Communion, relationship, and community are fundamental to a biblical understanding of communication. How do these amazing theological truths affect our practice as media professionals? How are we to understand communication and speak truth in the modern world?
Knowledge is power. Information is beautiful. Data is king. The world of communication is shifting fast and the terrain is dynamic. Our faith has a very special resonance in the field of media & journalism, for at its heart is a profound theology of communication: 'In the beginning was the Word’. God speaks and worlds come into being.
Over the course of six meetings over three years, the Media & Journalism group will consider three main themes:
1. The imagination as central to authentic communication – we will take time to understand the centrality of the imagination in all human endeavours. Capturing the imagination through good storytelling is fundamental. The Bible also demonstrates in numerous places how the imagination is also key to truth-telling and social change. What can we as journalists, media professionals, and artists of all kinds learn from leading thinkers, such as Walter Brueggemann. What is a 'prophetic imagination'? How do we engage with the media of the world? How can we bring a Christian imagination powerfully to bear on our work?
2. Understanding the history & development of human communication – with a broad-brush overview, we will take time to consider the massive communications revolution that is taking place all around us. How can we get a sense of where it is heading, and how it is affecting us? By looking at previous media revolutions – from orality to writing, then to print, then to the telegraph, photography, electronic and digital media – we will explore the ways in which our technologies shape our culture. Communication is a deep part of our humanity. Our technologies also always shape us profoundly. Christian thinking on this formation is of great importance, not just for journalists and media professionals but for all consumers of media, too.
3. A theology of media – Christian theology is concerned with every aspect of life and will be intertwined with our whole course. Our faith matters in every context and has the power to shape us and change the world. But in this, our own field of media and journalism, is has very special significance. The God we worship is, above all, a communicating God, who is Himself the very model of human communication. What does it mean for journalists and media professionals to confess that ‘the Word was made flesh’?
Communion, relationship, and community are fundamental to a biblical understanding of communication. How do these amazing theological truths affect our practice as media professionals? How are we to understand communication and speak truth in the modern world?
