Deidra Riggs

Author and Speaker

Books by Christian Authors of Color

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Whenever I see a list of books, I skip over all the intro words and scroll straight to the list. If that’s you, you’ll want to click this link to be redirected to the list.

I was reading a blog post the other day and one of the comments said something about the lists of top Christian books. So, I Googled, and I landed on Amazon’s list of top 100 Christian Books. As I scrolled through, I saw only three books by authors of color. Boo to that.

But, it’s definitely something we can fix. So, I called on all of you to help compile a list of 100 Books by Christian Authors of Color, and you rose to the occasion.

I haven’t read all of the books on the list, and the list does not include the three books listed on Amazon. The list is not exhaustive, so please feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments, below. Also, if you would please share this list with your readers, that would be helpful.

And, just in case you’ve hung in there and read all the intro words, here’s the list, in no particular order:

  1. The Next Worship: Glorifying God in a Diverse World by Sandra Van Opstal
  2. The Very Good Gospel by Lisa Sharon Harper
  3. More than Serving Tea by Kathy Khang and Christie Heller De Leon and Asifa Dean
  4. More than Enchanting by Jo Saxton
  5. Breaking Old Rhythms by Amena Brown 
  6. Birmingham Revolution by Edward Gilbreath
  7. Don’t Settle for Safe: Embracing the Uncomfortable to Become Unstoppable by Sarah Jakes Roberts and Lisa Bevere
  8. Roadmap to Reconciliation: Moving Communities Into Unity, Wholeness and Justice by Brenda Salter McNeil
  9. True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In by James Choung
  10. Warrior in Pink: A Story of Cancer, Community, and the God Who Comforts by Vivian Mabuni
  11. Mentor for Life by Natasha Robinson
  12. Undivided: A Muslim Daughter, Her Christian Mother, Their Path to Peace by Patricia Raybon & Alana Raybon
  13. Crazy Love by Frances Chan
  14. Remembering Lived Lives: A Historiography from the Underside of Modernity by Michael Jimenez
  15.  Enjoy by Trillia Newbell
  16. Family Driven Faith: Doing What it Takes to Raise Sons and Daughters Who Walk with God by Voddie Baucham, Jr.
  17. God of the Empty Handed by Jayakumar Christian
  18. Disunity in Christ by Christena Cleveland
  19. The Black Church in the African American Experience by C. Eric Lincoln and Lawrence H. Mamiya
  20. Race Matters by Cornell West
  21. Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman
  22. Lessons from My Hard Head by Paula Blackwell
  23. Overrated: Are We More in Love With the Idea of Changing the World Than Actually Changing the World? By Eugene Cho
  24. Prophetic Lament by Soong-Chan Rah
  25. Hope Springs by Kim Cash Tate
  26. Rescuing the Gospel from Cowboys: A Native American Expression of the Jesus Way by Richard Twiss
  27. Mujerista Theology by Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz
  28. Conquest by Andrea Smith
  29. Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision by Randy Woodley
  30. A Beautiful Disaster: Finding Hope in the Midst of Brokenness by Marlena Graves
  31. Glory Happening: Finding the Divine in Everyday Places by Kaitlin Curtice
  32. Rescuing Jesus: How People of Color, Women and Queer Christians are Reclaiming Evangelicalism by Deborah Jian Lee
  33. Play With Fire by Bianca Juarez Olthoff
  34. Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism by Drew Hart
  35. Shalom Sistas: Living Wholeheartedly in a Brokenhearted World by Osheta Moore
  36. Does Jesus Really Love Me? By Jeff Chu
  37. Bipolar Faith by Monica A. Coleman
  38. Ancient Laws and Contemporary Controversies by Cheryl B. Anderson
  39. Reviving the Black Church: New Life for a Sacred Institution by Thabiti Anyabwile
  40. Readings in African American Church Music and Worship, Vols. 1 and 2 by James Abbington
  41. Kingdom Woman by Tony Evans and Chrystal Evans Hurst
  42. Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
  43. On Pastoring: A Short Guide to Living, Leading, and Ministering as a Pastor by HB Charles
  44. Rise by Trip Lee
  45. The High Definition Leader by Derwin L Gray
  46. Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith by Multiple Authors
  47. Listening for God: A Minister’s Journey Through Silence and Doubt by Renita Weems
  48. Bounce by K. M. Jackson
  49. God is Stranger by Krish Kandiah
  50. Sanctuary of the Spirit by Steven Charleston
  51. Jesus Among Secular Gods: The Countercultural Claims of Christ by Ravi Zacharias
  52. Out of the Fog, Into the Sun: My Journey from Hinduism to Christ by Jo Kinnard
  53. The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart by Peter J. Gomes
  54. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
  55. Unashamed by LeCrae
  56. Uncommon by Tony Dungy
  57. The Diva Principle by Michelle McKinney Hammond
  58. Woman Thou Art Loosed by T. D. Jakes
  59. Praying from the Third Dimension by Juanita Bynum
  60. Listen Up, Beloved: Good News for Your Soul by Thelma Wells
  61. Treat Me Like a Customer: Using Lessons from Work to Succeed in Life by Louis Upkins, Jr.
  62. The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams
  63. Made for Goodness: A Child of God by Desmond Tutu
  64. The Weapon of Prayer by David Ireland
  65. Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza
  66. The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race by Willie James Jennings
  67. Race: A Theological Account by J. Kameron Carter
  68. Dear White Christian: What Every White Christian Needs to Know About How Black Christians See, Think, & Experience Racism in America by Aaron Layton
  69. The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
  70. Heaven is So Real by Choo Thomas and David Yonggi Cho
  71. And Yet, We Still Stand by Dr. Millicent Thompson
  72. 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue by Deborah Smith Pegues
  73. Happy Wives Club: One Woman’s Worldwide Search for the Secrets of a Great Marriage by Fawn Weaver
  74. The New Dad’s Playbook by Benjamin Watson
  75. The Missional Mom: Living with Purpose at Home and In the Word by Helen Lee
  76. The Political Disciple by Vincent Bacote
  77. Killing Us Softly: Reborn in the Upside-Down Image of God by Efrem Smith
  78. Grieving a Suicide: A Loved One’s Search for Comfort, Answers, and Hope by Al Hsu
  79. Blindsided by God: Disappointment, Suffering, and the Untamable Goodness of God by Peter Chin
  80. Sacred Pauses: Spiritual Practices for Personal Renewal by April Yamasaki
  81. Start, Love, Repeat: How to Stay in Love with Your Entrepreneur in a Crazy Start-up World by Dorcas Cheng-Tozun
  82. Successful Women Think Differently by Valorie Burton
  83. Naked and Unashamed: 10 Money Conversations Every Couple Must Have by Ericka Young
  84. The Pursuit of Purpose by Dr. Myles Munroe
  85. The Master’s Degree: Majoring in Your Marriage by P. B. Wilson
  86. Beyond Championships by Coach Dru Joyce
  87. The Mestizo Augustine by Justo L. Gonzalez
  88. Where the Cross Meets the Street by Noel Castellanos
  89. Embrace by Leroy Barber
  90. Whispers of Rest by Bonnie Gray
  91. Making Neighborhoods Whole: A Handbook for Christian Community Development by Dr. John M. Perkins
  92. The Acts of the Apostles by Osvaldo Padilla
  93. Faith-Rooted Organizing by Rev. Alexia Salvatierra
  94. God of Justice by Nikki A. Toyama-Szeto
  95. Race and Place by David P. Leong
  96. Losing Face Finding Grace by Tom Lin
  97. Spirituality of Gratitude by Joshua Choonmin Kang
  98. Culture Care by Makoto Fujimura
  99. Praying for Your Pastor by Eddie Byun
  100. Beyond Colorblind by Sarah Shin

