Silence is Golden When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour (Revelation 8:1, NIV) Western culture, and those of us in the United States in particular, believe talking is more desirable than silence. In fact, silence is often viewed as embarrassing or awkward. When I was a newspaper reporter, a communication technique …
Communication Devotional, “Fighting Against the Empathy Deficit,” by Donna Elkins
Fighting Against the Empathy Deficit When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So, he asked Pharaoh’s officials, who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why are your faces so sad today?” Genesis 40: 6–7 (NIV) Empathy has been defined as “one’s ability to connect with others and discern how they’re …
Teacher-scholar column, “Laying a Biblical Foundation for Communication Studies,” by Richard Noble
Column title: Teacher-Scholar: Servant Teaching and Missional Scholarship Entry: “Laying a Biblical Foundation for Communication Studies,” by Richard Noble, DMin, Adjunct Associate Professor of Communications, Geneva College Column Description: this column explores the important inter-connections between teaching and scholarship in Christian higher education. Contributors address such questions as: What does it mean to be a “servant teacher” who is committed to …
A Prayer to Avoid Words Spoken in Anger, by John Chrysostom
Words Spoken in Anger “Lord, Teach us that no matter how just our words may be, we ruin everything when we speak to others in anger.” Author: John Chrysostom Source: Bill Mullen (paraphrased)
Column entry, Keeping the Faith (as a Graduate Student) in a New Year, by Lakelyn Taylor
Keeping the Faith in Grad School January entry: “Keeping the Faith (as a Graduate Student) in a New Year” Column Description: Writing as a Christian who is a doctoral student at a public institution of higher learning, Lakelyn reflects on how graduate students can maintain their faith in graduate school when it seems hard to do. This column is not …
Column Entry, “Three (or Four) Impossible Prayers,” by Chase Mitchell
Column: Image to Image: Musings on Faith, Media, and Story January entry: “Three (or Four) Impossible Prayers” Column Description: Image to Image: Musings on Faith, Media, and Story is a monthly column that illuminates old and new ideas about media ecology from a Christian perspective. Dr. Mitchell will explore what it means to bear God’s image and Christian witness in a mediated …
A Prayer for Communication Wisdom, by Howard Snyder
O Lord, open the wisdom of your written Word to me daily, more and more. Give me that godly wisdom and perspective that come solely from you, so that I can freely dismiss all the distracting, misleading messages that constantly call to us through worldly media. Teach me your ways, O Lord, Living Word, Holy Spirit. Amen. ************* “Whoever does …
Prayer for New Year’s Day, by Howard Snyder
Prayer for New Year’s Day We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the beauty of earth and sky and sea; for the richness of mountains, plains, and rivers; for the songs of birds and the loveliness of flowers. We praise you for these good gifts, and pray that we may safeguard them for our posterity. Grant that we may …
Column entry, “The Silent Word Still Echoes,” by John Hatch
Crossed My Mind: Thoughts on Culture and Communication By John Hatch, Ph.D. Eastern University (retired) CCSN Senior Fellow Column Description: As Christians, we are called to have the mind of Christ. This goes against the grain of our social and cultural conditioning. We seek personal or political advancement; Christ seeks the lost and the least. We grasp for cultural ascendency; …
Devotional, The Norm of Reciprocity: Repaying Evil with Good, by Donna Elkins
The Norm of Reciprocity: Repaying Evil with Good Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3: 9 (NIV) Communication and psychology researchers commonly discuss a social convention called the norm of reciprocity to explain human …
