2013 Press Releases

Jim Hoover Retires from InterVarsity Press After Thirty-Five Years

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:11:00 GMT

After more than thirty-five years in the editorial department at InterVarsity Press, Jim Hoover will be laying down his editorial pen on December 31.

"I could try to measure the contribution Jim has made in number of books edited or pages published in his more than thirty-five years with IVP, but that would be wholly inadequate," said Andy Le Peau, associate publisher for editorial at InterVarsity Press. "He has been a workhorse, but much more. He has been our sheet anchor of wisdom as we have faced innumerable decisions and quandaries over the years."

Hoover is retiring from his role as the associate editorial director and senior editor for IVP Academic. Since 1999 he has served as in-house editor in the area of patristic studies, overseeing editorial work on all twenty-nine volumes of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, the five-volume Ancient Christian Doctrine series, the fifteen-volume Ancient Christian Texts series and, most recently, the Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity.

Tom Oden, general editor for both the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and the Ancient Christian Doctrine series, said, "In over sixty years of writing I have had many editors, but none so thorough and helpful as Jim Hoover. For over two decades I worked closely with Jim on the huge task of editing the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. The outcomes of those efforts have been gratifying to everyone. After completing the ACCS, we worked together on the trilogy of books on Africa beginning with How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind. All of these were difficult books to write and edit, but Jim patiently worked to save me from a multitude of potential errors. I will always be thankful for his patience, generosity, and his special expertise in meticulous line by line editing. His exceptional gift has been to help the author express his deepest intention."

Jim Sire, a retired editor at InterVarsity Press, said, "I am proud to proclaim Jim Hoover as one of my very best friends and theological counselors. I used to say this to people who wanted to know what I thought about a particular theological issue, 'Ask Jim Hoover. He thinks all of my theological thoughts before me.'"

Hoover was also with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship's campus ministry for eight years prior to joining the press. "I have known Jim Hoover from his days as an InterVarsity staff member at Yale University forty years ago," said InterVarsity Press publisher Bob Fryling. "In all of this time he has been a man of great intellectual curiosity, personal integrity and deep spiritual wisdom. He is a highly competent scholar, an astute editor, a gifted musician and a major contributor of excellence to all we do at IVP. We will miss his warm persistent influence of doing the right things and doing things right. We will also miss his genuine friendship and presence at IVP. Congratulations to Jim for a job very well done!"

Fryling recalled when Hoover read the unsolicited manuscript for Eugene Peterson's first book. "He was so impressed that he went down the IVP editorial hallway saying 'listen to this!'" Fryling said. "This book became Peterson's classic, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, but it also describes the life of Jim Hoover."

In Hoover's letter of resignation to Le Peau he wrote, "I still remember coming for my interview and sitting in your office, looking over your shoulder to find out just what it was that an editor did. I hope I learned!" Le Peau says, "I'm sure I've learned more from him over the years than vice versa."

J. I. Packer's Knowing God Marks Forty Years

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:20:00 GMT

J. I. Packer's classic, Knowing God, turned forty this year, revealing to more than a million readers the wonder, glory and joy of knowing God.

"Forty years after its publication in 1973, Knowing God continues to bless readers around the world," wrote John G. Stackhouse Jr. in a recent Christianity Today article. "It continues to inspire authors, too, as it does what very few books have been able to do: present page after page of carefully nuanced Christian doctrine in a style that people actually enjoy reading."

Stemming from Packer's profound theological knowledge, Knowing God brings together two important facets of the Christian faith—knowing about God and knowing God through the context of a close relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. Packer wrote, "Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord."

Jim Sire, InterVarsity Press's first full-time editor, said he solicited the book in May 1972 from Edward England at London-based Hodder & Stoughton, the original publisher of Knowing God. "I had just spent ten days in Switzerland with Os Guinness, polishing the manuscript for his first book, The Dust of Death. It took only fifteen minutes in Edward England's office to acquire the rights for Jim Packer's Knowing God," Sire recalled. "When I showed the proof copy of Knowing God to IVP director Jim Nyquist, he looked at it briefly, then looked at me and said, 'Jim, those fifteen minutes at Hodder & Stoughton are worth more to IVP than your ten days in Switzerland.' Os's book sold very well and is still in print with Cornerstone. But Jim Nyquist was right. More than a million readers of Knowing God over the past forty years have proven that. I doubt that Jim Packer, always quiet about the book's success, ever knew about Jim Nyquist's prediction, and I doubt that he is fully aware of what his book has meant to so many, many others."

In 2006 Christianity Today voted Knowing God one of the top fifty books that have shaped evangelicals. In July 2000 it won the Platinum Book Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishing Association in recognition of more than one million copies sold in North America alone. Today more than 1.5 million copies have been sold worldwide. Knowing God has also been translated into more than a dozen languages.

J. I. Packer, author of Knowing God

In the twentieth anniversary edition of Knowing God, Packer wrote: "When I sent the manuscript of Knowing God to the publisher just over twenty years ago, I thought of it as a study book that could hardly be of general interest. I was wrong. It has become a nurture book for the Christian world. Other nurture books, including some of my own, have fallen by the wayside, but this one keeps going, and a steady flow of letters shows me it keeps on helping people. I am amazed, awed, humbled and constantly moved to thank God."

Andy Le Peau, associate publisher for editorial at InterVarsity Press, said, "When I first read the book forty years ago, I immediately felt myself drawn into the wonder and majesty of God's presence. More than a million in the church have been nurtured in their Christian lives in just the same way."

Jeff Crosby, InterVarsity Press associate publisher and director of sales and marketing, said, "Knowing God has stood the test of time—and will for generations to come."

InterVarsity Press Recognized for Quality, Excellence and Design in Ebooks; Sees Rise in Sales

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:05:00 GMT

Digital Book World, the premier platform offering educational and networking resources for digital publishing professionals and their partners, recognized three InterVarsity Press (IVP) ebooks for achieving their Quality, Excellence, Design (QED) certification.

Additionally, Digital Book World announced their finalists for the 2014 Digital Book Awards, including The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by Dale Hanson Bourke in the "Ebook Flowable—Adult Non-Fiction" category. The award program celebrates innovation in apps and ebook publishing.

"We are all excited to see The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict named a finalist," said Sally Craft, director of digital publishing at IVP. "This very timely and helpful book deserves a wide readership."

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Playing God and One Bible, Many Versions were all recognized for the QED certification in their respective ebook formats, passing a rigorous 13-point quality assurance program. Some of the criteria evaluated include information organization, font treatment and consistency, and functional hyperlinks both to outside sources and referencing within. The QED certification recognizes and supports each reader's ability to access their ebooks, which means that each nominated ebook is tested on mobile, eInk and tablet screens.

