This document discusses mass media's influence on mission approaches. It notes that mass media can serve as windows, mirrors, filters, signposts, and platforms for communication. The functions of mass media include information, entertainment, education, and shaping values and social formation. However, mass media is also influenced by market pressures, profit motives, and the power of elites. This can lead to negative stereotyping and popularization of fundamentalism. The document then examines various theological approaches to mission, including prophetic, liberative, dialogic, and pluralistic mission. It argues that new approaches are needed to engage creatively and critically with audiences through mass media. Examples discussed include alternative media, grassroots dialogue, and training programs to promote

1. Mass Media influence and
approaches of Mission
Rev Dr Joshva Raja

2. Mass Media
Roles and
Functions
Window
Mirror
Filter
Signpost/
guide/
interpreter
Platform/forum
Screen/Barrier
Mediation Metaphors – D.McQuail
Information
Entertainment
Education
Value and social
formation
Communication
Functions of the
Mass Media
Ex-Television,
Newspapers,
radio, Internet,
Magazines…

3. Mass
Media
Market Pressure/Profit
motive/increasing
space/De-regulation
Negative
/Stereotype
reporting as
Practice –
ideologies
and values
Popularizing
strange things -
fundamentalism
Constructing
Realities:
Turning reality
into a myth…
Media refers to TV/Radio/Newspapers/Magazines/Internet…
Information
Communication
Entertainment
Rich, powerful,
professionals
get more space
Changing
Language
Changing Culture
Changing
Technology
Changing faith
Changing
Values

4. Mission
Creative
Tension
Church with
others Missio Dei
Mediating
Salvation
Quest for
Justice
Evangelism
Liberation
Common
Witness
Ministry by
(Whole) People
of God
Witness to
people of
Other Living
Faiths
Action in
Hope
Theology
David Bosch’s Transforming Mission
Additions by Norman E Thomas to
Bosch – Contextualization, and
Inculturation, dialogue in Classic Texts

5. Hinduism Judaism
Jainism
Buddhism
Christianity
Islam
Greek, Egyptian,
Roman religions
Mission – as engaging with
people in search for
meanings of God, life and
neighbor
From Missio Dei to
Missio Humanitas? –
Thomas Thangaraj
1999 – The common Task The
Theology of Christian Mission

6. Holistic Mission
Plurality of Mission
Prophetic Liberative
Nourishes
Culture
Building
Communities
Proclamation
Development-
oriented
Participatory
Dialogic
and
interactive
Developed from WCC’s Statements 1980 -2005
You are the light of
the world Unity

7. Prophetic
Liberating
mission
Nourishes
Culture
Building Communities
Development-
oriented
Dialogic
mission
Plurality
of Mission
Communicating mission
conversion
Jesus accepts
others as they are
Jesus listens to
his audience
Jesus went to the
place where
people are
Jesus engaged in
other’s search

8. Mass Media and Mission – present approaches
Instrumental Perspective
God
church
Media People
Church
Effect
Effect Centered Perspective
Media
Diffusion by Montgomery 1999
WCC and Pontifical Documents – Eilers, Hamelink, Joshva

9. Mass
Media
Christian
Mission
Common Areas of
Interests and Research
Religious Use by
audience
Religious content
in local and global
texts
Representation
fundamentalism
new Religious
movements
Technological,
virtual, visual
Hermeneutics
Gender roles
neglect people at
the margins
Critical
engagement
Attitude towards
mass media
Use for witness
Using for
Advocacy
Ethical issues
Social change
Dialogue
Imaginative and
aesthetic mission
Eco-mission
Ecumenical
Inter-cultural
Developmental
Paul Soukup,
Chris Arthur,
Peter Granfield
Frances Plude
W Fore
V Sogaard
C Kraft

10. Mass Media and New Approaches
to Mission
 Creating a participatory and dialogical public
sphere in and through the Alternative media at
grassroots Doing mission among the community
centres (Habermas)
 Recognizing diverse audiences that are created by
the technology with different contexts and
languages– (city mission, Industrial mission, global
mission…Visual and Virtual Hermeneutics) – (M
McLuhan)
 Engaging creatively and critically in the audiences’
search for meanings –Media Literacy as Mission
(Gramsci)
 Liturgy and Rituals of the Mass Media (J Carey &
G Goethals)

11. Myths and Media -Created
-Constructed
-reiterated
A Case Study from the Mass
Media for the understanding
of the Holistic Mission

12. Media, Myth and Ignorance
Huntington’s thesis on Clash of Civilization
Edward Said’s Clash of Ignorance
Ignorance does not refer to ‘not-knowing the other’ rather
means to ‘knowing more or only the negative side of the
other’. It is often articulated by the vested groups and so
can be identified as ‘articulated ignorance’ of the other.

