Candler’s Black Church Studies (BCS) program will present authors Candice Marie Benbow and Danté Stewart in conversation with Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Religion and Culture Marla Frederick and Associate Professor in the Practice of Sociology of Religion and Culture and Director of Black Church Studies Nichole Phillips on April 19 from 5:30–7:30 p.m.
This free, in-person event will be held in Room 252 of Candler’s Rita Anne Rollins Building, with advance registration required. A video recording will be made available on Candler’s Vimeo page after the event. Register to attend.
Both Benbow and Stewart have published their first books within the past year, each receiving wide acclaim in and beyond theological circles. In discussion with Frederick and Phillips, they will consider what emerging social critics and public theologians have to say about the Black church, white evangelicalism, and the Black experience in America today.
Candice Marie Benbow is a multi-genre theologian who situates her work at the intersections of beauty, faith, feminism, and culture, giving voice to Black women’s shared experiences of healing and journeying toward wholeness. Reimagining how faith can be a tool of liberation and transformation for women and girls, she challenges Black women to think critically about how they see God and the world. Named by Sojourners as one of “10 Christian Women Shaping the Church in 2020,” Benbow has written for various outlets, including ESSENCE magazine, Glamour magazine, The Root, theGrio, VICE, Shondaland, MadameNoire, and the Me Too Movement. She holds degrees from Tennessee State University, North Carolina Central University, and Duke Divinity School. Benbow’s first book, Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough (Penguin Random House) was released in January 2022.
Danté Stewart is a theologian, essayist, and cultural critic whose work sits at the intersection of race, religion, and politics. He has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, The Washington Post, ESPN’s The Undefeated, Sojourners, and more. He was recently named by Religion News Service as one of “10 Up-And-Coming Faith Influencers.” Stewart earned his BA in sociology from Clemson University and is a current student at Candler, while also serving as a minister at Tabernacle Baptist Church. His debut memoir, Shoutin’ in The Fire: An American Epistle (Penguin Random House), was published in October 2021.