Readers and critics alike praise his work, but John Dickson still feels like a bit of a fraud.
The author, songwriter and parish minister is in the running to win the 2005 Australian Christian Book of the Year Award for his apologetic title A Spectator's Guide to World Religions: An Introduction to the Top Five (Blue Bottle Books), which includes a student workbook by Simon Smart.
He is joined by fellow Sydney Anglican and Moore College theologian Brian Rosner who has been nominated for his study of money and idolatry in Beyond Greed (Matthias Media).
The awards will be presented by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK).
"It's always nice when people tell you how much they appreciate your work," Dr Dickson says.
"When those doing the telling are big book readers, as I assume the nomination committee are, it is all the more encouraging."
But the young father and assistant minister of St Andrew's, Roseville says he's ‘just an evangelist’ who gets asked to turn his ideas into books.
"I know I'm almost ten books along now but, honestly, I still feel like a bit of a fraud," he says.
"Basically, I'm just an evangelist and apologist who keeps getting asked to put his ideas into print.
"As long as that happens, and people like what I write, I'm keen to keep going."
Dr Dickson is the author of popular titles including A Sneaking Suspicion, Hanging in There and If I were God, I'd End All the Pain.
His latest book is Promoting the Gospel: a Practical Guide to the Biblical Art of Sharing your Faith (Blue Bottle Books).
Next in line is a popular level historical account with the working title Jesus, the Sources: How Historians Know what they Know about the Man from Nazareth.
To follow on is A Spectator's Guide to Jesus: An Introduction to the Man from Nazareth.
Both will be published by Blue Bottle Books, a publishing unit of Anglican Youthworks.
"The punch line for the sceptical reader will hopefully be: wow, this Jesus question is a lot more serious than I ever thought," Dr Dickson says.
"I have just loved thinking only about Jesus for the last few months. He really is the best thing we have going for us."
On the short list for the awards is the Sydney Morning Herald’s religious affairs commentator Chris McGillion, for his investigation of Sydney Diocese in The Chosen Ones: the Politics of Salvation in the Anglican Church (Allen and Unwin).
Also nominated are National Church Life Survey researchers Bronwyn Hughes and John Bellamy for A Passion for Evangelism: Turning Vision into Action (Openbook); Brian Hill for Exploring Religion in School (Openbook), Noel Schultz for Forgetting but not Forgotten: Spiritual care for people with dementia (Openbook); Janette Fernando for Two Edged (Poetica Christi Press); Michael Casey for Fully Human, Fully Divine: an Interactive Christology (John Garrett Publishing) and Geoffrey Bingham for Love is the Spur (Eyrie Books).
Entries are read and judged according to the original nature of the work, literary style, suitability for the target audience, competence and expertise displayed by the author in writing the book and examining the underlying thesis.
The judges also look at design, layout, cover, text and illustrations and the contribution that the book makes in meeting a need in Christian writing in an Australian context.
Moore College Director of Missions, Michael Raiter, won the top prize in 2004 for his investigation of contemporary spirituality, Stirrings of the Soul (Matthias Media).
The winner and awards will be announced next Wednesday 17 August at Ridley College, Melbourne.
Visit the SPCK website for more information.
