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Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'
Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who've Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn't Enough by Candice Marie Benbow
2 reviews
shonettereed's review
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Candice Benbow's Red Lip Theology resonated in a number of ways for me that I was not prepared for. Since I mainly know of Benbow from Twitter, I decided to read her book once I heard it would be published to learn more about her. I was not let down. From the title of the book to her willingness to tackle tough topics that the church often moves away from, this book was one treat after the next. She was vulnerable, uplifting, blunt, and challenging all within her memoir told through essays.
What I enjoyed was her breakdown of Red Lip Theology and how she got to the point of building that theology. I love how she was vulnerable in sharing her relationship with her mother; how loving of a relationship it was (until her mother's death) despite their differences in opinion. The truth about being raised by a single mom because of her father's unwillingness to step up in the ways he needed to. I love that she called out the church for often turning a blind eye to the pain and destruction that men cause and the women affected by their moral failings and poor behavior have to see them go through the church, and in society, without consequence. Benbow does a phenomenal job of breaking down the way that Black Christians and White Christians navigate the Christian world and evangelical space, and how often white supremacy will have Black Christians disillusioned into believing that they can exist or do exist the same as their white counterparts. I would, without question, recommend this to a friend.
Being a Black woman who also went to seminary, this was timely reading for me and helped me to think through further and dissect some of my own experiences. After graduating at the top of the pandemic, I didn't get much time to reflect.
My only pushback and this may take more unlearning from me having grown up in the Black church, is Benbow's stance when it comes to consensual sex before marriage.
I loved the book. I definitely would say that it is a part of my personal canon of books I will revisit throughout my life. She dropped a lot of gems that I believe are helpful not just in our unlearning as Black Christian women, but those of us working to create a better world and future for us and those around us.
What I enjoyed was her breakdown of Red Lip Theology and how she got to the point of building that theology. I love how she was vulnerable in sharing her relationship with her mother; how loving of a relationship it was (until her mother's death) despite their differences in opinion. The truth about being raised by a single mom because of her father's unwillingness to step up in the ways he needed to. I love that she called out the church for often turning a blind eye to the pain and destruction that men cause and the women affected by their moral failings and poor behavior have to see them go through the church, and in society, without consequence. Benbow does a phenomenal job of breaking down the way that Black Christians and White Christians navigate the Christian world and evangelical space, and how often white supremacy will have Black Christians disillusioned into believing that they can exist or do exist the same as their white counterparts. I would, without question, recommend this to a friend.
Being a Black woman who also went to seminary, this was timely reading for me and helped me to think through further and dissect some of my own experiences. After graduating at the top of the pandemic, I didn't get much time to reflect.
My only pushback and this may take more unlearning from me having grown up in the Black church, is Benbow's stance when it comes to consensual sex before marriage.
I loved the book. I definitely would say that it is a part of my personal canon of books I will revisit throughout my life. She dropped a lot of gems that I believe are helpful not just in our unlearning as Black Christian women, but those of us working to create a better world and future for us and those around us.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, and Racism
kaitlinlovesbooks's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, Racism, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry
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