"Our staff worked hard during the past year to create increasingly high-quality ebooks—in book design and layout, in editorial, in IT and in our digital conversion team," said Craft. "I'm thrilled that their efforts have been affirmed as our three nominated titles all received QED certification."

Digital Book World considers the QED endorsement a "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval™" for ebooks and mobile apps. Once a product receives this certification, readers can purchase it with confidence, knowing it will provide a quality user experience in the reader's preferred format.

IVP's digital publishing program has seen a significant rise in their ebook sales over the last six months. Much of this is due to an increased effort to create ebooks in a variety of formats for a growing group of vendors, including their own website.

"IVP has been unusually active in making ebooks and getting them into the hands of our readers," says Jon Boyd, digital communications manager. "Almost on a monthly basis, we break our own record for number and value of ebooks sold at ivpress.com But it's across the board: we're simply selling more and more ebooks everywhere readers can find them. That's why the team is putting so much care into designing our ebooks well. It's gratifying to see that quality recognized by Digital Book World!"

For more information about IVP's ebooks, please visit ivpress.com/browse/ebooks.

InterVarsity Press Receives Three Christianity Today Book Awards

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:01:00 GMT

Results of the 2014 Christianity Today Book Awards are in. InterVarsity Press is pleased to announce that three books received the top honor in the categories of Christianity and Culture, Christian Living and Her.meneutics. Two titles also received Awards of Merit in the categories of Missions/Global Affairs and Spirituality.

Jeff Crosby, associate publisher and director of sales and marketing at InterVarsity Press, said, "We are always grateful for the recognition that the Christianity Today's awards' process brings to our titles, our authors and our editorial work. And this year in particular, the words of affirmation attached to each award by the category judges provide both affirmation and ideals to strive for in future years."

Winners of the 2014 Christianity Today Book Awards are titles that judges of each category have deemed "the books most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture."

The World is Not Ours to Save: Finding the Freedom to Do Good by Tyler Wigg-Stevenson received the top award in the category of Christianity and Culture. Wigg-Stevenson, a veteran activist, identifies the practical and spiritual pitfalls that threaten much of today's cause-driven Christianity. He casts an alternate vision for doing good based on the liberating truth that only God can save the world. "Wigg-Stevenson offers insight and advice to a generation badly in need of visionary yet earthy wisdom. This book is freighted with the kind of realism capable of restoring and sustaining high ideals," said Eric Miller, a judge in the Christianity and Culture category and professor of history at Geneva College.

Eat with Joy: Redeeming God’s Gift of Food by Rachel Marie Stone received the highest honor in the Christian Living category. Caryn Rivadeneira, author of Known and Loved, was one of the Christian Living judges. She said, "In this food-crazed society, with the First Lady fat-shaming, Eat With Joy offers wisdom for the challenges of health and 'proper' eating. The book serves up a solid theology of food—of receiving it, enjoying it, and giving thanks for it. It offers the perfect blend of personal stories and research; Scripture and recipes."

Amy Simpson won the award for her book Troubled Minds: Mental Illness and the Church's Mission in the category of Her.meneutics. "Simpson's sensitive recounting of her experience growing up with a schizophrenic parent forms the foundation for a book that belongs underlined and dog-eared on the shelves of every church leader," said Michelle Van Loon, a Her.meneutics judge and author of Uprooted. "Troubled Minds is far more than an introduction to the issues surrounding mental illness and the church. It is a call to practical discipleship for everyone who seeks to follow the One who spent much of his ministry caring for the ill and those at the margins of his society—often the same people."

The Award of Merit in the category of Missions/Global Affairs went to Western Christians in Global Mission: What's the Role of the North American Church? by Paul Borthwick. Scott Moreau, a judge in this category and professor of intercultural studies at Wheaton College, said, "Borthwick introduces Western readers (especially Americans!) to what they need to know to engage the diversity of global Christian faith. Offering both critique and encouragement, he reminds us of how Americans perceive themselves and how they are perceived by sisters and brothers around the world. It's a solid dose of humility to offset our pride at being so-called world leaders."

An Unhurried Life: Following Jesus’ Rhythms of Work and Rest by Alan Fadling received the Award of Merit in the category of Spirituality. Harold Myra, former CEO of Christianity Today, was one of the judges in the Spirituality category. He writes, "Can we gain inner peace and strength in our high-pressured, fast-paced lives? With insights and stories, Fadling, a spiritual director, demonstrates what it takes to experience empowered lives despite life's inevitable crises and urgent demands."

InterVarsity Press to Publish Dallas Willard, John Ortberg Conference Talks

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:22:00 GMT

InterVarsity Press will publish Dallas Willard's final thoughts on heaven, the kingdom of God, discipleship and spiritual transformation. The book, Living in Christ’s Presence: Final Words on Heaven and the Kingdom of God, was born out of talks that Willard gave with John Ortberg at the Knowing Christ Today conference sponsored by the Dallas Willard Center for Spiritual Formation in February 2013. Willard passed away less than three months later on May 8 at the age of seventy-seven.

In October InterVarsity Press released a companion DVD of the conference talks. In this seven-hour, two-disc video presentation, Willard reflects on the state of the university, the meaning of knowledge, the importance of spiritual disciplines and more. Three of the sessions are taught by Ortberg, who also serves as a conversation partner with Willard after each session.

"Even when he knew he was at the end of his life Dallas Willard chose to continue doing what he had always done: teach," said Cindy Bunch, Willard's editor at InterVarsity Press and associate editorial director. "The resulting talks are poignant and Christ-centered. John Ortberg made an ideal teaching companion, presenting several of the talks. At the end of each session John moderated a wonderful dialogue with Dallas teasing out further insight and clarity from this great philosopher and humble follower of Christ."

Willard and Ortberg explore what it means to live well now in light of God's kingdom. They reflect on the power of the Trinity in our lives and what it means for us to offer a blessing to one another. Willard offers meaningful thoughts about what it will be like to transition into the very presence of Christ in heaven. He shared these words during a conversation with Ortberg on the topic of death:

"What Jesus teaches us is that within his presence and with his Word, we begin to live in heaven now, and that's why he says that those who keep his Word will never experience death, as human beings understand it. There is a continuity of life through what we view as death from this point of view, because we do see people die. Their bodies stop working, but they continue to exist as the people they are in the presence of God. I think many people do not realize they’ve died until later. Then they recognize that something is different. I love that line from John Henry Newman's old song 'Lead, Kindly Light': ‘With the morn, those angel faces smile / Which I have loved long since and lost a while.' See, that's the continuity. Really, that's the continuity of life: live now, in the action and presence of God with his people.”

