This episode is about sparking those challenging conversations, sometimes finding answers, and often, finding more questions. It's all part of our journey to becoming better humans and seeing the divine in everyone around us.

Here's what we're covering:

• The church's impact on the Black community: it's a sanctuary for many but has also been a place of pain for some.
• Black women's experiences in religious and community spaces.
• The necessity of confronting and healing from both individual and collective wounds.
• The concept of spiritual bypassing, and why it's particularly harmful within our community.
• And ultimately, how understanding God through the lens of love and compassion compels us to treat everyone with dignity and respect.

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.

If you're interested in hearing more from Candace Benbow (and you should be), you can check her out on Instagram, X, and Threads

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