The Wounds Are the Witness

“A resonant, richly detailed study of the complex relationship between race and faith in America.” –Publishers Weekly

“As Howard Thurman preaches in her right ear, as James Baldwin prophesies in her left, as Pauli Murray prays over her, and as Zora Neale Hurston prepares a path before her, Yolanda Pierce shapes a majestic theology of sound and crafts a masterly psychology of voice. The Wounds Are the Witness is where Teilhard de Chardin meets Beyoncé, as Pierce takes the world to church with sacred speech that transforms trauma, heals hurts, rejoices in justice, and celebrates spirit. In this brilliant book, we hear the testimony of arguably the greatest interpreter of religion for the thinking public in our present age.” –Michael Eric Dyson, professor, commentator, and New York Times bestselling author of Tears We Cannot Stop and other books

“Too often Christian leaders sacrifice theological depth for blithe encouragement. This is a book for Christians who have considered leaving the church when superficial theology is not enough. Yolanda Pierce helps us to hold the pain of this world together with the light and hope of Christ. In a time when critiquing the church is as common as attending it, Yolanda Pierce draws us back to the faith that sustained our ancestors, the faith that was, for many of us, our first love. With unparalleled theological insight and scriptural wisdom, she reconnects us to the spiritual might of the Black church and provides fresh sustenance in our modern context. This is a book to savor and return to again and again.” –Chanequa Walker-Barnes, PhD, psychologist, theologian, and author of Sacred Self-Care and other books

“With the precision of a pathologist, Yolanda Pierce poignantly parses the painful progression of racial harm. With the profundity of the prophets, she heralds the hope of healing for our weary and wounded souls. A must-read.” –Michael W. Waters, pastor, professor, and award-winning author of Stakes Is High: Race, Faith, and Hope for America

“With the power of a Sunday sermon and the insight of a thought-provoking lecture, Dr. Yolanda Pierce’s The Wounds Are the Witness calls readers to attend to the scars and faithfulness that have shaped the Black experience. Pierce gestures us toward honoring the sacredness in our collective journey toward wholeness. This profound and accessible book is a must-read for anyone looking to heal from pain and keep the faith!” –Drew G. I. Hart, associate professor of theology at Messiah University and author of Who Will Be a Witness? and Trouble I’ve Seen

“Yolanda Pierce provides a celebration of the diverse ways the Black church nurtures gifts of leadership and moral power, gifts that are so needed for the facing of twenty-first-century crises. Pierce weaves an amazing tapestry of biblical, historical, and experiential reflection. Everyone who reads this deeply poetic and accessible theological gift will grow and be strengthened.” –Cheryl Townsend Gilkes, sociologist, womanist scholar, and ordained Baptist minister

“Navigating both pain that is visible and all the hurt that lingers beneath the surface, The Wounds Are the Witness holds suffering with care and intimacy. Especially attentive to the ways people rush to ‘healing,’ Dr. Yolanda Pierce instead bears powerful witness. With unflinching clarity she names a litany of wounds, the searing truth that scars proclaim.” –Benjamin Perry, author of Learning to Cry: Why Our Tears Matter

Yolanda Pierce is professor and dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School. She is a scholar of African American religious history, womanist theology, and religion and literature, as well as a public theologian, columnist, and activist. She is the author of the books Hell Without Fires, In My Grandmother’s House, and The Wounds Are the Witness.