Communication Theology: A Personal View
By Frances Forde Plude
[This essay served as an Introduction to the December 2003 Theology Issue of the Catholic International Journal. I was Editor of this issue, featuring several other articles on Communication Theology.]
September 11, 2001 was a tragic reminder that media are an integral part of ‘the ground of our being’. It was not just the pictures; perhaps, more importantly, it is the fact that we continue to process our deeply religious beliefs and feelings (and fears) within a mediated culture and as part of a media-linked world community.
As many documents in this Catholic International Journal demonstrate, our culture is digital and we face the challenge of ‘being church’ in this new environment. Tom Boomershine notes in his essay that this is perhaps the first time in the history of Christianity that churches have not been an integral part of the major communication system of the age. (In contrast, churches used print technology empowered millions through their educational institutions.)
Overview of Topics
The Communication/Theology challenge is being processed currently both in theory and ‘on the ground’. This issue reflects both phases of this action. Section I presents serious theological reflection as individuals – both theologians and communication scholars – begin to construct theoretical frameworks for a new field of thought: Communication Theology.
Section II isolates a ‘case study’ – the communication concept of dialogue as it relates to the Vatican II theology of communio. By examining the challenge of becoming a more dialogic church (in the light of an interactive world), the papers in this section demonstrate that the content of Communication Theology includes mass media issues, but many other communication concepts as well.
In Section III we report additional specific practical examples of how the integration of media and religion is being constructed by dedicated individuals in different arenas. This includes: several bishops struggling with pastoral realities; a woman helping people of faith write Hollywood scripts that are both entertaining and positive; two individuals who have worked hard to get Catholics to value film culture; a diocesan communication director who gives advice about dealing openly with media; an analysis of how church media training programs are changing (and what we can learn here from Latin America); a report on the development of a cable TV religious collaborative that has morphed into an entertainment company with wholesome program goals; and some newsletter columns that attempt to explore how Communication Theology ideas can work at the parish level.
Sections IV and V offer additional voices addressing Communication Theology concepts and some resources for those who want to join this movement or simply find out more about it.
This issue includes both theory and praxis; it also reflects the global players and helpful resources. The Asian bishops, for example, are struggling with new media attitudes reported in Peter Malone’s paper. The interest in Communication Theology is somewhat ecumenical and that is reflected here.
A Personal Testimony
My own commitment to Communication Theology and its development has grown out of more than thirty years of work at the church- and-communication cause. While I have been engaged in other tasks (work as a TV producer, doctoral studies at Harvard, an academic career), I have been active as a player and consultant as churches have struggled with the growing challenge of a mediated culture and rapid technological change.
I have emerged from this experience strongly convinced that churches will not figure out how to adapt to this reality (and will not commit the necessary financial resources to it), until we have done the work of articulating theologically what is happening in our communication culture.
In working with theologians for more than a decade I can report they are unanimous in acknowledging the importance and necessity of this task. The problem is they are not equipped, right now, to doing it. Our reports from the Catholic Theological Society of America seminars on Communication Theology show that the conversation between theologians and communication scholars and practitioners has begun and continues. Much more interaction is necessary in the struggle to build the theoretical frameworks necessary to support (and to learn from), the work in the practical arenas. Here I am reminded of the statement: “There is nothing as practical as good theory.”
It should be noted some colleagues do not see ‘Communication Theology’ as an appropriate rubric. These thoughtful issues have been raised:
The term ‘Communication Theology’ seems to make communication derivative of Theology – perhaps subverting attempts to engage media as a critical cultural perspective; this perspective is often called mediation.
It is possible that Communication Theology can be used to protect power and legitimacy “rather than being about fundamental normative definitions and concepts”. Stewart Hoover has suggested what is needed is “a relationship between theology and communication that is nuanced, historical, critical, and engaged”.
It has been noted that some theologians and “all culturally-minded forms of theologizing” are already doing this; all theologians of culture begin with this affirmation.
What remains worrisome, however, is that one colleague reports he did a survey recently of ten theological texts on theology and culture and found only one even mentioned communication media! So, for such integration to occur it seems that some systematic attempts must be organized; what this effort is labeled seems almost to be a secondary issue.
Theoretical-Framework Examples
Father “Bob” Bonnot has put the issue succinctly. He notes that theology is faith, seeking understanding. This is always done from a given position and with a defined perspective. This has given rise to various ‘schools’ of theology:
Augustinian Theology positioned in Platonism with a Roman/Biblical perspective
Thomistic Theology positioned in Aristotelianism with a Patristic perspective
Counter-Reformation Theology positioned within the Reformation with a defensive and legalistic perspective
In our own day we have seen the “option for the poor” and the need to include women’s experience articulated within liberation and feminist theologies.
In this context, Communication Theology, within the Catholic perspective as conditioned by Vatican II, is doing theology:
from a position within today’s culture which is defined by communication emphases,
with a perspective that seeks to understand the Divine Presence and action in the varied dimensions of this communication culture.
In other words, Communication Theology sees various cultural forms (music, image, symbol, ritual, etc.) as modalities of communication, as mediations of culture through communication.
Organizing material within Communication Theology is a challenge. Theology and communication are huge fields already; how does one integrate them? In 1982 Dr. Jim McDonnell proposed one schema in a bibliography he prepared for the Center for the Study of Communication and Culture, located in London at that time. Here is a partial list of the categories he suggested under “communication perspectives in theology.”
Theological Method: (Communicative Theology; Narrative Theology)
Meaning, Interpretation and Truth
Religious and Theological Language
Theology and Culture: (Religious Experience and Imagination; Divine Self-Communication; Faith and Imagination)
Art, Music, Literature, and the Religious Imagination
Fundamental Theology
Ecclesiology
Bible and Biblical History
Such theoretical frameworks can provide maps for the Communication Theology journey ahead of us. Daniel Felton, in his Gregorian University dissertation, developed five thoughtful interfaces linking Theology and Communication studies. The Felton framework includes: Theology and Communication; Communitive Theology; Systematic Theology of Communication; Pastoral Theology of Communication; and Christian Moral Vision of Communication.
It is a challenge for Communication Theology to mature, as younger theologians emerge from, and reside in, the digital age.