The Gospel Coalition (TGC) has announced that Christianity at the Crossroads by Michael Kruger was chosen as one of its best books of 2018.

TGC reviews around three hundred titles each year between its regular book review section and its academic journal, Themelios. From those titles judges selected one 2018 TGC Book Award winner and one runner-up for each of nine categories. Christianity at the Crossroads was chosen as the award winner in the History & Biography category.

Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church by Michael J. Kruger examines how Christianity took root in the second century, how it battled to stay true to the vision of the apostles, and how it developed in ways that would shape both the church and Western culture over the next two thousand years.

David A. deSilva, trustees’ distinguished professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary, said, “Kruger takes us into a world in which ‘Christianity’ is still very much at risk and up for grabs, struggling to find its identity in the midst of forces within and without seeking to define its identity or suppress its existence. His book invites us into the tensions and trajectories that would eventually give shape to what we, in distant retrospect, take for granted as Christian faith, practice, and polity. I recommend it highly, alongside the texts that have richly informed it (the apostolic fathers, the early martyrologies, and the apologists), to all those interested in learning how ‘New Testament faith’ found its footing and began to take root.”

TGC winners and runners-up are chosen based on whether they offer gospel-centered argument and application; include faithful and foundational use of Scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament; foster spiritual discernment of contemporary trials and trends; and encourage efforts to unite and renew the church.

For a complete list of IVP award winners visit ivpress.com/award-winners.