InterVarsity Press is pleased to announce that three books were chosen as finalists for the 2017 Dallas Willard Center Book Awards.

The Book and Research Awards initiative is one way that the Dallas Willard Center works to promote and recognize exemplary scholarship that addresses Dallas Willard’s primary concerns for the Christian spiritual formation movement and the broader academic and church communities. The IVP titles that received this honor are the following:

Meeting God in Scripture: A Hands-On Guide to Lectio Divina by Jan Johnson offers forty Scripture meditations, organized topically, and gives the tools needed to practice lectio divina on your own. Carolyn Arends, director of education at Renovaré, said, “Jan Johnson has a particular anointed genius for guiding people into interaction with the living God through his Word. Her winsome, accessible lectio divina exercises have been invaluable to the students at the Renovaré Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation, and it’s exciting to see her guides become more widely available. Meeting God in Scripture is a real gift for any of us who desire to spend more time with—and deepen our friendship with—the triune God.”

Silence and Beauty: Hidden Faith Born of Suffering by internationally renowned artist Makoto Fujimura was inspired by Shusaku Endo’s novel Silence, first published in 1966 and one of the greatest works of twentieth-century Japanese literature. Silence took Fujimura on a pilgrimage of grappling with the nature of art, the significance of pain, and his own cultural heritage. His artistic faith journey overlaps with Endo’s as he uncovers deep layers of meaning in Japanese history and literature, expressed in art both past and present. He finds connections to how faith is lived in contemporary contexts of trauma and glimpses of how the gospel is conveyed in Christ-hidden cultures. Silence and Beauty was also awarded the 2016 Aldersgate Prize by the John Wesley Honors College at Indiana Wesleyan University and named the 2017 Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year in the category of counseling and relationships.

Rational Faith: A Philosopher’s Defense of Christianity by renowned philosopher Stephen Davis argues that belief in God is indeed a rational and intellectually sound endeavor. Drawing on a lifetime of rigorous reflection and critical thinking, he explores perennial and contemporary challenges to Christian faith. Davis appraises objections fairly and openly, offering thoughtful approaches to common intellectual problems. C. Stephen Evans, professor of philosophy and humanities at Baylor University said, “Davis is fair to the critics of Christianity and careful not to claim more than his arguments warrant. This is a book that will be helpful to both believers and unbelievers. The tone is personal and down-to-earth; the reader comes away with a sense of having had an enjoyable, stimulating, and possibly life-changing conversation.”

Cindy Bunch, IVP’s associate publisher, editorial, said, “As one of the publishers of Dallas Willard’s work, we are honored to be recipients of these awards. It is gratifying to see the range of books on the arts, Scripture, apologetics and more. The scope of the awards reflects the importance of developing the Christian mind in all areas of life and in that way is truly honoring of Dallas Willard’s legacy.”

See a complete list of IVP award winners at ivpress.com/award-winners.