Candice Marie Benbow – Carol's Notebook

Author: Candice Marie Benbow

Candice Marie Benbow is a theologian, essayist, columnist, baker, and educator whose work gives voice to Black women’s shared experiences of faith, healing, and wholeness. Named by Sojourners as one of “10 Christian Women Shaping the Church in 2020,” she has written for Essence, Glamour, The Root, VICE, Shondaland, Madame Noire, and the Me Too Movement. Candice created the “Lemonade Syllabus” social media campaign, founded the media boutique Zion Hill Media Group, and, in memory of her mother, established The LouiseMarie Foundation to support HBCU nursing students and community mental health projects. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Candice holds degrees from Tennessee State University, North Carolina Central University, and Duke Divinity School.

Red Lip Theology, part memoir and part theological discussion, is honest, raw, and unapologetic. Candice walks us through her life- the good, the bad, and the ugly- tying all of it to the development of her theology. She has a clear voice and she tells her story with wisdom, wit, and humor. Several of Candice's essays revolve around her mother, a single mom who brought Candice up in the church. A church that shamed her mom for not being married and her by extension. She talks about the strength and faith her mom gave her, how she encouraged her and loved her. She talks about her grief when her mom died and the impact it had on her life and academic career. Candice talks about the choices she's made and how they all made her who she is today. She talks about how the church and pastors let her down time and again, but she also talks about her "spiritual care...