Willard was an acclaimed author whose books include The Divine Conspiracy (Christianity Today’s Book of the Year in 1998), The Spirit of the Disciplines, Hearing God, Renovation of the Heart and others. Willard's most profound influence is in the area of spiritual formation and in the way he humbly mentored so many of today's leaders in the Christian faith, including Ortberg, senior pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, California, and author of many books, including God Is Closer Than You Think.

"John Ortberg was one of numerous people who were shaped by Dallas's life, writings and witness," said Jeff Crosby, InterVarsity Press associate publisher and director of sales and marketing. "Through both the book and the DVD titled Living in Christ's Presence we see their relationship in action, and we encounter their razor-sharp, wise guidance on how we, too, can be transformed and live in Christ's presence, where peace, wholeness, purpose and hope are found."

Ortberg spoke about his respect for Willard during his talk at the Knowing Christ Today conference: "Part of what's wonderful about him is the way he is far from perfect, as all of us are, and he has his own set of struggles. But you get the sense when you are with him that this is not just somebody who is in spiritual formation, but somebody who is actually living in the reality of the kingdom. It has taken over his body in ways that I want it to take over my body."

InterVarsity Press to Serve as Renovaré Fulfillment Center

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:33:00 GMT

Starting November 1, 2013, InterVarsity Press will serve as Renovaré's primary fulfillment partner. Founded in 1988 by Celebration of Discipline author Richard J. Foster, Renovaré (a Latin word meaning “to renew”) is an organization that promotes personal and spiritual renewal.

"More than twenty-five years ago Renovaré began making Protestants aware of the forgotten riches from church history that unfold the tradition of Christian formation," said Cindy Bunch, IVP's associate editorial director and Formatio line editor. "Flowing out of Richard Foster's bestselling book Celebration of Discipline, this ministry has brought a deep renewal of spiritual practices into our lives and our churches. InterVarsity Press is now pleased to be the distributor for Renovaré books and materials."

InterVarsity Press and Renovaré have been in partnership for several years. The growth of IVP's spiritual formation line of books, Formatio, has included cobranded Renovaré resources such as The Apprentice Series, written by Renovaré cofounder James Bryan Smith, The Life of the Body by Valerie Hess and Lane Arnold, and Longing for God and Sanctuary of the Soul, both written by Foster. The two organizations also worked together on the Renovaré International Conference in San Antonio in 2009 and the Apprentice Conferences in 2011 and 2012.

"Renovaré has enjoyed a shared heart for ministry with InterVarsity Press for many years," said Rachel Quan, executive director for Renovaré. "Much of Renovaré's work can be found in our books—the resources we produce and use as we share with people about Christian spiritual formation. And many of those books have been developed alongside IVP. So it was a natural fit for us to partner with them when we began to look for someone who could become our book fulfillment center. We are excited to enter this new partnership! Customers won't notice any difference when they order their books—it will still be the same great customer service and care that goes into each of their orders, and their orders still go to help support the ministry of Renovaré. Our partnership with IVP offers more opportunities to do some special projects together as new books are released—something that our bookstore customers will enjoy and benefit from. More than anything, IVP and Renovaré have teams who long to see people become more like Jesus, and anytime two ministries with this same passion get together, we're sure good things will happen for the kingdom!"

Since its inception, Renovaré has cobranded products with various publishers, selling them at both conferences and renovare.org. Renovaré will continue to operate its web store, but orders will now be processed and fulfilled by InterVarsity Press. In addition to the cobranded products, InterVarsity Press will fulfill orders for the Life with God Bibles, Foster's Celebration of Discipline, Streams of Living Water, and Prayer, "Devotional Classics" coedited by Foster and Smith, as well as many other previously released titles. InterVarsity Press will also serve as the official bookstore at the next Renovaré national event in Houston, Texas (April 2014).

"Renovaré is an organization whose people and products have deeply impacted my faith journey over the last twenty years," says Jeff Crosby, IVP's associate publisher and director of sales and marketing. "I'm grateful for the chance to be partnering with an organization I hold in such high esteem, and look forward to the fruit it will realize—for us, for them, and for the church."

Andy Crouch Featured Speaker at National Press Club Talks

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:02:00 GMT

Andy Crouch, executive editor of Christianity Today, will debate ideas surrounding his new book Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power with nationally syndicated columnist Michael Gerson at an "Evening Conversation" at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, on Thursday, October 17 at 6:30 p.m.

Andy Crouch, author of Playing God

In partnership with The Trinity Forum, Pepperdine University School of Public Policy and InterVarsity Press, Crouch will speak on the temptations and distortions of power, while also examining how power can create flourishing. Gerson will be serving as a respondent to Crouch's thoughts, rounding out an important debate on how power intersects with politics as a part of the Trinity Forum's four-part lecture series on "The Moral Sense in Politics and Policy."

Michael Gerson will bring his background as a nationally syndicated columnist who appears twice weekly in The Washington Post to Thursday's event. Gerson serves as senior advisor at ONE, a bipartisan organization dedicated to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases. Gerson previously served in the White House as deputy assistant to the president and director of presidential speechwriting.

"We are very excited to host Andy Crouch and Mike Gerson as they discuss the nature and purpose of power—a topic of not only theoretical relevance but very practical application in DC," says Cherie Harder, president of The Trinity Forum. "Playing God offers an important and inspiring critique of the way power is commonly viewed, used and abused—and offers hope of its redemption through a new way of understanding its purpose. Andy's book offers an important new way to understand the highest and best use of power—as well as its distortions. His work is a vital contribution to the public conversation."

The Trinity Forum's "Evening Conversations" provide a forum for leaders to engage life's greatest questions in the context of faith, to acquaint leading thinkers with thinking leaders and to provide a platform for the best of Christian thought leadership.

In an interview on Religion News Service with columnist Jonathan Merritt, Crouch said, "I started writing Playing God because I became concerned about two Christian attitudes about power. The first was how little we talked about it—the second was how often, when we did talk about it, we talked about power as something that was simply bad and to be avoided." Crouch’s discussion on power with Gerson will further unpack the ideas that power is a gift to be carefully considered.

Crouch is the author of the award-winning book Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling, and his writing has also appeared in several editions of The Best Christian Writing and The Best Spiritual Writing. He recently served as the executive producer of This Is Our City, a multiyear project featuring documentary video, reporting and essays about Christians seeking the flourishing of their cities.

