Black authors bring important perspectives to their work, with insights and wisdom for every reader. On this page, you'll learn more about our Black authors and their books. You'll also find articles, videos, and podcasts where you can hear directly from these Black voices as they share more about their books and the impact that they are having in the church and the world.
February is when we recognize Black authors during Black History Month. Looking for even more voices to learn from? Discover more authors of color and women authors, or browse all of IVP's authors. You can also hear from a wide variety of diverse voices on IVP's Every Voice Now podcast.
Deshonna Collier-Goubil (PhD, Howard University) is the founding chair of the department of criminal justice and now serves as interim dean of the School of Behavioral and Applied Sciences at Azusa Pacific University. She lives in Fontana, California.
Léonce B. Crump Jr. is the founder and senior pastor of Renovation Church in Atlanta, a member of the Acts 29 church-planting network. A former NFL football player, he is also the author of Renovate.
Heather Thompson Day is associate professor in the department of visual arts, communication, and design at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She runs an online community called I'm That Wife and hosts the Viral Jesus podcast. An interdenominational speaker, Heather is the author of books including Confessions of a Christian Wife and How to Feed the Mediavore. She is a contributor for Religion News Service, Newsweek, and the Barna Group, and she previously taught at Colorado Christian University. She lives in Michigan with her husband and their three children.
Bishop Geoffrey V. Dudley Sr. (PhD, Regent) is the founding and senior pastor of New Life in Christ Church, one of the fastest growing churches in the Metro East area of St. Louis, Missouri (O’Fallon, Illinois). Originally from Goldsboro, North Carolina, Dudley began ministry at the age of thirteen, was ordained by the United Holy Church of America in 1986, and is a retired Air Force chaplain and lieutenant colonel. He is also the CEO of iLead Enterprises, a leadership development platform for staff and workforce development. He and his wife, Glenda, have two adult children who are both ministry leaders.
Christina Barland Edmondson is a higher education instructor and organizational consultant in the areas of ethics, equity, and Christian leadership development. She is also cohost of the Truth's Table podcast.
Dennis R. Edwards (PhD, Catholic University of America) is associate professor of New Testament as well as vice president for church relations and dean of North Park Seminary, Chicago. He has worked in urban ministry for over three decades, including serving as a church planter in Brooklyn and Washington, DC. His books include Might from the Margins and the Story of God Bible Commentary on 1 Peter.
Carl F. Ellis Jr. (DPhil, Oxford Graduate School) is Provost's Professor of Theology and Culture at Reformed Theological Seminary. He is also academic dean of The Makazi Institute, which he cofounded to train the next generation of high-level cultural analysts, and he serves on numerous boards and as a consultant on cultural matters.
Alex Gee believes that evangelism can be flavorful, soulful and fun. And his passion in life is helping others find their passion. His dynamic style communicates his love of God, motivating and encouraging others.
He is the pastor of Fountain of Life Family
Worship Center and president and founder of faith-based Nehemiah Community Development Corporation, both in Madison, Wisconsin.
In 1994, he received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award.
Justin Giboney is cofounder of the AND Campaign, an attorney, and a political strategist in Atlanta, Georgia. He has served as a delegate for the Democratic National Convention and as the cochair of Obama for America's Gen44-Atlanta initiative.
Edward Gilbreath is the author of Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical's Inside View of White Christianity. An award-winning journalist, he serves as an editor at large for Christianity Today magazine and as the executive director of communications for the Evangelical Covenant Church. He was the founding editor of Urban Ministries Inc.'s online magazine, Urban Faith. Since the release of Reconciliation Blues, he has spoken to thousands of people across the nation at churches, conferences, and university campuses on issues of race, faith and culture.
Dominique DuBois Gilliard is the director of racial righteousness and reconciliation for the Love Mercy Do Justice (LMDJ) initiative of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). He serves on the boards of directors for the Christian Community Development Association and Evangelicals for Justice. In 2015, he was selected as one of the ECC’s “40 Under 40” leaders to watch, and the Huffington Post named him one of the “Black Christian Leaders Changing the World.” An ordained minister, Gilliard has served in pastoral ministry in Atlanta, Chicago, and Oakland. He was executive pastor of New Hope Covenant Church in Oakland, California and also served in Oakland as the associate pastor of Convergence Covenant Church. He was also the campus minister at North Park University and the racial righteousness director for ECC’s ministry initiatives in the Pacific Southwest Conference. With articles published in the CCDA Theology Journal, The Covenant Quarterly, and Sojourners, Gilliard has also blogged for Christianity Today, Faith & Leadership, Red Letter Christians, Do Justice, and The Junia Project. He earned a bachelor’s degree in African American Studies from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in history from East Tennessee State University, with an emphasis on race, gender, and class in the United States. He also earned an MDiv from North Park Seminary, where he served as an adjunct professor teaching Christian ethics, theology, and reconciliation.
