Thursday, January 21, 2010

Read and Learn -- CT's Book Awards

Christianity Today has posted the 2010 Christianity Today Book Awards. The editors have chosen a winner and one or two Awards of Merit in the following categories: Apologetics/Evangelism, Biblical Studies, Christianity & Culture, The Church/Pastoral leadership, Christian Living, Fiction, History/Biography, Spirituality, Missions/Global Affairs and Theology/Ethics.

I have read exactly none of the winners.

Several look quite interesting, though, but I am more attracted to the Award of Merit winners (i.e., the runners up) than to the winners. For instance, ITold Me So: Self-Deception and the Christian Life by Gregg A. Ten Elshof, the winner in Christian Living, sounds really good for me; but I'm a lawyer. I'm already an expert at lying to myself. The Award of Merit went to Singled Out: Why Celibacy Must Be Reinvented in Today's Church by Christine A. Colon and Bonnie E. Field.

Although, I must admit that the winner in Biblical Studies sounds far more interesting than the runner-up. Sin, a History by Gary A. Anderson v. The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians by Gordon D. Fee just really isn't much of a contest.

Still, all pretty tame, CT kinds of stuff -- well, not quite. Did you ever think you would see an Anne Rice book on the CT book awards? Me neither, but an Award of Merit for fiction went to Rice's Angel Time.

The Award of Merit for History/Biography is the only thing that has made my to-read list. I just couldn't resist, The Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Hidden Gospels by Janet Soskice. I may not get to it too soon, but I'll let you know when I do.

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