"Andy Crouch is one of the most significant opinion leaders in the church and society today," says Bob Fryling, publisher at InterVarsity Press. "He is a Christian statesman and visionary who brings wisdom, clarity and passion to complex matters of society and soul. His book Playing God is a major contribution for not only understanding what plagues us spiritually but also what to do about it personally and institutionally. InterVarsity Press is pleased to publish this profound book for the redemption and flourishing of both church and culture."

The Trinity Forum is a nonprofit organization that works to cultivate networks of leaders whose integrity and vision will renew culture and promote human freedom and flourishing.

Award-Winning IVP Black Dictionary Revised and Expanded

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:10:00 GMT

InterVarsity Press is pleased to announce the publication of a revised and updated edition of their classic Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. Over twenty-one years after the publication of the first edition, this full remake of the critically acclaimed 1992 edition has been almost completely rewritten. Over 90 percent of articles from the first edition have been replaced and written by new contributors, and remaining original articles have been thoroughly revised and updated.

"The first edition of the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels was a landmark in New Testament scholarship that set a standard for a generation," Andrew T. Le Peau, associate publisher and editorial director, said. "The second edition is no mere revision but is almost entirely written afresh and fully takes into account the sea change in gospel studies that has occurred in the last two decades."

Project editor Dan Reid, who has overseen the publication of all eight volumes in the IVP Bible Dictionary Series, has spent the past four years working on this project.

"Since this is nearly a wholesale redo, it is taking nearly as much time and energy as constructing a black dictionary from the ground up," said Reid. "But one advantage is that we had the list of articles and one editor who had done it all before. The process of assigning, acquiring, reviewing, revising, reviewing and sometimes revising again takes a lot of time."

Part of the decision to revise comes from the emergence of a wealth of Jesus and Gospel scholarship since 1992. Throughout its 175 in-depth articles, this new edition of the Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels weighs the gains and shortcomings of the new scholarship. Readers will also find benefit in the thorough coverage of each Gospel, major themes in the Gospels, key episodes in the life of Jesus, significant background topics, as well as issues and methods of interpretation. Additionally, the bibliographies are full and up to date, putting readers in touch with the best work in the field..

Beyond new articles and revisions, the new dictionary also has two new editors: Nicholas Perrin (Franklin S. Dyrness Chair of Biblical Studies at the Wheaton College Graduate School) and Jeannine K. Brown (professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary).

"We wanted to have a couple of younger scholars who represent a younger generation of evangelical scholarship coming into its own and found them in Nick Perrin and Jeannine Brown, both specialists in Jesus and the Gospels," said Reid. Joel B. Green, professor of New Testament at Fuller Seminary, was an editor on both editions and walked through the revision process with Perrin and Brown.

"Twenty years ago IVP began its groundbreaking series of dictionaries on large segments of the Bible with an outstanding volume on Jesus and the Gospels," said Craig L. Blomberg, Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary. "The contributors represent an 'all-star' cast of contemporary, largely evangelical scholars, with noticeably greater representation by women and minorities. No serious student of Scripture will want to be without this volume."

To learn more about the IVP Bible Dictionary Series or to purchase the entire set, visit ivpress.us/the-ivp-bible-dictionary-series.

Andy Crouch Discusses Culture, Power and Playing God as Featured Speaker at Q

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:30:00 GMT

Andy Crouch, known as one of Christianity's most compelling visionaries on culture, was the featured speaker at the Q session in New York City Tuesday and Wednesday, September 17 and 18. Crouch addressed one hundred leaders at the Q session on the topic of power and what it means to bear God's image in a culture that has substituted it for many other images. Q, a learning community started by Catalyst cofounder Gabe Lyons, mobilizes Christians to advance the common good in society.

Andy Crouch, author of Playing God

"Few friends impact my thinking, organizational mission and theological grounding the way Andy Crouch does," said Lyons. "In addition to being the Q Conference's top-rated speaker year after year, my personal time with Andy always leads to deep reflection, conviction and adjustments in my thinking on gospel-minded cultural engagement."

Crouch was also the featured guest on Lyons' QCast, which aired live from the American Bible Society atrium in New York on Wednesday. Crouch drew from his new book, Playing God (IVP Books, October 2013), to talk about what constitutes "good news" and why power isn't such a dirty word.

"It was amazing to get to dig so deeply into the themes of Playing God with such a seasoned and committed group of one hundred leaders from all over the country," Crouch said. "I think we all left more aware of how good power can be, and how deeply corrupted power and privilege and status have become, but the dominant emotion at the end of the two days was hope in God who can rescue and redeem us. It was also a great challenge to boil the themes of two days down into thirty minutes! The QCast is a great place to go for a briefing on some themes that I believe are going to be essential for Christian cultural creativity in the coming years."

In Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power Crouch unpacks the dynamics of power that either can make human flourishing possible or can destroy the image of God in people. While the effects of power are often very evident, he uncovers why power is frequently hidden. "Playing God is a clear and compelling call for Christians to steward the kind of power that enables flourishing," said Lyons.

Crouch's previous book, Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling, won Christianity Today's 2009 Book Award for Christianity and Culture and was named one of the best books of 2008 by Publishers Weekly, Relevant, Outreach and Leadership. Crouch currently serves as the executive editor of Christianity Today, where he was also executive producer of This Is Our City, a multiyear project featuring documentary video, reporting and essays about Christians seeking the flourishing of their cities.

Os Guinness to Address United Nations Diplomats About The Global Public Square

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:06:00 GMT

Academics, the media and diplomats are turning to Os Guinness, a prominent social critic and author of The Global Public Square: Religious Freedom and the Making of a World Safe for Diversity, for his insights into one of the most pressing issues of our time—religious expression and tolerance. On September 10 Guinness was the featured guest for "On Topic with Ken Starr" at Baylor University, which will air on C-SPAN'S "Book TV" in early October. Guinness will also be the featured speaker at the International Prayer Breakfast for the opening day of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday, September 17.

Os Guinness, author of The Global Public Square

Guinness was the latest in a series of top scholars brought to Baylor University each semester for the free "On Topic" public conversations. The series, hosted by Baylor president, Ken Starr, has featured such guests as former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, longtime U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell.

The underlying message from Guinness during the "On Topic" session was that the declining importance of religious freedom and civic education in society is a reflection of the decline of society as a whole. Guinness explained to the Waco Hall audience that the nation's founding values have allowed the United States to be a leader in allowing religious conversation of all sorts in public forums, but that the growing emphasis on a strict separation of church and state is weakening that leadership role.

