Houston, Texas, Dec. 9, 2025 – Dr. Paul T. Sloan, Associate Professor of Early Christianity and Chair of the Department of Theology in the School of Christian Thought at Houston Christian University (HCU), has been named the 2025–2026 Winner in the Biblical Studies category of the Christianity Today Book Awards for his work “Jesus and the Law of Moses: The Gospels and the Restoration of Israel within First-Century Judaism.”
The annual Christianity Today Book Awards honor outstanding publications that advance theological understanding and serve to shape evangelical life, thought and culture. Sloan’s work was selected as the top title in Biblical Studies for its groundbreaking contribution to the field.
For the HCU faculty member, this award affirms the significance of his research within both academic and church communities.
“I was very honored and grateful to receive this award. This book was the fruit of lots of labor and encouragement, and I’m so grateful for the support I’ve received from my family and my HCU students and colleagues. Couldn’t have done it without them,” said Dr. Sloan.
Dr. Phil Tallon, Dean of the School of Christian Thought, was pleased to hear news of Dr. Sloan’s award though not surprised. “He recently was honored with a panel on his book at the Society of Biblical Literature, and the top-notch scholars there were all glowing with praise for “Jesus and the Law of Moses. This book is the product of many years of good and focused work. It deserves much praise,” said Dr. Tallon.
In this groundbreaking study of Jesus and the Law in the Synoptic Gospels, Dr. Sloan suggests that the proper framework for understanding Jesus’s legal instruction is through the lens of Israel’s anticipated restoration.
While some scholars have interpreted his teaching as criticizing legalism, nationalism or external piety, many biblical scholars have praised the book for its clarity, rigor and paradigm-shifting implications, and consider Dr. Sloan’s book a major contribution to contemporary New Testament scholarship.
Jason A. Staples of North Carolina State University described “Jesus and the Law of Moses” as “one of the best and most important books on Jesus and the Gospels in decades, and Cecilia Wassen of Uppsala University called Sloan’s book “a significant and nuanced contribution to the complex question of the Gospels’ portrayal of Jesus’s teaching on the Law.”
For additional details on the 2025–2026 book award selections, visit the Christianity Today Book Awards website.
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Houston Christian University
For more than 60 years, Houston Christian University has equipped students to lead, collaborate and embody a deep sense of spiritual purpose. The University offers a wide range of majors, undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs, as well as NCAA Division I athletics in the Southland Conference. Located in the heart of one of the nation’s largest metropolitan centers, HCU’s culture of excellence molds the next generation of educated disciples to be pillars in their communities, preparing them to think critically and biblically as they impact the world.