Acts of religious hatred such as the Charlie Hebdo murders and the slaughter of children in Pakistan have outraged peace-loving people around the world. How can such violent terrorism be carried out in the name of God? Jesus himself was a victim of religious terrorism, but taught us to "turn the other cheek." The Bible says, "Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." (Psalm 34:14), and other books written and published with a Christian worldview bring hope and inspiration to millions of readers.

Jenkins Group, a Michigan-based book marketing company, is proud to announce a list of 77 such books, the medalists in their second annual ILLUMINATION BOOK AWARDS contest, honoring the best Christian-themed books published during the past year. Medals have been awarded in 23 categories, covering everything from Bible Study and Devotional to family-oriented subjects like Education and Children’s Picture Books. See the complete list of results here: http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1904

 The 77 medalists come from 28 different U.S. States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France. The diverse topics and styles of the medal-winning books reflect the diversity of Christianity today.

A number of books explore women's role in Christianity, and two of them tied for gold in the Bible Study category. In Bible Women (Forward Movement), author Lindsay Hardin Freeman collects all 14,000 words spoken by 49 women in the Bible -- just 1.2% of the total words spoken -- and proclaims them to be some of the most "courageous, funny, brave, and faithful women in history." In Prostitutes, Virgins and Mothers (Personhood Press), Dr. Paula Trimble-Familetti gives voice to women in the Bible from the perspective of a twenty-first century woman. She explores the genealogy of the "foremothers of Jesus" in the Old Testament and tells the story of Eve and Mary in their own words: "I could see the fruit of the tree was beautiful and I thought that eating it would make me wise," says Eve. "Everything surrounding his conception and birth has been otherworldly and overwhelming," says Mary.

Other winning books bring perspective to today's issues, such as Francis of Rome & Francis of Assisi (Orbis Books), in which author Leonardo Boff parallels the lives of Pope Francis and the great Saint known for embracing nature and the plight of the poor. Boff quotes the first non-European pope in 1,200 years and TIME magazine's Person of the Year for 2014, who has vowed to transform both the Catholic Church and the way humans relate to Mother Earth: "If we do not want to see great disasters that will affect all living things, we must urgently form a global alliance to take care of the earth and one another. And we are going to do it."

The list of Illumination Award winners includes many such transforming and inspiring books. To learn more about them or to contact any of the authors, visit the contest website, the results page, or contact awards director Jim Barnes by email at jimb@bookpublishing.com or by phone at 1-800-644-0133 x1011. 

## end ##