"We were delighted to have Dr. Os Guinness at Baylor University for an active, thoughtful and inspiring conversation," said Starr. "Dr. Guinness has put before the nation, and the entire world, a critical question for our times: How do people of good faith—and no faith—live together in the face of their profound differences? Dr. Guinness reminds us of the deep need to restore a culture of respect for the great variety of competing perspectives and to welcome different voices into the conversation. This idea is millennia old, but in our modern age, it is as if much of the world has forgotten the importance of respectful dialogue. We were honored to hear from Dr. Os Guinness as he spoke about a 'constructive vision for a better way' and the essential values that must endure if we are to realize the vision of a true global public square."

On Tuesday Guinness will be the keynote speaker for the 28th Annual International Prayer Breakfast. He will address nearly two hundred ambassadors, diplomats and executives from the United Nations Secretariat. John Austin, executive director of the Christian Embassy, which hosts the gathering, said that when he heard about the September release of The Global Public Square, he knew that freedom of expression should be the topic for the prayer breakfast and that Guinness should be the spokesperson.

"There have been various efforts over the past few decades to address the topic of religious expression and tolerance," Austin said. "I believe the time is right and the issue of such importance that Dr. Guinness's insights could raise the discussion to a whole new level, and that world leaders might honestly grapple with the question: How do we live together with our deepest differences? I know of no one better qualified to address this timely issue."

Guinness has written or edited more than twenty-five books. The Global Public Square, his newest book, presents the case for the necessary freedom of religion for all people that would help individuals, people groups and nations worldwide live in harmony amidst the sectarian violence found in so many pockets of the world today.

"Os Guinness has long been a perceptive observer of culture, and he has long been quite influential as a wise sage and role model for thoughtful Christians and citizens at large," said Al Hsu, senior editor of IVP Books. "His global perspective and historical insight always provide astute analysis and hopeful direction. Given the complexities of the world we live in, I'm grateful that Os is helping us all move toward a more civil, peaceful and just society."

Guinness's "On Topic" discussion is available at Baylor.edu/president.

Bestselling Apprentice Author Signs Three-Book Contract with InterVarsity Press

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:08:00 GMT

James Bryan Smith, author of the bestselling The Good and Beautiful God, has signed a three-book contract with InterVarsity Press on the topics of beauty, goodness and truth. The first book, on beauty, will release in fall 2015.

James Bryan Smith, author of The Good and Beautiful God

Smith says his books will focus on the life of Jesus, who revealed God's glory (beauty), who went about doing good, and who was himself the truth. "I am very excited to be working again with the stellar staff at IVP," Smith said. "The subjects of beauty, goodness and truth are of great importance to all people, and these ideas I have been working on have deeply impacted my life with God. God is beautiful, good and true, and he has created us to long for all three. I pray these books will bring a sense of wonder and gratitude and faith to all who read them."

Smith is a theology professor at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, and is a founding member of Richard J. Foster's spiritual renewal ministry, Renovare. He also serves as the director of the Aprentis Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation at Friends University.

"We are pleased to be continuing with James Bryan Smith and the Aprentis Institute with three new books," said Cindy Bunch, associate editorial director at InterVarsity Press. "Jim brings real-life application to spiritual formation concepts in a way that is bearing fruit in the lives of many. As Jim's editor, I am grateful to be one of the first to read his new work."

Smith is the author of ten books, five with InterVarsity Press, including the award-winning Apprentice Series: The Good and Beautiful God, The Good and Beautiful Life and The Good and Beautiful Community. His most recent book, Hidden in Christ, released in July 2013.

"Jim's Apprentice Series has been a delightful and rewarding project to work on over the past four years," Jeff Crosby, InterVarsity Press's associate publisher and director of sales and marketing, said. "We consistently hear from readers about the life-changing impact of that series and, more recently, Hidden in Christ. I'm grateful for the chance to work on the new books with Jim and his Aprentis team in Wichita, and I'm confident they, too, will challenge, encourage and equip readers in significant ways."

Listen to Smith's Things Above Podcast and follow him on Twitter: @jamesbryansmith.

Holy Is the Day Author Engages Retailers at Summer in Paris CBA Event

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:38:00 GMT

InterVarsity Press author Carolyn Weber was one of the featured authors at the Canadian Christian Booksellers Association retailer event Summer in Paris on August 6 at David C. Cook Distribution in Canada. CBA retailers from Canada had the opportunity to spend a summer day in Paris where they gained great ideas for engaging with the churches in their communities, were introduced to up-and-coming Christian worship leaders and engaged with Weber and Christian fiction author Sandra Orchard.

"Retailers instantly warmed to Carolyn Weber, author of upcoming new release Holy Is the Day," said Deb Tempelmeyer, senior director of marketing (book and gift) at David C. Cook Distribution Canada. "Carolyn had such a relaxed, engaging manner that the retailers couldn't wait to hear more of her personal story and spiritual journey. You could tell that great conversation was happening with Carolyn as everyone waited patiently in the long line up to receive their signed copies."

In Holy Is the Day: Living in the Gift of the Present (October 2013) Weber, a London, Ontario–based author, reflects on the eternal beauty that lurks within the present. Emotionally and physically exhausted from managing her career as a college professor, writing her first book (Surprised by Oxford), and parenting three children under the age of three, she sets out on a journey to find the still, small space in each day. Drawing from literature, history and everyday life, Holy Is the Day is a collection of spiritual reflections that traces the way God's ever-renewing grace is a gift of the present. Weber shares poignant stories of endurance, humility, compassion, remembrance and gratitude, as well as a harrowing account of a near-death experience.

"We're grateful for the exposure our friends at Cook Distribution Canada have given Carolyn Weber and her book Holy Is the Day," Jeff Crosby, IVP's associate publisher and director of sales and marketing, said. "They have caught a vision for the book, have nurtured a relationship with Weber, and are working in close partnership with us to make the book known throughout Canada. We are uncommonly grateful for that."

Crosby and Tempelmeyer announced that they have jointly hired Graf-Martin Communications of Elmira, Ontario, for a nationwide publicity campaign in Canada focused on Holy Is the Day.

Visit Weber’s blog at pressingsave.com.

InterVarsity Press Receives Book of the Year Awards from Logos Bookstores

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:24:00 GMT

InterVarsity Press was honored with two Book of the Year awards by the Association of Logos Bookstores during its annual convention held at St. Louis University on June 23.

