Mo' Sibyl

은혜와 책임| The One with Linda Jena – On Cancel Culture from a Biblical Perspective: Episode 36 (2021)

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents

은혜와 책임| The One with Linda Jena – On Cancel Culture from a Biblical Perspective: Episode 36 (2021)

While there's a good chance you reading this may not yet have been canceled, there's a high probability that you know someone, perhaps, a celebrity, who has been through that wringer.

What then is cancel culture and why has it become a cultural force in recent years? That said, we can all agree that public accountability is also necessary for most instances. So how do we then strike the balance between "canceling" people vs holding them accountable? And who gets to be the jury, judge, and executioner? Also, how do we cancel people with clear convictions? Does cancel culture even give the space for true reflection and repentance in the canceled ones?

As you can imagine, there are no quick answers to these complex questions. This was why I brought Ms. Linda Jena back on the show. Apart from being such a dear friend and sister, she's also one of the wisest people I know. And one who usually has all the answers.

So, in this episode, we explored cancel culture together, especially what the Bible has to say about it.

Forgiveness, as we know, is a uniquely Christian virtue. Others may forgive, but only Christians have such a solid basis for forgiveness. As C.S. Lewis says, ‘To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.'

And for the non-Christians, it's your opportunity to hear how to hold your Christian friends accountable, should they also fall short.

Listen to the full episode here. Got questions? Let us know at talktomo@mosibyl.com.

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with the Ghanaians

Here’s a joke for you:

Two Ghanaians and a Nigerian walk into a bar… but left because they didn’t have Nigerian jollof rice.

Ghana, a relatively unknown place until Nigeria shot them into popularity (ugh, the things we do for them!). Also, Ghana, the place filled with people of mystery, strange English diction, low production movies, and weird jollof rice concoction. In a bid to explore this enigmatic country, I invited two Ghanaians over to my house over a meal of Indo-Thai goat curry, Korean steamed rice, and mixed vegetables (all made by yours truly). We explored salient issues like jollof rice (of course! And why Ghanaians cannot get this right), pet peeves (turned out I am more finicky than I thought, ugh), acculturation problems, adjusting to the educational system, books, what traits determine success in grad school, racial identity, questions about my marriage, and so much more.

The More Sibyl Podcast Presents: The One with Kelechi

I lost my faith once when I went through a phase of existential crisis that spanned almost a whole year; I wrote about it here - https://goo.gl/NCf1A2. I look back at that period with gratitude as it made my faith stronger and my relationship deeper with Christ. In this episode, I ‘sat’ down with one of my dear friends – Kelechi – who is on the other end of the spectrum, searching for meaning and questioning his faith. We talked about crisis of faith and the roles the church and our culture play in this. Kelechi is a Nigerian who has lived in Canada for a major chunk of his life.

PS: His favorite word seems to be “absolutely.” If you can correctly guess how many times he used this word in this episode, you get a chance to recommend a topic we can explore on the show.

Fun facts about Kelechi

He is a continent drifter since he has visited less than ten countries. With the exception of Antarctica and Australia, he has visited every continent on earth
He studied pharmacy briefly then got a degree in biochemistry and is now in school wrapping up his MBA
He is very single (*wink wink* ladies)

Takeaway Points:

Not all who wander are lost; be kind to those who have left the faith
All your friends don’t always have to be people you agree with all the time. You can disagree with someone and still respect them
Christianity has a lot of space for questioning and asking those tough questions does not reduce the quality of your faith
Embrace your crisis of faith tightly; it could make your faith stronger

Recommended Song:

“Dare You to Move” – Switchfoot (2004)

Cited books:

Lewis, Clive Staples (1940). The Problem of Pain. The Centenary Press
Lewis, Clive Staples (1961). A Grief Observed. Faber and Faber
Bryson, Bill. (2001). In a Sunburned Country. Doubleday Publishers
Bryson, Bill. (2010). At Home: A Short History of Private Life. Doubleday Publishers

Yours Faithfully,

모 /Mo!/