Wanjiru M. Gitau (PhD, Africa International University) is a research fellow at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California, pursuing a multi-year global research project commissioned by the John Templeton World Charity Foundation on contemporary religion. She is a Kenyan educated in Nairobi, Edinburgh, and the United States, with extensive global experience, including research projects from Korea to Kentucky. She formerly served on the staffs of Nairobi Chapel and Mavuno Church.
Mekdes Haddis is the founder and executive coach of Just Missions, an online community for missionaries, mission professionals, and ministry leaders seeking a more just approach to global mission. She is also project director for an effort working on racial justice and reconciliation. She has been a consultant and on staff with churches and nonprofit organizations in discipleship and outreach. She and her family live in South Carolina.
Darrell E. Hall is campus pastor of Elizabeth Baptist Church in Conyers, Georgia, where he regularly preaches and teaches across five generations. He is an experienced preacher and public speaker who has given messages in venues from local Bible studies to a packed NBA arena. Hall has a DMin from Beeson Divinity School, where his doctoral research focused on generational intelligence and effective intergenerational communication. He and his wife, Eboni, have three children.
Lamar Hardwick (DMin, Liberty University), also known as "the autism pastor," is the lead pastor at Tri-Cities Church in East Point, Georgia. He writes and speaks frequently on the topic of disability, especially autism, and he is also the author of the best-selling I Am Strong: The Life and Journey of an Autistic Pastor.
Morgan Harper Nichols is a writer, a poet, and an artist with a popular Instagram feed (@morganharpernichols) and podcast, The Morgan Harper Nichols Show. She is also the author of All Along You Were Blooming. Morgan has performed as a vocalist on several Grammy Award–nominated projects. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with her family.
Antipas L. Harris is the president and dean of Jakes Divinity School and serves on the pastoral staff at the Potter's House in Dallas, Texas. He is an ordained minister, a theological educator, and a musician with degrees from LaGrange College, Candler School of Theology (Emory University), Yale Divinity School, Boston University, and St. Thomas University. Before being appointed to his current role by Bishop T. D. Jakes, Harris founded the Urban Renewal Center in Norfolk, Virginia, where he led initiatives that addressed the intersections of faith, justice, and community development. His objective is to help people overcome distress, reinforce faith, impart comfort through the arts, and provide stability through education. His previous books include The Gifted Worshiper and The Holy Spirit and Social Justice, volumes one and two.
Krystal Hays, PhD, is the director of the Doctor of Social Work program and an assistant professor of social work at California Baptist University.
Daniel White Hodge (PhD, School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary) is associate professor of intercultural communications at North Park University in Chicago, where he also chairs the department of communication arts and is research lead for the Catalyst 606__ program. He also serves as editor in chief of the Journal of Hip Hop Studies. He is the author of Heaven Has a Ghetto, The Soul of Hip Hop, and Hip Hop's Hostile Gospel: A Post Soul Theological Exploration.
Jasmine L. Holmes has written for The Gospel Coalition, Desiring God, Fathom Mag, Christianity Today, and The Witness. She is also a contributing author for Identity Theft: Reclaiming the Truth of Our Identity in Christ and His Testimonies, My Heritage: Women of Color on the Word of God. She teaches humanities in a classical Christian school in Jackson, Mississippi, where she and her husband, Phillip, are parenting two young sons.
Hear More from Our Black Authors
How can Christians engage with Juneteenth? Take this opportunity to educate yourself, your family, and your church on Black history in America and get practical ideas to become a part of the continuing story of justice and reconciliation in your community.
Sherelle Ducksworth is a Black female scholar within evangelical academia. Read about her experience as a woman of color navigating a career in Christian higher education, including her advice and encouragement for other BIPOC scholars as they chart their academic path.