A Free People's Suicide: Sustainable Freedom and the American Future by Os Guinness was named the best book in the Christianity and Culture category. Summoning historical evidence on how democracies evolve, Guinness shows that contemporary views of freedom—most typically, a negative freedom from constraint—are unsustainable because they undermine the conditions necessary for freedom to thrive. He calls us to reconsider the audacity of sustainable freedom and what it would take to restore it.

Pursuing God's Will Together: A Discernment Practice for Leadership Groups by Ruth Haley Barton was honored with the award in the Spirituality and Devotional category. Barton, president of The Transforming Center, helps teams discover personal and group practices that lead them into a new way of experiencing community and listening to God together.

The Logos Awards has been an annual event since the early 1990s. Awards were presented by Becky Gorczyca, the executive director of the member-owned Association of Logos Bookstores, whose first store dates back to 1967 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

"Logos Bookstores are among our strongest and longest-term retail trading partners, and we're delighted for the recognition these awards bring to two very fine books by two of our bestselling authors," Jeff Crosby, IVP's associate publisher and director of sales and marketing, said.

The Kent, Ohio–based non-profit Association of Logos Bookstores serves independent Christian bookstores in the United States, Canada and the Bahamas.

Kneeling with Giants Receives Devotional Book of the Year Award

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:19:00 GMT

Kneeling with Giants: Learning to Pray with History’s Best Teachers (InterVarsity Press/IVP Books) by Gary Neal Hansen was honored with the Christian Resources Together 2013 Devotional Book of the Year Award. Christian Resources Together is a United Kingdom–based organization that provides support, fellowship, training and business opportunities for those working within the Christian retailers and suppliers trade.

The Christian Resources Together Awards are presented each year at the Christian Resources Together Retailers & Suppliers Retreat at The Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire, England. Brian Wilson, chief executive of IVP in the United Kingdom, accepted the award on behalf of Hansen and InterVarsity Press.

Other books nominated for the Devotional Book of the Year included When You Pray by Joanna Collicutt (Bible Reading Fellowship), Run Your Race by Rachel Hickson (Monarch) and The Shack Reflections by William Paul Young (Hodder & Stoughton).

In Kneeling with Giants Hansen introduces ten historical figures who were uniquely connected to God through prayer. Kneeling with Giants is divided into four sections, each highlighting different historical figures and providing different prayer methods for those who find themselves longing for a deeper connection with God.

"Gary Hansen's book combines incisive teaching on prayer with a rich overview of praying people throughout the spectrum of church history," Jeff Crosby, IVP's associate publisher and director of sales and marketing, said. "We’re grateful to receive this award from our Christian publishing and bookselling partners in the United Kingdom on his behalf as an affirmation of a book that will pay dividends to believers throughout the world for years to come."

The Christian Resources Awards acknowledge the best in publishing, music, media, gifts, cards, retailing and longevity of service to the trade. The criteria for the awards, submission and judging is overseen by Christian Resources Together with the support of the Booksellers Association – Christian Booksellers Group. The awards are sponsored by organizations and businesses associated with the Christian retail trade.

Michael Card Launch Event Introduces New Biblical Imagination Book and CD

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:25:00 GMT

InterVarsity Press partnered with Hearts & Minds Books of Dallastown, PA, to host the launch event on May 16 for Michael Card's new book in the Biblical Imagination Series, Matthew: The Gospel of Identity, and the accompanying CD, Matthew: The Penultimate Question. Nearly two hundred people filled the Living Word Community Church in Red Lion, PA, to hear from "classy/casual acoustic musician (and smarty-pants author) Mr. Michael Card," as described by Hearts & Minds Books owner Byron Borger.

Author Michael Card plays at Living Word Community Church

"As we are in our thirtieth year of doing this bookselling thing, we were honored to have such a high caliber musician turned author gracing us, and glad for the ongoing support of the Living Word Community Church," said Borger, who owns Hearts & Minds Bookstore with his wife, Beth. "We were so grateful when IVP approached us, knowing that Michael Card would be ideal for our store."

"It was a joy to be present for the release party in celebration of Michael's latest book and CD on the Gospel of Matthew," said Michael Card's manager, Holly Benyousky. "It told of a long and fruitful collaboration between InterVarsity Press and Michael Card. The additional support from Byron Borger of Hearts & Minds Books and Living Word Community Church produced an evening that illustrated the strength of community on behalf of a voice that is needed in our world."

The Biblical Imagination Series includes six music CDs and books: Luke: A World Turned Upside Down, Luke: The Gospel of Amazement, Mark: The Beginning of the Gospel, Mark: The Gospel of Passion, Matthew: The Penultimate Question and Matthew: The Gospel of Identity. Taking seriously the individual life and voice of each biblical writer, Card invites readers to enter into Scripture as he has learned to do, at the level of the informed imagination.

"InterVarsity Press has been delighted by our long-standing publishing relationship with Michael Card, and an even longer trading relationship with Byron and Beth Borger at Hearts & Minds," Jeff Crosby, IVP's associate publisher, said. "Putting the two of them together was truly the best of both sides of our industry's equation. Hearing the significant, heart-felt questions from the readers gathered at the event and, even more, hearing their affirmations for the impact of Card's books and music over more than three decades, left me with a strong reminder of our mission and the value of writing, publishing and distributing Christian resources."

"Author events like this forge customer loyalty, create new friendships, offer new inspirations and often deepen discipleship," Borger said. "I know that is the case with Michael's moving presentation. I know that is what InterVarsity Press really wants, and that is what we're about."

Acclaimed Writer and Respected Teacher Dallas Willard Dies

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:03:00 GMT

Dallas Willard, renowned teacher, acclaimed writer, and one of our most brilliant Christian thinkers, died of cancer May 8, 2013. He was 77.

"This morning our wonderful teacher and friend awakened to the full goodness of the Kingdom of the Heavens he had described so beautifully," said friend and colleague Gary Moon, director of the Dallas Willard Center for Spiritual Formation at Westmont College. "I believe Dallas Willard was one of the great reformers of Christian thought of the past century and that his most powerful lessons were in how he lived an unhurried life with God."

Kent Carlson, a friend of Willard, said, "I heard Dallas say recently that some people will die and it will be a while before they realize they are dead. That is vintage Dallas. Eternity is real and it has already begun. He lived this. He once wrote, 'You are an unceasing spiritual being with an eternal destiny in God's great universe.' I cling to this truth today."

Willard is known for changing the way thousands of Christians experience their faith. "Again and again I have been profoundly struck by Dallas Willard's ability to speak fully to both mind and heart," said Richard J. Foster. "His intellectual stature and his deep devotion to Christ are distinguishing marks of his life. And, above all else, the humility and gracious character of his life is simply stunning."

