The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) and Foreword Reviews recently honored three InterVarsity Press titles as finalists for book awards.

Teach Us to Want by Jen Pollock Michel was a finalist in the 2015 Christian Book Award Program from ECPA in the category of new author. True Paradox by David Skeel and Visions of Vocation by Steven Garber were finalists in Foreword Reviews’ INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards in the nonfiction religion category.  

“It’s been gratifying to see the level of engagement surrounding all three of these titles from media, award-giving organizations and, most importantly, readers,” says Jeff Crosby, associate publisher and director of sales and marketing for IVP. “Jen, David and Steve have crafted books that we believe will stand the test of time and be referred to for years to come.”

In Teach Us to Want: Longing, Ambition and the Life of Faith, Michel guides us on a journey of understanding who we are when we want, and reintroduces us to a God who gives us the desires of our hearts. She writes: “Reflecting on our desires asks us to address the more naked parts of who we are and why we do what we do. When we talk about desire, we undress our hearts. We worm our way into intention and hope to arrive at self-awareness.

“When we’re stuck in patterns of chronic sin, we should think to ask, ‘What must I be wanting to continually persist in these choices?’ We usually know that something is driving our behavior, but the forces often feel imperceptible to us. The simple question, ‘What do I want?’ can lead to important change.”

ECPA will announce a winner in each category and the Christian Book of the Year on May 5 at the ECPA Awards Banquet in conjunction with the ECPA Leadership Summit in Nashville.

True Paradox and Visions of Vocation were selected as finalists for the INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards. In the next three months, a panel of more than 100 volunteer librarians and booksellers will determine the winners in 63 categories based on their experience with readers and patrons. Foreword Reviews is the only review magazine solely dedicated to discovering new independent books.

Each year, Foreword Reviews shines a light on a select group of indie publishers, university presses and self-published authors whose work stands out from the crowd. INDIEFAB is Foreword’s Book of the Year program and honors titles for their editorial excellence, production, originality, accuracy and contribution to their genre.

True Paradox: How Christianity Makes Sense of Our Complex World by David Skeel makes a fresh case for the plausibility and explanatory power of Christianity. Bart Swain of the The Wall Street Journal wrote: “True Paradox is written by a Christian in defense of Christianity, but most nonbelieving readers will not find it off-putting. Mr. Skeel expresses great respect for those with whom he disagrees—a good deal more respect, in fact, than some prominent materialists have accorded their believing interlocutors. Which may be precisely what this subject needs.”

Vision of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good by Steven Garber offers a book for everyone everywhere—for students, for parents, for those in the arts, in the academy, in public service, in the trades and in commerce—for all who want to discover the virtue of vocation. Visions of Vocation was also named the 2014 Book of the Year by Hearts & Minds Books and was one of four books to receive the 2014 Leadership Journal Book Award in the category of the Leader’s Outer Life.

A celebration of the INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award winners will take place during the American Library Association Annual Conference the last Friday in June.

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