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kaitlin

    YES SISTER! I love this so much. Bookmarking this for sure. Thank you for doing this.

  4. Elaine O'Connor

    I’d like to add my favorite, 50 for Your Future: Lessons from Down the Road by Tavis Smiley. Also, this list is terrific. My intention is to delve into it starting now!

  6. Sarah E Koenig

    such a great resource, thank you!! do you have a favorite or two or three? a good place to start?

  8. nylse

    This is a great list. Everyone that I’ve interviewed for my Woman of the Word series on my blog has written a book and some appear on this list.

    I plan to add many of these to my reading list and may even reach out to some of these women. Thanks for sharing; I’ll be in touch.

  10. Terri Fullerton

    Thank you for the list/post! A life changing book for me: No Future without Forgiveness, Desmond Tutu

  11. Sue Whited

    I would love to recommend a book co-authored by my good friend who shares your name (not your spelling) and I. She is a woman of color and I am not, but we love and have learned so much from each other. Please check out http://www.onegodtwovoices.com.

  12. Mike Jimenez

    Love this list! Some old favorites and a host of new gems I can’t wait to read. I am honored to have Remembering Lived Lives included! The whole aim of it was to introduce the forgotten or ignored stories of what is unfortunately still a very Eurocentric world when it comes theology or history. This list shows that obviously there is change in the air!

  13. Deborah

    Thank you for this! I just purchased the books by Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil and Sandra Van Opstal. I’ll add some more to my wish lists!

  15. Horace Williams Jr

    It looks like you have done some excellent research here Deidra. I published my first book last December. As an unknown author, I have my work in front of me, but I felt God leading me to write this book on prayer. I hope you are blessed and inspired to pray with purpose as you read my short book. Have a fantastic weekend and may God bless you and yours in all your endeavors. You can get your copy here. https://www.pleasingtothepotter.com/book-power-prayer/

  17. Lyli Dunbar

    Adding a few of these to my wish list. Bianca’s book is on my nightstand, and I loved seeing a Latina here. Thanks for sharing this invaluable resource with us, friend. I would suggest Fervent by Priscilla Shirer, and Leadership as an Identity by Crawford Loritts.
    xo

  18. Carlene Byron

    Novels by Michelle Andrea Bowen, “Whose Gospel” by Rev. James Forbes (his brother, also a pastor, Rev David Forbes Jr, was a founding member of SNCC), and I can’t remember the name of the novelist whose books are set among a multicultural urban women’s Bible study gorup.

  21. Treasan Ru'ach

    Amazing! You do not know how much I needed this – Thank you and God Bless <3

  22. Sabrina Showell

    Awesome list! I’ll add “Will You Sit Here and Die?” by Apostle Robbin Hargrove. It’s on Amazon and it’s so motivating. When you feel like you have no options to move forward this book will help you get moving again in the right direction. I believe it’s on Amazon too.