I have never been to a major awards ceremony, and by any measure the Australian Christian Book of the Year Awards was pretty low-key. However, I came away impressed with the talent in Christian writing, and the commitment of publishers to get an Australian perspective on Christian issues into the marketplace.
The coordinator of the awards is the Australian Christian Literature Society, and National Director Michael Collie commended all the entrants to the awards for their courage in writing. "We celebrate your enterprise and creativity, and thank you for encouraging us in our Christian walk by your writing," he said.
There were three categories and many winners, but the big winner of the night: the Australian Christian Book of the Year was No Ordinary View by Naomi Reed which judges described as "a gripping story, compellingly told." Last year Ms Reed was runner-up with My Seventh Monsoon. In accepting the award, Ms Reed thanked the ACLS for their commitment to Christian literature, and her publisher Ark House, since "it takes more courage to publish than write!"
She commented that the book was set in the midst of civil war and monsoons in Nepal, which "taught us to trust God at a difficult time, to fix our eyes on the unseen not the seen, the eternal not the temporary."
Sharing second prize was Catherine's Gift, inside the world of Dr Catherine Hamlin by John Little, Leadership on the Front Foot, about bold pastoral leadership by Youthworks' Zachary Veron, and Preach or Perish, about reaching the hearts and minds of the world today by Don Howard.
The Australian Christian Theological Writer's Award acknowledges Australian writers published overseas. The winner was lecturer with Moore College and the School of Christian Studies Paul Barnett, for the third book in his massive history of early Christianity series: Finding the Historical Christ. Judges described Dr Barnett as "one of the most productive and important Australian Christian writers of this generation."
In his acceptance speech, a humbled Dr Barnett said his book was about "the New Testament as history not conspiracy… and I have come to that conclusion after examining the impact of the Messiah on his followers using ordinary processes and methods of historical analysis."
The final award was for the Young Australian Christian Writer of the Year. In this award a writer under 30 submits a manuscript to the judges for consideration. The winner was Leng Te for Into Your Mystery which interweaves autobiography, Biblical narrative, journal entries and song lyrics into a conversation with the God of infinite surprises.
Following the presentations, last year's winner Simon Holt spoke to his book God Next Door. His book is an encouragement to us all to recognise that as Jesus' followers we are all missionaries, and that loving our neighbour means not just the people "out there" but the people literally "next door".
"I want to say that mission is not about doing more; it's about looking around us, and naming and embracing what is happening right here. It is about engaging with the people around us in ordinary ways. It is about seeing the place where we are as sacred space, God lives here," he said.
Since winning last year's award, Dr Holt has been overwhelmed with invitations to speak to communities and churches about connecting and engaging with those around them in meaningful ways.
