By Candice Benbow.
I really enjoyed Candice Benbow’s red lip theology.
She is a womanist, feminist, queer-affirming, obviously anti-racist theologian and she talks about these as some of the cornerstones of a healthy theology.
Candice shares some of her experiences of racism as a black woman, particularly after being accepted to do a PhD through a so-called “Christian” institution, and subsequently being denied the request to defer her studies while grieving the sudden, unexpected death of her mother. She is brutally honest about her grief and how it fed suicidal ideation.
She shares deeply throughout the book about her relationships with her mother and her father. Her mother taught her an appreciation for womanist theology that Candice took further than her mother was able. Her mother instilled value in her, affirming that she was never a “mistake,” though this concept was pushed by others because her mother was a single “unwed” mother, when she was born and for much of her life.
Candice talks about the human race being fundamentally “good.” Creation is good. “Earth and humanity need each other.” “If all of creation is holy, then Black girls and women are holy, too.” She talks about how our theology shouldn’t be preoccupied with human sinfulness at the expense of our goodness and how this preoccupation feeds into racism, instead of seeing all people and even all creation as good and equal.
She addresses free will and the ability for us to make decisions and even mistakes. We are covered by God’s grace and encouraged to learn and grow.
She challenges the concept of God-as-male and learns over time to use gender neutral and inclusive terms, and to affirm the LGBTIQA+ community as just as much good creation made in the image of God, as everyone and everything else. She seeks to raise the bar for male behavior in our world, that they become more than domineering forces seeking to control, abuse and neglect women.
I love Candice’s authenticity in this book. She owns her sexuality, her love affairs, and sexual choices and over time she has learned to elevate intimacy, interdependence, sexual agency, and to view human sexuality as fundamentally “good,” just as God intended.
“I believe what God wants from us is to create a world where all are free to thrive. Anything less doesn’t represent God’s heart and what God wants for us.” I wholeheartedly agree, Candice. Thank you.