The Bible For Normal People [Faith] Episode 38: Tamice Spencer-Helms - Grounding Our Faith in Our Experiences
May 13, 2024
Tamice Spencer-Helms shares their journey as a queer and Black Christian, discussing the integration of faith and identity. Topics include embracing diverse voices in the Bible, personal narratives in faith, Black Liberation Theology, evolving faith and queer identity, calling and personal agency, learning beyond binaries, and navigating faith and personal agency.
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Conversion Via A 'Hell House' Play
- Tamice Spencer-Helms describes becoming a Christian at 17 after attending a frightening “Hell House” play that simplified faith for them.
- That early faith later clashed with their lived experience as a queer Black person, prompting a long re-evaluation.
Blackness As Theological Lens
- Tamice learned from womanist and Black liberation theologians who rooted theology in lived Black experience.
- They found that centering blackness made theology more resilient, relevant, and life-giving.
'Neutral' Theology Is Often White Theology
- Tamice argues that so-called "theology without an adjective" is actually white theology made invisible.
- They say objectivity claims hide a default white perspective that others must label with adjectives.