WORLD Magazine recommended about five hundred books to its readers in 2018 and recently chose from those the top books of the year. The winners were made up of five nonfiction books of the year, four theological honorable mentions, and twenty-five short list honorees, including three InterVarsity Press titles: Last Call for Liberty by Os Guinness, Embodied Hope by Kelly M. Kapic, and Disruptive Witness by Alan Noble. 

Last Call for Liberty: How America’s Genius for Freedom Has Become Its Greatest Threat made the short list in the Understanding America category. WORLD Magazine editors wrote: “In this year of battles between Pro-Trumpers and Never-Trumpers, Os Guinness has thoughtful observations that can benefit both camps. Guinness writes, ‘The present obsession with President Trump, whether supporting or opposing him, is a massively distorting factor for a simple reason: Donald Trump is the consequence of the crisis and not the cause.’’

A frequent international speaker and prominent social critic, Guinness argues that the American republic faces a fundamental crisis of freedom as once again America has become a house divided. This grand treatment of history, civics, and ethics in the Jewish and Christian traditions represents Guinness’s definitive exploration of the prospects for human freedom today.

Embodied Hope: A Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering was one of the short list titles in the Accessible Theology book category. Drawing on his own family’s experience with prolonged physical pain, Kapic reshapes our understanding of suffering into the image of Jesus. Embodied Hope was also chosen as Christianity Today’s 2018 Book of the Year for Theology/Ethics.

Joni Eareckson Tada, founder and CEO, Joni and Friends International Disability Center, said, “I am all too familiar with the topic of this book, having lived as a quadriplegic for nearly fifty years and dealing daily with chronic pain. So I’m always heartened when I stumble upon a rich new resource that really encourages. That describes the remarkable book you hold in your hands. Rather than focus on why, Kelly makes much of how—how to trust God in this world. Best of all, Embodied Hope leads the reader to the foot of the cross, the only place to find true relief and healing.”

Another IVP title that made the short list in the Accessible Theology book category was Disruptive Witness: Speaking Truth in a Distracted Age. In this timely book, Noble looks at our cultural moment, characterized by technological distraction and the growth of secularism, laying out individual, ecclesial, and cultural practices that disrupt our society’s deep-rooted assumptions and point beyond them to the transcendent grace and beauty of Jesus.

Author and podcaster Barnabas Piper said, “While reading Disruptive Witness I got more than a little tired of Alan Noble reading my mind, diagnosing my issues, and jabbing at the nerves of my heart. Page after page he hit on issues of thought, habit, perspective, or lifestyle with which I struggle and in which I fail to be a proper witness for Jesus. Of course what I was really tired of was my own distracted, thin faith. And those are the very things this book helps. Noble clearly and gently diagnoses the problems first and then he offers robust solutions. Disruptive Witness is incisive, substantial, and encouraging for tired, frustrated believers looking for direction.”

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