This Award Is My God Now

Like Kathy Griffin, I won an unexpected award!

Outreach Magazine — a magazine “designed to inspire, challenge and equip churches to connect with their communities and show the love of God to people both locally and globally” — just announced the winners of its annual Resource of the Year Awards.

Guess which book was named “Leadership Training Resource of the Year”?!

*Hemant dances*

“In a year where several angry atheists were loud and proud in bookstores, Mehta’s gentle approach and desire to listen to Christians was remarkable.” — Outreach Magazine

Other books that were in the running?

They Like Jesus But Not the Church: Insights From Emerging Generations by Dan Kimball (Zondervan)
The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church by Alan Hirsch (Baker)
11 Innovations in the Local Church: How Today’s Leaders Can Learn, Discern and Move Into the Future by Elmer L. Towns, Ed Stetzer and Warren Bird (Regal)
Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church: Mandate, Commitments and Practices of a Diverse Congregation by Mark DeYmaz (Jossey-Bass/Wiley)

That’s right.

My book got an award that Richard Dawkins did not.

Maybe next year, Richard. Maybe next year…

The magazine hasn’t linked to the full list of winners yet, but you can see the cover of the latest issue on their website…:

Outreach ran a very nice article about the book last year.

It was accompanied by the coolest image ever.

[tags]atheist, atheism, irony, Christian[/tags]

TXatheist

Congratulations Hemant.
MonolithTMA

Awesome! Congrats!
John

Hey, congrats dude.
grazatt

I would not be too proud of that award if I were you. Do you realize those other winners are books designed to help and encourage Christians to proselytize?
Pedro Timóteo

Congrats, Hemant. 🙂

However, I find it disgusting that they continue to accuse the “new atheists” of being “angry”, “shrill”, and other lies. I’ve even seen some atheists claiming that about Dawkins & co. Have they even read those books? Or heard those guys talking?
writerdd

Congratulations, very cool!

Pedro, of course they haven’t. No-one who’s heard Dawkins speak in public could accuse him of being shrill. I’ve never seen such a mild-mannered author. Geez.

They applaud Hemant for being willing to listen to Christians; but I have to wonder how much they are actually willing to listen to atheists.

More work needs to be done to get people talking to each other instead of at each other. The US is so polarized now, it totally sucks.
HM

That picture is hilariously awesome. Hemant Mehta: Indian Anime Atheist Superhero. Better snap up those licensing rights pronto.
Kate

Yaaaaaaaaay, Hemant!!!! That book was kickass. It started Erik and I on our reading tour and was a great catalyst in (productive) religious conversations. So yay!!!
Stacy

Squeeee! I have a signed copy… *happy dances around kitchen like a 12 year old* Thank you Hemant! Im half way through now and can’t wait to blog about it!

PS my blog is gone from its original location because it was found by some members of my community and passed around as proof I am a horrible human being. I will be relocating it, and being more careful about my identity next time! what a shame hateful people have to slander us Athiests around small towns just because we vent on the internet because we can’t vent in public forums. Scary world we live in.
Evolved Rationalist

Congratulations Hemant!
Hemant Mehta

I would not be too proud of that award if I were you. Do you realize those other winners are books designed to help and encourage Christians to proselytize?

Yes, they could use the book (and the others on the list) to help Christians spread their faith. But I’m hopeful that they’ll use it to teach Christians how to interact with atheists. Hell, if they wanted, they could use a Christopher Hitchens book and talk about how to respond to the claims that atheists make. I don’t have control over that. But I’d much rather they use *my* book than others they could be using….
David D.G.

Mad props, Hemant! Congratulations on your award!

~David D.G.
the Shaggy

Hemant, that was a great interview, and a well-deserved award for the work you do.

That interview especially reminded me why I have so much respect for you. If anyone has the ability to spread the idea of believers rationally challenging their own faith, it would be you. Dawkins and Hitchens face the brunt of anger and argument from Christians, you slide in a buy them a drink.

I need to buy your book.
the Shaggy

(And not “buy them a drink” in a creepy, subversive way, but in the “I buy a drink so we can sit and chat like friends” kind of way)
Hitek

Congrats!
Brenda Maxwell

Congratulations! That is just the first of many awards to come! 🙂
Aquaria

I suppose if you like an award like that, then more power to you, but “angry atheists?” Rather similar to “uppity negro.” Same mentalities saying it for the same reasons, truth be known.
Karen

All right, Hemant! That’s so cool. 🙂

PS my blog is gone from its original location because it was found by some members of my community and passed around as proof I am a horrible human being. I will be relocating it, and being more careful about my identity next time! what a shame hateful people have to slander us Athiests around small towns just because we vent on the internet because we can’t vent in public forums. Scary world we live in.

That’s terrible, Stacy. I’m so sorry to hear it.

This is why many atheists are rightfully worried about coming out of the closet.
Linda

Congratulations, Hemant! 🙂 well deserved!
Susan

Congratulations, Hemnant! This is great news!
Maria

congrats!