December 2024 | LISLE, IL—InterVarsity Press (IVP) is celebrating the work of numerous authors who were honored as part of this year’s Christianity Today and Gospel Coalition Book Awards.
“We are humbled and extremely grateful for these awards programs and for the ways they shine a light on books that will continue to leave a lasting impact on the church and culture for years to come,” said Terumi Echols, IVP’s president and publisher. “I am also thankful for the authors who have entrusted these projects to us and for the dedicated teams at IVP who work alongside them to bring their ideas to life and ultimately to the lives of readers.”
IVP Honors from The Christianity Today Book Awards
WINNER, BIBLICAL STUDIES
The New Testament in Color: A Multiethnic Bible Commentary, edited by Esau McCaulley, Janette H. Ok, Osvaldo Padilla, and Amy Peeler, is a first-of-its-kind volume that is both theologically orthodox and multiethnically contextual.
Gregory Lanier, New Testament professor at Reformed Theological Seminary, said, “This book, in which four major scholars pull together contributions from over two dozen authors, marks a major step forward. Not only does it sketch out the rationale for doing biblical exegesis from Black, Native American, Latino, or Asian standpoints. It reveals what the results look like, showcasing how scholars from diverse backgrounds read the same Bible while attending differently to its applications and implications.”
Michael Kibbe, associate professor of Bible at Great Northern University, said, “The editors deserve thanks and congratulations for producing a groundbreaking Bible commentary that amplifies their voices and perspectives. I hope it prompts more of its kind.”
AWARD OF MERIT, POLITICS AND PUBLIC LIFE
In Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor, Caleb E. Campbell introduces the basics of Christian nationalism and explores the reasons so many people are attracted to it. He also addresses a variety of American Christian nationalist talking points and offers questions and responses that humbly subvert these claims and cultivate deeper, heart-level conversations.
“While I am deeply concerned about a sudden uptick in Christian nationalist rhetoric and the harm it does to Christian witness, I’m also sensitive to the ways this threat can be overhyped,” said Rachel Ferguson, director of the Free Enterprise Center at Concordia University Chicago. “Campbell navigates the topic with prudence, not to mention the credibility that comes from his experience as a teenaged white supremacist turned pastor with firsthand knowledge of the pain and dissension extremist politics brought to his church. Disarming Leviathan was personally convicting, as it forced me to acknowledge that flapping my gums against Christian nationalism has far less kingdom impact than actually loving people who have been drawn into its orbit.”
FINALIST, MARRIAGE, FAMILY, AND SINGLENESS
Family Discipleship That Works: Guiding Your Child to Know, Love, and Act Like Jesus by Brian Dembowczyk invites parents into more active family discipleship without judgmentalism but with grace and understanding.
Pastor and author Barnabas Piper said, “In all honesty, as both a father and a pastor, I usually cringe when I see books about family worship (or parenting in general) because of how many of them heap pressure, expectation, and even legalistic standards on parents. In Family Discipleship That Works Brian Dembowczyk does a wonderful job pointing parents to Christ as hope and a means of discipleship. Brian doesn’t shy away from high biblical standards and commands, but neither does he burden parents with them. Rather, he models what he writes about by explaining truth with clarity and grace and dependence on the gospel of grace. This book offers a deep, firm foundation for discipleship as parents, and meaningful, practical steps we can take.”
For a list of past IVP honors from the Christianity Today Book Awards visit ivpress.com/award-winners.
IVP Honors from The Gospel Coalition 2024 Book Awards
WINNER, THEOLOGICAL STUDIES
On Classical Trinitarianism: Retrieving the Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God not only addresses the major modern challenges to the classical doctrine of the Trinity but also illustrates why properly articulating this central mystery of the faith is vital for the church’s worship, witness, and discipleship. Motivated by the longstanding need to retrieve the classical doctrine of the Trinity, theologian Matthew Barrett brings together Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox scholars to intervene in the conversation. With over forty contributions, this ecumenical volume resurrects the enduring legacy of Nicene orthodoxy, providing a theological introduction that listens with humility to the Great Tradition.
Michael F. Bird, deputy principal at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia, said, “One will be hard-pressed to find a more comprehensive explanation of trinitarian doctrine than this collection of essays. Matthew Barrett has assembled a prestigious team of scholars to explain what the Trinity is and why it still matters. On Classical Trinitarianism is an outstanding achievement in modern scholarship on the Christian doctrine of God.”
AWARD OF DISTINCTION, HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY
In Ownership: The Evangelical Legacy of Slavery in Edwards, Wesley, and Whitefield, Sean McGever takes three of evangelicalism’s greatest giants—Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, and John Wesley—and considers their approaches to slavery, which were (to say the least) complicated. Laying out the dominant attitudes among Christians toward slavery at the time, McGever sets these “men of their times” in their own context, inviting us to learn how these shapers of American evangelicalism contributed to the tragic history of racism in America. He also explores how Christians finally began to recognize that slavery, which they’d excused for most of Christian history, is actually wrong.
Mark Noll, author of America’s Book: The Rise and Decline of a Bible Civilization, 1794–1911, said, “This book is unusually well researched (showing that Wesley, Edwards, and Whitefield actively or passively supported slavery even after Quaker Bible believers had published solid arguments showing the system’s evil). It is patiently argued (bending over backward to explain charitably why these landmark evangelicals acted as they did). It is also painstakingly self-reflective (asking, If we condemn earlier Christians for unthinking support of their society’s evil, what evils might we be supporting unthinkingly today?). The result is unusual clarity about the past and, even more, a compelling imperative for examining our own lives today.”
For a list of past IVP honors from The Gospel Coalition Book Awards visit ivpress.com/award-winners.
Contact: Krista Clayton | kclayton@ivpress.com
