Neither Jew, Nor Greek is Omotayo (Tayo) Banjo’s attempt to facilitate difficult discussions and draw out insightful information from talking with lay persons, church leaders, and communication scholars, that can help Christians of every cultural background contend with our own biases and ways in which we fall short of the Father’s call. Omotayo (Tayo) is a committed Christian, professor, and scholar in the areas of communication and identity. She is Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Cincinnati where she specializes in the intersection of race and media. She is also the co-editor of a collection of essays, Contemporary Christian Culture: Morals, Missions, & Dilemma and as a child of Nigerian immigrants holds an intersectional perspective.
Galatians 3: 25-29 says, “Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Neither Jew, Nor Greek attempts to engage in scholarly and scriptural conversations about the cultural divisions in Christ’s body which prevent us from being One. Jesus expressed in John 13:35 that the world would know we were followers of the Messiah by how we love one another. In addition to our personal biases, there are systems in place that offer arguments and perpetuate ideas about one another that have threatened Jesus’s mission of oneness. This podcast focusses on interpersonal process as well as systems of communication (i.e. entertainment, news media, church organizations) that contribute to our divisions. The goal is not to condemn but bring us to understanding and repentance.
In this episode we hear Connally Gilliam's personal story of confronting her white racial identity, and her work to cultivate spiritual formation through humility and identity negotiation.
In this episode, we take a media literacy perspective on how to identify facts from fabrication and what to do with them in light of God’s Word. Professor Bala Musa and I discuss the spread of fake news and its connection to how Christians make sense of their belief systems.
In this episode, Wickham Clayton and I discuss the prevalence of whiteness in mainstream Christian entertainment and the importance of representation onscreen.
In this episode we discuss the history and value of churches created to meet the needs of marginalized people with Reverend Gareth Murray Jr.
In this episode we discusses the problem and promise of multiculturalism within the church as an organization with Dr. Oneya Okuwobi as it relates to the greater Christian mission as we work to become one.
In this episode we lay the foundation of many of the problems we are witnessing today regarding interpersonal struggles with Christians of a different cultural/racial background, especially as it relates to hot topics like Black Lives Matter. Using Muted Group theory and Communication accommodation theory worship pastor, Reggie Lenzie and I discuss the negotiations believers make to maintain relationship outside groups.
Join Dr. Banjo as she introduces her new podcast, Neither Jew Nor Greek, and explains its importance to the field of communication and the broader culture.