Only one publisher won two Christian Book Awards on Monday night at the CBA and ECPA Awards Celebration. NavPress won in the Bibles category and in Christian Life, while the other awards were spread among a number of publishers.

The Jordon Book of the Year Award was reoriented this year to focus on service rather than on a particular book, being renamed the Jordon Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is named in honor of the late Charles “Kip” Jordon, former publisher of Word Publishing.

The first honoree of the new Jordon Lifetime Achievement Award was Bob DeVries, who began his publishing career in 1963 at Moody Press and was editor in chief when he left in 1968. He served at Zondervan until 1987 as vice president and publisher, and in 1987 he became the founding publisher of Discovery House Publishers, where he still serves.

The Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible, edited by Kevin J. Vanhoozer (Baker Academic), surpassed its more popular competition by being heralded as The ECPA Christian Book of the Year. It received 24 perfect scores from the judges.

The dictionary also took the Bible Reference & Study category, while in Bibles, The Message: Numbered Edition by Eugene H. Peterson (NavPress) won. Vicki Courtney's magazine-type book, Teen Virtue, from Broadman & Holman came out on top in the Children & Youth category, and Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success by John Wooden and Jay Carty (Regal) won in the Inspiration & Gift category. Michael Card's A Sacred Sorrow (NavPress) was honored with the Christian Life award, while The Ezekiel Option by Joel C. Rosenberg (Tyndale House Publishers) was presented with the Fiction award.

Mark Sanborn, author of WaterBrook Press books The Fred Factor and You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader, hosted the evening. In addition, a special presentation and dessert reception commemorated the 50-year anniversary of Christianity Today.

Formerly known as the Gold Medallion Awards, the Christian Book Awards, sponsored by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, have been presented annually since 1978 and honor the best in Christian literature.

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