St. Davids, PA: Eastern University is pleased to have two members of its community among the six finalists for the 2017 Religion News Association (RNA) Awards for Religion Reporting Excellence. Astronomy and Physics professor, Dr. David Bradstreet ’76 has been recognized for his recent book, Star Struck: Seeing the Creator in the Wonders of the Cosmos, and notable alumnus, Shane Claiborne ’97, was mentioned for his book, Executing Grace. Both have been listed as finalists in the Book category of the RNA Awards and the winners will be announced on September 9, 2017.
The Religion News Association is a journalism association for writers who focus on the topic of religion in the news media. In addition to offering tools and training in this area, the RNA also seeks to promote excellence in religion reporting and celebrate the importance of religion coverage in secular media. According to the RNA website, The Awards for Religion Reporting Excellence is “an annual contest that showcases religion journalism excellence in the news media, with more than $10,000 in prizes. The awards have been held annually since the creation in 1953 of the Supple Award for Religion Feature Writing.” Categories for the RNA awards include Newspaper, Magazine and Multimedia, Broadcasting, Books, and Student writing.
Dr. Bradstreet earned a B.S. from Eastern College in Astronomy, Communications and Secondary Education and a M.S. and Ph. D. in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the University of Pennsylvania. He has worked with NASA, the National Science Foundation and the International Astronomical Union. He is currently the senior most full-time Faculty member at Eastern University and was instrumental in raising the funds for and designing the Observatory which bears his name. Star Struck, which was co-authored by Steve Rabey, was published by Zondervan in September 2016 and discusses a variety of astronomical topics while also examining the relationship between Christianity and the natural sciences.
"My co-author, Steve Rabey, and I are honored to be considered finalists in this contest, especially considering the other superb authors in this category,” Dr. Bradstreet stated. “Our sincere hope is that this will bring about an even greater awareness of the book to many more people who can be encouraged and challenged to love God more fully by embracing His mind-boggling creation!"
As a speaker, activist and author, Shane Claiborne ’97 is, among other things, perhaps best known for his work as founder of The Simple Way in Philadelphia and as one of the leaders of the Red Letter Christian movement. Some of his other well known publications include, The Irresistible Revolution, Jesus for President, Red Letter Revolution, Common Prayer, and more. In Executing Grace, Claiborne addresses the issues surrounding justice, retribution, and redemption and argues for the abolition of the death penalty.
To learn more about Executing Grace, visit executinggrace.com. More information about Star Struck and Dr. Bradstreet can be found at zondervan.com/star-struck.