13. Years
No of
rel. news
Hindutva[1
]/Hindus
On
Muslim
s
Other
Rels
1981 119 54 42 23
1992 172 77 59 36
2002 348 126 173 49
Years
Total
Rel issues
Hindutva
/ Hindus
Muslms Other
Rel
1995 270 93 118 59
2002 336 124 168 44
Religious activities are often reported when they have negative or unexpected
characteristics
The news media popularises the fundamentalist aspect of every religion.
Media have a Dualistic representation – Majority vs Minority

14. India Today
No of articles
Islam.Vs
Hinduism
Terrorism(Islam)
Vs Nationalism
Iconic clashes –
Picts-Colours
(green.vssaffron)
1981 3 7 00
1992 14 21 08
2002 56 73 17
Frontline
No of
articles
Islam Vs
Hinduism
Terrorism
(Islamic)
Vs
Nationalism
Iconic
Clashes
Pictures
1995 12 8 3
2002 71 79 17
The media often tend to show their national identity
They fear of being blamed for siding with the outside terrorists
This is what people like to read or view or see in our media - Media Practitioners

15. culture of
suspicion
culture of
confrontation
culture of
violence
e.g. Islamophobia
Conversion-phobia

16. Media and Mythical statements
‘Christianity is a slow poison which is the
cause of peace and family felling among
the tribals. Christian missionaries have
made use of Government resources for
the purposes of conversions’. – Sandesh
Newspaper
missionaries do forceful conversion in
Gujarat -Gujarat Samachar (a daily
newspaper), Nav Gujarat (a daily),

17. Attacks on the churches in Gujarat
after these reports

18. Dialogue about Media-
Alternative Communication
A Culture of Dialogue
A culture of Reconciliation,
A Culture of Coexistence
with Justice and Peace
Dialogue as
Mission

19. Establishes Direct Contact and
Communication
Removes Ignorance and establishes
relationship
From myths of ignorance and clashes to a
culture of dialogue and a life together
Grassroots Dialogue
Praxis – a. Organized NIFCON (USPG) first
consultation on grassroots dialogue
b. Dialogue between Christians and Hindu
fundamentalist groups RSS at national level at UTC
Bangalore – Mediated
C. Provided Training for EMS and WARC at Stuttgart on
Internet Mission and Ecumenism
d. Trained Archbishops and Cardinals on media, mission
and dialogue at Bali, Indonesia
e. Conducted practical mission training for Methodist
Bishops in India and Press clubs on Mission,
Development and Media
f. Trained SCM and YMCAs for grassroots dialogic
groups

20. Realizing Mission in relationship and Action
Removing
Ignorance as
mission
Mission as building relationship – Relationship with God,
neighbour and creation
Mission as moving
from being a
Communicator
Communi-actor
From Spectator
Spect-actor
From Character to
Care-actor
From encoder to
decoder

21. KARMA MARGA – Path of action
ANNAPRASADHA
JNANA MARGA – The Path
of Intellectual discussion
BHAKTI MARGA – the Path of
Spiritual experience JEEVA MARGA – The path of Life -
together
Inter-religious
Unity not
Uniformity

22. Dialogue with the media Personal
N Pani of Times of India talking
to media and scholars
Asghar Ali
Engineer talking
to Journalists
Dialogue among journalists
and religious scholars
Dialogue in India
Bangladesh
Training
To the
streets
Dialogue in Nepal

23. Alternative
media
characteristics
Dialogic, democratic,
communitarian, local,
participation
Voice of
voiceless,
minorities
and
others
Cheap, easy
access, non-
profit, simple,
non-
professional
Towards
Social
change,
human
dignity
and
development
Intercultural in nature,
culturally rooted, folk
culture, updated
interactive technology
Alternative
perspectives and
practices
Space for
disabled,
HIV/AIDs
infected,
refugees,
Eunuchs, and
less privileged
people
Promote a
culture of
peace and
harmony
Alternatives as
Mission

24. Examples of Alternative Methods of
communication
Street Theatre and
Puppets for
HIV/AIDs Awareness
God-talk
includes
AIDs-talk?

25. Training NGOs and Christian
Institutions for Interfaith
Communicating Networks.
Building
Communities
through the Net
Bangladesh
Indonesia
India

26. Dialogue about the Media

28. High Speed Interactivity
Convergence
Hypertext
User based
Searching
self
God &
Other
E-mission for
Netizens
Serving
E-communities
Online Pastoral
counseling

29. Editor
Audio CDs
Audio CDs

30. Mass
Media
Christian
Mission
Technology
People of God
Social, political, cultural and
psychological contexts
Technological
determinism
People’s use of the Mass
Media for search for
Religious meanings
Mission shaping technology
Mass Media Influence

31. What makes a sect -
fundamentalist group?
Fixed Narratives of Faith – Fixing God within this
narratives and thus play God for their ends-absolutism
and inerrancy of their revelation - selective of their
tradition – defend it at all costs – feel threatened by
erosion of religious values.
Strictly dualistic – Myth of the other - members are
chosen in light –outsiders are under darkness – and
so the other is evil and is the enemy of God and are
threat to their faith, culture and so on – propagating
the negative information of the other and thus
ignorance about the ‘other’.

32. Outsiders though they follow another
religions they are ‘infidals’, ‘Pagans’,
‘Heathens’, ‘jihadis’ or ‘Western’ and thus
seen as monolithic group (Homogenous)
– a fear of other is created
Myth of the Golden age or ideal world
filled with their members only – Ram Raj;
Umma; Kingdom of God/New Creation –
thus often support/join with right wing
politicians to establish it.