Ethan Petrie African American History

A huge and important part of African American history is faith. Candice Marie Benbow discussed this in her presentation for her book “Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who’ve Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn’t Enough” This book is a collection of essays that she wrote. Her essays discuss many themes and how they revolve around church culture for African American women. The book is deeply personal to her and it goes through a lot of Benbow’s own personal relationships. Benbow said that “My book examines my relationship with Christianity” This is an important relationship in her life and it is an important relationship in African American history as a whole. African Americans have had a rocky path when it comes to being involved in Christianity so it is important to remember the importance of their role in the church and how it came to be.
The church and Christianity have been linked to African Americans since the end of the 16th century. Although white Catholics largely tried to convert African Americans in this time period due to the evangelical nature of Christianity they still hide some parts of the religion for fear of rebellion. In an interview, a former slave named Wes Brady had this to say about African American involvement in churches with white ministers, “You ought to have heard that
‘Hellish’ preaching…. ‘Obey your Master and Mistress, don’t steal chickens, don’t steal eggs and meat,’ and nary word ’bout having a soul to save.” These “preachings” from white ministers are less of preachings and more of commands from them on how to act. This led to many African Americans becoming disheartened with the church. They turned to their own practice of Christianity by forming invisible churches. This is where African American slaves would meet in secret to have their own kind of Christian service with their own ministers and preachers. The book “Freedom on My Mind” discusses the African American experience in America and it touches on the kind of preaching which went on at these invisible churches, “Slave Christianity stressed the equality of all men under God, drawing on the Bible as inspiration for spirituals that expressed slaves’ own humanity, capacity for freedom, and hope of justice for an oppressed people. Slaves also embraced scriptural stories that held out the promise of liberation under a just God” (pg 651, White, Bay, Martin Jr.). These invisible churches focused on uplifting enslaved peoples, they highlighted their humanity, and the preachings held hope for freedom. Over time this religious freedom that grew in these invisible churches superseded Christianity. During the Great Migration in the late 19th century, many African American Churches emerged spreading the word of ancient Israelites. This church preached that the original Israelites were Black. As an original Hebrew Israelite, Asiel Ben-Israel said, “It isn’t a religion, as such, that I follow. It’s the belief that I am a descendant—and that Black people in America are descendants—of the biblical Israelites. We adhere to the laws written in the Bible” (Dorman). This is still relevant today as Kendrick Lamar said in his song ‘“YAH” released in 2017, “I’m not ’bout a religion I’m a Israelite, don’t call me Black no mo’ That word is only a color, it ain’t facts no mo’” Both the early days of Black “Invisible” Churches and the modern-day references to Black started religions speaks to what Candice Marie Benbow was talking about in regards to faith in her presentation. Although Benbow herself is a Christian and talks a lot about her own Christian faith it is relevant to see how African American faith has evolved to the modern day.
Candice Marie Benbow in her presentation discussed how she wanted African American women to embrace their faith and know it is okay to struggle with and come into their own version of faith. Benbow talked a lot about how you are your own person and how your faith is your concern. This speaks a lot about how enslaved African Americans rejected the teachings of white ministers who were trying to oppress them. Instead of living with this and continuing to listen to these false preachings, they made started their own services with their own preachers who did the opposite of oppressing them. These preachers uplifted and inspired them. They gave hope to those who attended their services. This is exactly what Benbow means when she talks about making your faith your faith. In an article for Glamour Benbow said, “I want them to know that it’s possible to bring their entire self—their whole self—into the faith and that they are worthy of fruitful, deep, abundant, thriving spiritual health. We are worthy of that, created on our own terms and not what everybody else tells us” (McDuffie). Benbow discusses when it comes to faith one should do things on our own terms and not listen to what others are saying. This is incredibly relevant to the formation of Black Israelite churches which challenges normal thought and expresses that they are the descendants of early Israelites. This also speaks to Kendrick Lamar rejecting the title of “Black” and rather seeing himself as an Israelite. He is using his faith to express himself and not letting what others traditionally think hold him back. Benbow’s thoughts and discussions on faith are a great inspiration for many to see how they can embrace their faith and not let it constrain them. Instead, their faith can inspire, motivate, and propel them in a direction that they wouldn’t have otherwise gone in.
Candice Marie Benbow went over a variety of topics relating to her life, her faith, and her relationships. However, a big part of African American history is tied to Christianity and other faiths. The relevance of Benbow’s statements made during her presentation of owning your faith and creating your own ideals that mean something to you was relevant throughout African American history. You can see these seeds cemented in the early formation of Invisible Churches and the role these played in African American faith. These churches helped African Americans express their faith in ways that they want to and not in ways that they were forced to. They gained hope and inspiration from the meetings they had in Invisible Churches. They were free to practice their faith in ways that they saw fit. Benbow’s comments on defining your own faith were relevant to the early formation of Black Israelite churches. These words stay true to this day as an inspiration for people to not let titles constrain them. Rather than being assigned titles and social norms, Benbow highlights that you should make your own titles and do what is true to you and your own individual faith. We can see the influence of a message like this by looking at how Kendrick Lamar identifies himself and his own faith, he is breaking out of the social norm and doing what is true to himself. Although Benbow is a big advocate for African American Women in the Christian faith by looking back to the origins of African American faith we can see how this message can be applied to all African American communities of any faith. This is because Benbow pushes the message that faith is ever-changing and ever-personal. It is ever-personal in the sense that one’s denomination shouldn’t be controlled by standards they see as unfit. That is why invisible churches were made and why the Black Israelite religion is ever rising. They didn’t let themselves fall into what the norm was at the time. Candice Marie Benbow pushes for this creation of one’s own faith as they see fit and by looking back in history we can see how this message was relevant back then and how it still continues to be relevant today.

Work Cited
Dorman, Jacob S. “Chosen People: The Rise of American Black Israelite Religions.” Academic.Oup.Com, Oxford Academic, Jan. 2013, academic.oup.com/book/10736/chapter/158813464.
White, Deborah G., et al. Freedom on My Mind: A History of African Americans, with Documents. Bedford/St. Martins, 2021.
McDuffie, Candace. “Candice Marie Benbow’s ‘Red Lip Theology’ Explores What It Means to Be a Black Woman of Faith Today.” Glamour, 19 Jan. 2022, www.glamour.com/story/candice-marie-benbow-red-lip-theology