"He is the kind of figure and person that only is given by God once in many generations," said Keith Meyer, friend of Willard.

"My beloved friend and mentor, Dr. Dallas Willard, was the most brilliant and Christlike man I have ever known," said James Bryan Smith. "He preached and taught the gospel of the available Kingdom of God, and lived it each day. Quite simply, his life and teaching radically changed my life for the good."

"Dallas Willard has called evangelicals back to the ancients and their practice of the forgotten disciplines of silence, solitude, reflective reading of scripture and unceasing prayer, fasting, etc. and their vision of the kind of life these can produce," said Meyer. "We who have learned from him stand on his shoulders looking for how to build on his work."

Cindy Bunch, Willard's editor at InterVarsity Press and associate editorial director, saw his influence play out in the lives of authors she worked with. "I have had the delightful privilege of getting to know Dallas Willard through many of the authors we have published, particularly in the Formatio line. James Bryan Smith has shared with me of how Dallas would encourage him not to reference him so much, saying, 'If it was any good, it did not come from me, but from the Holy Spirit, so consider it public domain.' Todd Hunter likewise told me how Dallas encouraged him to run with many ideas that Dallas had seeded in him. Alongside the encouragement from Dallas came a gentle guidance. Keith Meyer has often recalled the message he received from Dallas after we had sent a book contract: 'Keith, just remember, you are the donkey pulling the Jesus cart.' So thank you to James Bryan Smith, Richard Foster, Nathan Foster, Gary Moon, Kent Carlson, Mike Lueken, Todd Hunter, Mindy Caliguire, Keith Meyer, Gayle Beebe, Glandion Carney, Emilie Griffin and Jan Johnson for giving me glimpses into what it is like to do life in companionship with Dallas. Dallas Willard was a person who repeatedly gave himself—even when it meant sidelining his own projects—to invest in the lives of others."

Dallas Albert Willard was born in Buffalo, Missouri, on September 4, 1935. A 2006 Christianity Today article about Willard said that his elders told him he was insatiable about the "why questions" as a child. Willard did not remember that, but he did recall the struggle to stay alive during the Great Depression and the anguish of being separated from his siblings some years after his mother died when he was only two years old. He devoured books after following his siblings to their one-room Missouri school as a four-year-old. After high school he worked as an agricultural laborer, and he continued to work with his hands throughout his life, doing carpentry and landscaping on his hilltop property north of Los Angeles.

Willard was nineteen when he married Jane Lakes. He says that apart from the knowledge of God, Jane has been the greatest blessing in his life. "On many occasions, she has held me steady and preserved me from going off track," Willard said in a Christianity Today interview. The Willards have two children, John and Becky, and a granddaughter, Larissa.

Willard attended William Jewell College, and he later graduated from Tennessee Temple College in 1956 with a BA in psychology, and from Baylor University in 1957 with a BA in philosophy and religion. Willard was ordained a Southern Baptist pastor but left the pastorate to study philosophy in the 1960s. He went to graduate school at Baylor University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earning a PhD in philosophy with a minor in the history of science in 1965.

Willard was a professor in the School of Philosophy at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Beginning in 1965 he taught at USC, where he was a director of the School of Philosophy from 1962 to 1985. He also taught at the University of Wisconsin (Madison, 1960-1965), and held visiting appointments at UCLA (1969) and the University of Colorado (1984).

Willard believed passivity to be a widespread problem in the church, and his greatest goal for the church was to make genuine disciples of Jesus. "Dallas thought about his faith and he talked about his faith but most importantly he talked about Jesus whom he called the 'smartest man who ever lived,'" said Bob Fryling, InterVarsity Press publisher. "I am deeply indebted to Dallas for his winsome example and rich teaching on how to be a spiritual person as a disciple of Jesus Christ."

Todd Hunter, friend and student of Willard recalled: "Many years ago in a private moment I asked Dallas: 'What is your greatest concern about the Kingdom-based spiritual formation movement?' Without hesitation he answered: 'Willard-ites.' We sat silent for a few moments, that word hanging in the air. On his countenance, in his eyes, I could see a fear that someone might mistake Dallas or his teaching for the endgame, not the signposts he meant them to be of his profound love of Jesus and his kingdom. I can’t say much more or I’d run the risk of either hyperbole or sounding like what Dallas wanted greatly to avoid. Perhaps, though, I could end with this: no human being taught me more about life in Jesus and his Kingdom. And I vow, until the day I die, to the best I can, as an apprentice to Jesus, to announce, demonstrate and embody the gospel of the Kingdom of God."

View IVP's tribute to Dallas at ivpress.com/dallas-willard.

Ruth Haley Barton Signs Six-Book Contract with InterVarsity Press

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:34:00 GMT

Award-winning author Ruth Haley Barton has signed a six-book contract with InterVarsity Press. Barton, president of the Transforming Center, a spiritual formation ministry to pastors and Christian leaders, will release Invitation to Transforming Community, the first of six books in the Transforming Church series, in Fall 2014.

"I am very excited about publishing a new series of books on becoming a transforming church with IVP," Barton said. "This series will include a 'big book' addressed to leaders which will cast vision and clarify the major components of a church or ministry organization committed to becoming a transforming community plus a collection of smaller books designed to guide community members in studying and learning together in small groups and educational settings. Developing resources that equip and empower leaders to cultivate transforming communities is a natural next step for me and for the Transforming Center. We are so pleased to be taking it in partnership with IVP!"

"The Transforming Center is doing significant work equipping leaders in the church to have a transformational impact on the lives of the people they touch," said Jeff Crosby, InterVarsity Press associate publisher and director of sales and marketing. "Throughout its existence, both IVP and, more personally, I have been honored to be a partner with Ruth and her team. I look forward to collaborating with them on the launch of this new collection of books."

Barton published her first book with InterVarsity Press, Equal to the Task, in 1998. She has published five more books with InterVarsity Press, including Invitation to Solitude and Silence (2005 Christianity Today Book Award), Sacred Rhythms (2006 Logos Book Award), Longing for More, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership and Pursuing God's Will Together (2012 Leadership Book Award).

Cindy Bunch, Barton's editor and associate editorial director said, "It has been a delight to be Ruth Haley Barton's editor for the past fifteen years and to follow her journey as a leader in the area of spiritual formation. We are very pleased to be continuing the relationship long into the future. Ruth has some very important work ahead of her as she helps churches bring spiritual formation into the center of their ministry.”

