestsellers “The Love Dare” and “The Vow,” No. 1 CBA bestseller “I Am a Church Member,” as well as the newly-revised Christian Standard Bible (CSB) version.

Alyssa Roat has been hired as the Publicity Manager for MBI, taking over from Nikki Wright. Alyssa has served a wide variety of roles within the publishing industry at publishing houses, agencies, and newspapers as an agent, editor, writer, social media manager, and marketer. She studied Professional Writing at Taylor University. Along with being a part of the Mountain Brook Ink team, Alyssa is a literary agent at Cyle Young Literary Elite, a freelance manuscript editor, and a writer with over a hundred bylines. Alyssa brings to the table a wide network of industry connections, a background in strategic audience engagement, and cross-genre experience.

Megan Alms has accepted the Social Media Manager position for Mountain Brook Ink. She has experience in many areas of the publishing industry, including writing book proposals for a literary firm and publishing her own writing, and is a graduate of Taylor University’s Professional Writing program. Megan will be focusing on bringing attention to MBI’s brand and developing social outreach, including a new YouTube and Pinterest strategy.

After nearly five years, Nikki Wright is stepping down as publicist, but she will still be an active member of the company. Nikki will be taking a more behind-the-scenes role as webmaster and a prominent member of the acquisitions team. Mountain Brook Ink is looking forward to an exciting new year of change and growth in 2020.

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