Harwood’s ‘Christian Theology’ named SWJT 2022 ‘Book of the Year’

Christian Theology: Biblical, Historical, and Systematic by Adam Harwood, professor of theology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, has been named “Book of the Year” by the Southwestern Journal of Theology (SWJT), the theological academic journal of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Interim President and SWJT Executive Editor David S. Dockery announced today.

The award, which has been named annually for three years, honors an overall “Book of the Year” and a top book in 12 categories. Books were nominated and selected by the residential faculty of Southwestern Seminary and Texas Baptist College (TBC) with the process coordinated by Dockery and Malcolm B. Yarnell III, research professor of theology and the interim editor of the SWJT. The top books and those named with an honorable mention in each category represent 12 different publishers, including Zondervan Press, Oxford University Press, Lexham Press, Crossway Publishers, and B&H Academic, among others.

“There were a large number of high-quality books from which to choose this year, but I believe our faculty made excellent choices in each category,” Dockery said. “We congratulate those authors who were recognized in the various categories. Particularly, do we offer our heartiest congratulations to Professor Adam Harwood for the selection of his outstanding work, Christian Theology, which was selected as the book of the year.”

Harwood is a two-time graduate of Southwestern Seminary, having earned a Master of Divinity in 2001 and a Doctor of Philosophy in theology with a minor in New Testament in 2007. During the Fort Worth institution’s Dec. 2 commencement ceremony, he was announced as the recipient of the James Leo Garrett Jr. Award for Contribution to Christian Thought, which honors the individual who has excelled in contributions for the church in Christian thought in the areas of research, scholarship, teaching, and service. The award is named for the late Southwestern Seminary professor of theology.

Coleman Ford, assistant professor of humanities at TBC, won “Book of the Year” in the discipleship/spiritual formation category for his book A Bond Between Souls: Friendship in the Letters of Augustine, which was published by Lexham in November. The book, which is based on Ford’s 2019 Doctor of Philosophy dissertation from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, focuses on Augustine’s views on friendship and its application to modern-day society.

Noting he was “delighted with the broad participation from the residential faculty” of Southwestern Seminary Dockery said that “faculty members from all five schools of the seminary participated and offered their recommendations for the books of the year in twelve different categories, with an emphasis on participation in the area of their own specialization.” He expressed his gratitude for “all of the faculty who participated in this process, especially for the helpful participation of SWJT interim editor, Malcolm Yarnell.”

BOOK OF THE YEAR

Christian Theology: Biblical, Historical, and Systematic, by Adam Harwood (Lexham)

HERMENEUTICS/BIBLE REFERENCE/BIBLICAL BACKGROUNDS

A History of the Quest for the Historical Jesus, 2 vols., by Colin Brown and Craig Evans (Zondervan)

Honorable Mention:

Biblical Reasoning: Christological and Trinitarian Rules for Exegesis, by R. B. Jamison and Tyler Wittman (Baker)

BIBLICAL STUDIES

The Old Testament and God, by Craig Bartholomew (Baker)

Honorable Mention:

Reading the Prophets as Scripture, by Eric Tully (Baker)

THEOLOGICAL STUDIES

The Thrill of Orthodoxy: Recovering the Adventure of the Christian Faith, by Trevin Wax (IVP)

Honorable Mention:

Mapping Atonement: The Doctrine of Reconciliation in Christian History and Theology, by Joel Scandrett and William G. Witt (Baker)

CHURCH HISTORY/BIOGRAPHY

American’s Book: The Rise and Decline of a Bible Civilization, 1794-1911, by Mark A. Noll (Oxford University Press)

Honorable Mention:

Thomas Jefferson: A Biography of Spirit and Flesh, by Thomas Kidd (Yale University Press)

BAPTIST STUDIES

John Leland: A Jeffersonian Baptist in Early America, by Eric C. Smith (Oxford University Press)

Honorable Mention:

Spurgeon the Pastor: Recovering a Biblical and Theological Vision for Ministry, by Geoffrey Chang (B&H)

WORLDVIEW/APOLOGETICS

Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution, by Carl Trueman (Crossway)

Honorable Mention:

Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible’s Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture, by Christopher Watkin (Zondervan)

DISCIPLESHIP/SPIRITUAL FORMATION

A Bond between Souls: Friendship in the Letters of Augustine, by Coleman Ford (Lexham)

Honorable Mention:

The Air We Breathe: How We All Come to Believe in Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality, by Glen Scrivener (The Good Book Company)

CHURCH MUSIC/WORSHIP

Liturgical Mission: The Work of the People for the Life of the World, by Winfield Bevins (IVP)

Honorable Mention:

Theology that Sticks: The Life-Changing Power of Exceptional Hymns, by Chris Anderson (Church Works Media)

APPLIED THEOLOGY/ETHICS

You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News, by Kelly Kapic (Brazos)

Honorable Mention:

Fundamental Christian Ethics, by Daniel Heimbach (B&H)

PREACHING/MINISTRY/LEADERSHIP

Rooted Leadership: Seeking God’s Answers to Eleven Core Questions Every Leader Faces, by John Johnson (Zondervan)

Honorable Mention:

Bully Pulpit: Confronting the Problem of Spiritual Abuse in the Church, by Michael J. Kruger (Zondervan)

EVANGELISM/MISSIONS/GLOBAL CHURCH

Gospel Witness through the Ages: A History of Evangelism, by David Gustafson (Eerdmans)

Honorable Mention:

Global Christianity: A Guide to the World’s Largest Religion from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, by Gina A. Zurio(Zondervan)

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION/COUNSELING/YOUTH AND CHILDREN

Counseling Women, by Kristen Kellen (B&H)

Honorable Mention:

Keeping Children’s Ministry on Mission, by Jared Kennedy (Crossway)