WESTMONT, IL—The Gospel Coalition has announced that three IVP books have received Awards of Distinction as part of the TGC 2022 Book Awards. Drawing from the thousands of resources produced by Christian publishers this year, the TGC staff, along with dozens of key contributors, took stock of the best Christian books across twelve categories and recently announced their top choices.
The IVP titles that received Awards of Distinction in the TGC 2022 Book Awards include the following:
The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Rediscovering the Adventure of Christian Faith by Trevin Wax was honored with the Award of Distinction in the Popular Theology category. Wax said, “In a world of personalized spiritual paths, Christian orthodoxy can sound stuffy and stifling, while doctrinal change and innovation seem exciting. The Thrill of Orthodoxy turns the tables, illuminating and inspiring Christians by contrasting the narrow and dull principles of heresy with the electrifying, unchanging paradoxes that form the heart of the gospel.”
Judges for the Popular Theology category included Joshua Chatman, Clarissa Moll, Juan Sánchez, and Matt Smethurst. They said this about The Thrill of Orthodoxy: “With trenchant insight and memorable turns of phrase, Trevin Wax beckons us to cling to Scripture’s never-changing truths amid an ever-changing world. Instead of bowing to the spirit of the age, Christians humbly stand for truth. This book explains what’s at stake, both now and for eternity, not to scare but to sober. After all, we’re not the first generation of Christians to face vexing opposition from a surrounding culture—and even from professing believers. It’s never boring to stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us and to exchange the straitjacket of heresy for the freedom of gospel grace. The Thrill of Orthodoxy will fire you up for all the right reasons.”
Analog Christian: Cultivating Contentment, Resilience, and Wisdom in the Digital Age received the Award of Distinction in the Christian Living category of the TGC Awards. Jay Kim’s Analog Church explored the ways the digital age and its values affect the life of the church. In Analog Christian, he asks the same question of Christian discipleship. As the digital age inclines us to discontentment, fragility, and foolishness, how are followers of Jesus to respond? What is the theological basis for living in creative resistance to the forces of our day? How can Christians cultivate the contentment, resilience, and wisdom to not only survive but to thrive as we navigate the specific challenges of our age?
Judges for the Christian Living category included Judges: Matt Boga, Winfree Brisley, Megan Hill, and Courtney Reissig. They said, “Though we understand in a general sense that the digital age is negatively affecting our culture and individual lives, we may struggle to pinpoint exactly how it’s changing us and what we can do about it. In Analog Christian, Jay Kim insightfully identifies technology’s rotten fruit of discontentment, fragility, and foolishness and explains how the fruit of the Spirit is the antidote we need. By pairing specific problems of the digital age with contrasting fruit of the Spirit, Kim models Paul’s put-off, put-on framework—joy instead of comparison, kindness instead of hostility, faithfulness instead of forgetfulness. Rather than calling us to unplug and cease our scrolling and swiping, Kim shows readers how to thoughtfully engage the challenges of the digital age and—by the power of the Spirit—cultivate contentment, resilience, and wisdom.”
A Supreme Love: The Music of Jazz and the Hope of the Gospel received the Award of Distinction in the Arts & Culture category of the TGC 2022 Book Awards. Theologian and jazz pianist William Edgar places jazz within the context of the African American experience and explores the work of musicians like Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald, arguing that jazz, which moves from deep lament to inextinguishable joy, deeply resonates with the hope that is ultimately found in the good news of Jesus Christ.
Category judges Terry Glaspey, Aaron Lee, Brett McCracken, and Rachel Wilhelm said, “What hath jazz to do with Jesus? In A Supreme Love, William Edgar explains how jazz music connects with the hope of the gospel. Clearly written and well researched, this book situates the jazz genre in the historical context of black experience in the United States as well as suggesting jazz follows the arc of the gospel message—from the darkness and sorrow caused by sin to the supreme light and joy of Christ’s salvation. Along the way, Edgar offers fascinating examples and anecdotes from the entire repertoire of jazz. His love for this music is clear and infectious.”
For a complete list of IVP award winners visit ivpress.com/award-winners.
