Christianity Today's 2016 Book Award Winners

Each year Christianity Today announces a selection of books they feel are most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture. We are pleased the editors have selected four Zondervan Academic titles for inclusion in their 2016 list.

• The Pastor Theologian by Gerald Hiestand and Todd Wilson, Award of Merit for The Church/Pastoral Leadership;
• From Dependence to Dignity, by Brian Fikkert and Russell Mask, Award of Merit for Missions/The Global Church;
• Their Rock Is Not Like Our Rock by Daniel Strange, Award of Merit for Theology/Ethics;
• Malestrom by Carolyn Custis James, Winner for Her.meneutics.

These books represent this year's crop of important resources touching on the Bible, the church, theology, missions and other perennial matters of faith. They are the perfect last-minute gift for someone you know, or even for yourself to reward a full, productive year.

Get more information on these books below, and engage them yourself to understand why CT Magazine believes these books will impact the church next year, and in years to come.

The Church/Pastoral Leadership: The Pastor Theologian

Gerald Hiestand and Todd Wilson have identified one of the more important crises of our day: the divorce of the theologian and the pastor. The result is theological and ecclesial anemia. The Pastor Theologian resurrects an ancient vision for the ministerial vocation that’s theologically engaged yet pastoral in essence. They envision “a return of the pastor theologian who has a shepherd’s heart and a pastor’s primary vocational identity, yet who functions as an intellectual peer of the academic theologian…” (15)

Christopher Smith, editor of The Englewood Review of Books, had this to say of their book:

In our age, pastoral ministry is haunted by the specter of technique—the pressure to get things done. Hiestand and Wilson offer a different vision, one that attends not only to what is done, but also to the particular theology that drives our actions. Drawing upon a rich body of historical research, the authors suggest that pastoral ministry and the work of theology should not be mutually exclusive.

Read two columns here and here. Watch this video on what it means to be a pastor theologian.

The Pastor Theologian

By Gerald Hiestand & Todd Wilson

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Missions/The Global Church: From Dependence to Dignity

From Dependence To Dignity offers churches a tangible method for solving global poverty from biblical and economic perspectives. Drawing on best practice research and their own pioneering work with the Chalmers Center, authors Brian Fikkert and Russell Mask show readers how to use cutting-edge microfinance ministries to restore the poor to lives of dignity in Jesus Christ.

Here is what Paul Borthwick, professor of missions at Gordon College, had to say about their book:

Confronted with global poverty and the corresponding suffering, the North American church can fall prey to a pair of mistaken approaches: retreating from a seemingly impossible task, or responding with impulsive but misapplied generosity. This book offers a way forward that can serve to build long-term solutions.

Read this column here to understand the scope of this book.

From Dependence to Dignity

By Brian Fikkert & Russell Mask

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Theology/Ethics: There Rock Is Not Like Our Rock

Given our post-Christendom, multi-faith context, a theology of religions is arguably the most significant contemporary concern confronting Christian mission and apologetics. Daniel Strange's thoughtful, nuanced, biblically faithful work fills a crucial gap in the evangelical evaluation of the role of other religions. He explores not only the question of salvation but also questions of truth, the nature and history of human religiosity, and a host of other issues pertaining to Christian apologetics and contextualization amid religious pluralism.

Michael Bird, lecturer at Ridley College, said of Strange's book:

Strange has produced a courageous and robust treatment on how evangelicals should relate to other religions. He stirs readers to think theologically about world faiths, with a view toward reclaiming the field of 'religious studies' and finding ways to wisely and lovingly share the Good News with those who live in darkness.

Read two reviews here and here, as well as an excerpt, here.

Their Rock Is Not Like Our Rock

By Daniel Strange

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Her.meneutics: Malestrom

Men are in serious trouble. They have been for some time. Recently, the problem has mushroomed thanks to Great Recession. In it’s wake are so-called Single Young Men, who are increasingly adrift without a life script, exemplifying the problem of manhood. Carolyn Custis James has made it her urgent task to do for men in her new book Malestrom what she did for women with Half the Church: help us recapture God’s global vision for his sons.

Jamie A. Hughes, managing editor of In Touch Magazine, praised her book, saying:

For all the progress we’ve made in valuing women, in our society and our churches, a portion of the population still suffers silently: men. Whether they are falling victim to unrealistic stereotypes of masculinity, suffering from a ‘father wound,’ or feeling marginalized by the riptides of culture, men need the loving guidance and support of God’s people. Without a doubt, Malestrom will encourage men and women alike to value and promote a healthy, biblical view of manhood.

Read two columns here and here, as well as an excerpt, here.

Malestrom

By Brian Fikkert & Russell Mask

Buy it Today:
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Buy Direct from Zondervan