InterVarsity Press Realigns with Noble Marketing Group

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:26:00 GMT

InterVarsity Press will once again be partnering with the Noble Marketing Group to expand its reach to Christian retailers and academic bookstores. The Noble Marketing Group offers professional sales representation with ten field representatives and two regional account representatives throughout the United States.

InterVarsity Press worked with the Noble Marketing Group for more than eight years up until 2011. At that time Jeff Crosby, InterVarsity Press associate publisher and director of sales and marketing, deployed an in-sourced sales model at IVP for the first time since the mid-1980s. With the decline in the number of retail outlets, both Christian and academic trade, the plan was designed to have more direct contact with retailers in an effort to bring a sharper focus on the InterVarsity Press publishing program.

Crosby said, "When we made the decision to test the in-sourced sales model in August 2011, Noble Marketing president Ted Terry and I agreed that the doors would remain open, both on the IVP and the Noble side of the equation, to work together again."

Crosby worked with the in-house sales team to set certain benchmarks to evaluate the impact of the new model. They determined that even though the in-sourced paradigm brought them into more direct relationship with Christian retail and academic stores, the sales team was unable to reach the breadth of retailers that Noble served.

"We learned a great deal during the sixteen months of our experimental in-sourced sales paradigm," Crosby said. "Even with the decline in the number of retail outlets, we found that our coverage was not as broad or as effective as what Ted Terry and the other members of the Noble Marketing Group afford their client publishers. I'm delighted to once again be working with the Noble team, and I look forward to the fruitful years of partnership ahead of us."

"It's a pleasure to once again represent IVP and their thoughtful books in stores where people can read and be influenced and encouraged," Terry said. "We missed representing their titles over the past sixteen months. I'm grateful that Jeff Crosby and the IVP team once again have placed their faith in Noble Marketing to do the job."

Os Guinness to Release Groundbreaking Proposal for a World Torn by Conflict

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:27:00 GMT

Os Guinness, a prominent social critic and author of more than twenty-five books, will be releasing his second book with InterVarsity Press titled The Global Public Square: Religious Freedom and the Making of a World Safe for Diversity (September 2013). In this groundbreaking book Guinness answers questions surrounding the idea of maintaining personal freedom amidst the differences that arise in public life. Guinness claims to hold a golden key to a troublesome issue in the future of humankind, and charts a course to fulfill the promise of President Kennedy’s dream of "a world safe for diversity."

"The present generation now rising to its early adulthood across the earth can be described as 'the crunch generation' because of the present state of the global era and the many crucial issues converging to challenge humankind... economic, technological, demographic, social, political, medical, environmental, as well as nuclear," wrote Guinness. "If the coming generation answers these issues responsibly and well, the world can look forward to calmer sailing. But if they are answered badly or not at all, the prospects for the future and the future of humankind are turbulent."

Al Hsu, senior editor of IVP Books, said: "Os Guinness is a tremendously perceptive thinker whose insights are widely respected, even by those who may not agree with him fully. His breadth of understanding and grasp of history give him distinct perspective for understanding current events. Religious freedom is a crucial issue for us today, both domestically and globally, and his new book casts a constructive vision for the common good of the whole world."

In his first book with InterVarsity Press, A Free People’s Suicide: Sustainable Freedom and the American Future, Guinness argued that the American experiment in freedom is at risk and called us to reconsider the audacity of sustainable freedom and what it would take to restore it.

Guinness has been the subject of numerous media interviews, appearing on programs such as C-SPAN’s Booknotes. Most recently Rush Limbaugh quoted A Free People’s Suicide on his March 18 broadcast when he turned to the topic of freedom. He said that he agreed with Guinness's view of freedom and virtue, and drew from this excerpt for the broadcast discussion: "Americans today are heedlessly pursuing a vision of freedom that is short-lived and suicidal. Once again, freedom without virtue; leadership without character; business without trust; law without customs; education without meaning; and medicine, science and technology without human considerations can end only in disaster."

Guinness, also the author of the well-known The Case for Civility, has been a frequent speaker and seminar leader at political and business conferences in both Europe and the United States, and has addressed audiences from the House of Commons to the U.S. Congress. His countless addresses at leading universities have helped to influence an entire generation of thinkers.

IVP’s Latest “Black Dictionary” Chosen as a Finalist for the ECPA Book Awards

Tue, 26 Jul 2016 21:04:00 GMT

InterVarsity Press's Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets was recognized as a finalist in the 2013 ECPA Book Awards for Bible Reference. The publication of this volume last June completed the eight-volume IVP Bible Dictionary set. The comprehensive research of these dictionaries has made a significant contribution to evangelical scholarship, covering the entire biblical canon.

"It is gratifying to see the Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets being named a finalist in the Bible Reference category of the 2013 ECPA Book Awards," said Dan Reid, series editor. "Along with past awards in this series, this is a credit to the volume editors and the numerous biblical scholars who have given their time, expertise and energy to make this happen. In a day when our first impulse is to turn to Google or Wikipedia for immediate answers that seem 'good enough,' it's heartening to see hard-won knowledge receive recognition."

Known affectionately as the "Black Dictionaries" for their cover design, the set has grown in popularity within the scholarly community over the last two decades. With more than 300,000 volumes sold, the IVP Bible Dictionary Series has been used in countless venues worldwide for contemporary evangelical discussion. The previously published volumes have also received numerous accolades, including the Christianity Today Critics' Choice Award, the Association of Logos Bookstores Book Award and multiple ECPA Gold Medallions, and have been named books of the year by the Academy of Parish Clergy and Christianity Today.

The Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets includes 115 articles highlighting all aspects of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the twelve Minor Prophets and Daniel. Volume editors Mark J. Boda and J. Gordon McConville thoroughly cover each book's historical, cultural, religious and literary background alongside articles on interpretation history and critical method.

"The immense value that any of the volumes in the Black Dictionary series hold to those engaged in critical study of the Bible is certainly reflected in the current offering, and in instances of repeated articles from previous volumes, one of course will find the most up to date research and references," wrote Dan Wu in the Journal for the Evangelical Study of the Old Testament. "Boda and McConville have done a marvelous service to the ever-changing and expanding field of study in the OT, and the Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets belongs on the shelves of libraries and studies of anyone engaged in the area."

Winners be named at ECPA's 2013 Awards Banquet on April 29, 2013, during their annual Leadership Summit. To learn more about the IVP Bible Dictionary Series or to purchase the entire set, visit ivpress.us/the-ivp-bible-dictionary-series.