Pierre Babin, widely regarded as one of the most original and farweeing thinkers about religious communication in the world today, here explores the deeper religious meaning of the revolution in global communication. ... [from back cover]

Christians and communities of faith today are rediscovering evangelism as an essential aspect of the church's mission. Many of the resulting books in the marketplace, however, have a hands-on orientation, often lacking serious theological engagement and reflection. Bucking that how-to trend, The Study of Evangelism offers thirty groundbreaking essays that plumb the depths of the biblical and theological heritage of the church with reference to evangelistic practice. Helpfully organized into six categories, these broad, diverse writings lay a solid scholarly foundation for meaningful dialogue about the church's practice of evangelism.

In this one-volume resource kit, Jensen helps preachers use visual images creatively and responsibly. How, how much, when, what equipment, use of teams, relationship to exegesis, different varieties of images, sources--all the essential topics and concerns are addressed here. Jensen first discusses how vital, if controversial, image-making has always been in Christian tradition and then demonstrates how preaching with images is both profoundly traditional and necessary to contemporary proclamation. His work combines practical advice with religious reflection to enable preachers to help their congregations envision the Word anew. The accompanying CD-ROM contains not only the full text of the book and helpful study guide, but links to the most helpful Websites and Web-based sources of images.

Communication has become an important theme and heuristic concept in practical theology for Roman Catholics during the ecumenical age. Communication Habits for the Pilgrim Church explains why the moral order is given priority in Vatican teaching about communication and the reasons for Catholic social teaching to make moral judgments about these new realities. Attention is given in the book to the historical context of Vatican Councils I and II. The first chapter shows that behind the pilgrim Church lies an emerging vision of the threefold ecclesial offices of priest, prophet, and king. Chapter two examines the text and context of the Second Vatican Council's pastoral decree «Inter Mirifica». Chapter three provides a documented history of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Social Communication and its teachings. In chapter four we return to the threefold office and examine the contribution of Pope John Paul II. It includes an analysis of how the politics of the Magisterium shapes Catholic social teaching. Chapter five develops major tenets of a critical analysis of the communication of the post-Vatican II Church: attention is given to the discursive aspects of religious authority, argumentation, bureaucratization, and market culture. Chapter six takes a step toward examining the pragmatics of contemporary Vatican teaching. For Roman Catholic moral theology, religious ethics is now deeply concerned with providing moral teaching and guidance on ethical questions raised by the social conditions of globalization and media communication. Communication Habits for the Pilgrim Church concludes that there are three basic sociological and theological aspects of the pilgrim Church. These include a ritual approach to religious communication, the generational experience of Catholics and their respective attitudes toward Church teaching, and the important link in the faith's praxis between reflexivity and forming habits of communication.

Though not all people are religious believers, religion has played important historic roles in developing political systems, parties, and policies—affecting believers and nonbelievers alike. This is particularly true in the United States, where scholars have devoted considerable attention to a variety of political phenomena at the intersection of religious belief and identity, including social movements, voting behavior, public opinion, and public policy. These outcomes are motivated by “identity boundary-making” among the religiously affiliated. The contributors to this volume examine two main factors that influence religious identity: the communication of religious ideas and the perceptions of people (including elites) in communicating said ideas. Exploring the Public Effects of Religious Communication on Politics examines an array of religious communication phenomena. These include the media’s role in furthering religious narratives about minority groups, religious strategies that interest groups use to advance their appeal, the variable strength of Islamophobia in cross-national contexts, what qualifies as an “evangelical” identity, and clergy representation of religious and institutional teachings. The volume also provides ways for readers to think about developing new insights into the influence religious communication has on political outcomes.

A unique resource for identifying issues involved in Protestant pastoral ministry and adjusting pastoral approach to those issues.

The growing connections between media, culture and religion are increasingly evident in contemporary society, but until now have rarely been theoretically linked. The contributors to this volume effectively combine these areas into a coherent whole. The issues they examine include: the decline of religious institutions during the late twentieth century; the increasing autonomy and individualized practice of religion; and the surge of media and media-based icons that are often imbued with religious qualities, and the ensuing effect on cultural practices.