Trinity's Kilner wins Christianity Today 2016 book award

John F. Kilner, the Forman Chair of Christian Ethics and Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, received the top honor in the theology and ethics category of the 2016 Christianity Today Book Awards.

Eerdmans Publishing released Kilner's award-winning book, "Dignity and Destiny: Humanity in the Image of God," last January.

Christianity Today named the year's top new book in each of 12 categories. The competition recognizes "Christian writers for painstaking research and trenchant analysis, for dazzling prose and arresting imagery," according to a published introduction of this year's winners.

In judging Kilner's book the best new work in its category, the magazine presented comments from Professor Fred Sanders of the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University.

"Kilner painstakingly documents a host of unwarranted extrapolations that theologians and preachers have let themselves construct," Sanders wrote. "What's left after his thorough work of demolition? Plenty. The way has been cleared for the doctrine of the image of God to help guide our thinking about human nature."

"The Trinity community joins me in offering our heartiest congratulations to John Kilner for his outstanding publication as well as for this lofty recognition," Trinity President David S. Dockery said.

Currently co-chair of the bioethics section of the Evangelical Theological Society, Kilner also served for more than 11 years as president of The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity on the Trinity campus, where he continues as a senior fellow. He is director of Trinity Graduate School's master of arts in bioethics program and professor of bioethics and contemporary culture.

Kilner frequently appears on national news broadcasts to discuss current bioethical issues, and has been quoted in publications such as The New York Times, Washington Times, and Chicago Tribune. He has earned degrees from Yale, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and Harvard.

This is the third consecutive year a Trinity faculty member has won one of the magazine's top book awards.

Kevin J. Vanhoozer, research professor of systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, received the 2015 award in the theology and ethics category for his book "Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine."

Constantine R. Campbell, associate professor of New Testament, received the 2014 award in the biblical studies category for "Paul and Union with Christ: An Exegetical and Theological Study."