Three books authored by Biolans have been honored in the 2010 Christianity Today Book Awards, winning two of the 12 top awards and one of the 11 awards of merit. Choosing from 472 titles, all released in 2009, judges at Christianity Today looked for books that best shed light on the people, events, and ideas that shape evangelical life, thought, and mission.

God is Great, God is Good: Why Believing in God Is Reasonable and Responsible, co-edited and authored by William Lane Craig, research professor of philosophy for Talbot School of Theology, won the top prize for the Apologetics/Evangelism category. Chair of Biola’s Department of Philosophy, Gregg A. Ten Elshof’s book, I Told Me So: Self-Deception and the Christian Life, won in the category of Christian Living. Also winning an award of merit in the Christian Living category was Biola alumni Christine A. Colon (’90) and Bonnie E. Field’s (’91) book, Singled Out: Why Celibacy Must Be Reinvented in Today’s Church.

Regarding Craig’s book, judges said, “Craig and Meister bring together cutting-edge essays that attest powerfully to the massive and growing evidence in favor of theism in general and Christianity in particular. Each essay responds to the charges made by the New Atheists, but this is by no means a polemical book. The writers set a high bar for reasonable, responsible discourse, and they live up to it."

High praise was also given for Ten Elshof’s book, which discusses the role of self-deception in a person’s everyday life and the positive and negative effects of such. Judges said, “By combining philosophy, psychology, and theology with practical examples, Ten Elshof clearly shows how we all are self-deceived, and why that is detrimental to our spiritual growth. The author has written a book that is not only intriguing, readable, applicable, and thoughtful, but also a catalyst for self-examination."

Colon and Field’s book was featured in the Biola Magazine Fall 2009 edition in the article, “What if marriage isn’t for me?” The book takes an innovative and ‘next generation’ look at celibacy during a time when the key to happiness is often portrayed in the church as finding a husband or wife.

Written by Jenna Bartlo, Media Relations Coordinator. Jenna can be reached at (562) 777-4061 or through email at jenna.l.bartlo@biola.edu.