research methodology theology

1. Research Methodology
Course
Joshva Raja, UTC, Bangalore
SATHRI,2005

2. Doing Research in the field of
Communication
Communication as a field of Research in
Theological Education – every discipline has to
communicate – communication as a field
borrows methods and theories from every other
field.
Pastors, lecturers and leaders are
communicators – professional and systematic
study on Communication is needed
ICE age – Audio-visual language – Convergent
language – communication failure

3. Research in Communication
 It should enhance the communication process
 Analyze systematically the communication
issues and problems
 Try to explain or interpret or explore and
identify the failures or mistakes of the
communication in the ministry and mission
 Find new means, methods, ways, models,
strategies or principles of communication that
relevant to the new context

4. Communication research
 Meanings
 Alternatives
 Methods
 Perspectives
 Means or types
 process

5. Communication as a Social Process
Other Social Processes – Modernization…
Society : Community and Individuals
Powerful
Impact
on
Other
Social
processes
Reflect and
being
influenced
by other
Social
processes
Both
Processes
are inter-
dependent
Both
processes
are
independent

6. Research areas in Communication
Communication Religion
Society Culture

7. Identifying Issues in Communication -
Examples
• Communication Gap between –
-Theological Colleges and Churches
- Church leaders and Lay people -youth
-Information Rich and Information Poor
-Government and Citizens
• Misrepresentation of
- Women, Children, disabled, Refugees
- Religious, Linguistic, racial Minorities
• Converting the above issues into a Research
Problem is the task of the researcher –
Statement of the problem

8. Types of
Communication
Inter-personal Communication
Intra-personal
Communication
Extra-personal
Communication
Group
Communication
Mass
Communication
Folk
Communication
Technological Communication
Community
Communication
(Indian theories)
(Gesture,
dialogue)
(Interactivity, virtual
body of Christ)
(Mediated, public
sphere, opinion
shaping)
(leadership, youth,
fellowship)
(Eco-concerns)
(Grassroots,
developmental)
(traditional, alternative)

9. Literature Review
 Search and Identify the Primary Sources or areas of
research -ATLA-Google-Online Library Catalogues-
Communication research abstracts….
 Read previous reviews – Paul Soukup’s Theo and
Comm Review – Buddenbaum’s Religion and Media
Review…
 Develop Critical thinking – Read Reviews of the
books – try to narrow down the subject

10. Major Theoretical Perspectives (Barrie
Gunter – Media Research Methods)
 Positivism – method for combining logic with precise empirical
observations of individual behavior (Durkheim) – a law supported by facts
obtained through empirical research techniques
 Interpretative Social Science – a theory of embedded
meanings – a detailed reading or examination of text (Oral, written, visual
or convergent) – The reading will reveal insights into a person’s feeling
and motives (Max Weber)
 Critical Social Science – Reveal, explain and understand
power structures and relationships within society (Marx) – analyzing
values and ideologies in the media used for controlling and propagating
false consciousness
 Post Modern –Demystifying the world – to deconstruct or tear
surface appearances to reveal the internal hidden structure…

11. Issues in Communication-
Concerns for a Religious
researcher?
Social IntegrationPower and inequality
Political economy
and concentration
of ownership
Technology
Determinism
Developmental
Dissemination
Human Rights
Advocacy
Alternative
Communication
Democratization of
Communication
Globalization
of media
New Media
Culture
Gender
and Media
Normative roles –
Freedom of press,
access to Public,
diversity
Segregating
Public Sphere

12. Communication
AnthropologySocial Science
Science & Technology
Cultural
studies
Psychology
Borrowing Methods and Logics
Participant
observation
Content analysis
Audience studies
Textual analysis
Questionnaire
Interview
Lab experimentDemonstrational test

13. Blurring the Difference
 Qualitative Versus Quantitative
 Deductive Vs Inductive
 Descriptive Vs Analytical
 Applied Vs Fundamental

14. Identifying research areas in
Communication
 Communicator – Source Research
 Message – Content/textual Research
 Channel – Medium Research
 Receivers – Audience Research
 Impact – Effect Research
 Process research; feedback research;
technology research…

15. Communicator Message Medium Audience
Political Economy
Cultural Studies
In-depth Interview
Participant
observation
Case studies
Content analysis
Discourse
Rhetorical
Semiotics
Inter-textual
Ideological Criticism
Psychoanalytic criticism
Technological
determinism
Institutional
analysis
Questionnaire
Interview
Depth
Ethno-method
Lab experiment
Observation
Surveys/statistics
Focus group
interview
Identify the Universe and Samples
Selected
institutions/Communicators
within a possible area
Period of magazines,
newspaper, TV serials…
Household/church
members/clubs

16. Communication and Religion
 Religious use of and attitude towards
Communication – preaching/FEBA
 Religious Role of Communication -
Ramayana
 Religious advocacy and Ethical Principles of
Communication – Communitarian Values
 Inter-religious and inter-cultural
Communication – perceptional changes
 Impact of Media Culture and Language on
Religion

17. Communication
Religion Society
Updated issues: Representation of the other in the Religious
Narratives
Representation of Religion in the Media
Fundamentalist Approaches in Religious Communication
Media’s Impact on Religious believers
Neo-virtual religious Communities and their networking
communication
Time =history
Space =culture
Faith,
Narrative,
behavior
Content,
medium,
communicator

18. Communication and Theology
Learning from Communication in doing
theology (Soukup)
Use of communication (Horsefield)
Ethics and advocacy in communication
(Clifford Christians)
Christian attitude towards
Communication (William Fore)
Communicative Theology (Eilers)
Theology of Communication (Rahner)

19. Old Testament/
New Testament
Interdisciplinary Researches
Theology/Ethics
Rhetoric of Paul
/Discourse
analysis of
wisdom Literature
Biblical themes in
Films/Visual
Hermeneutics –
Passion of Christ?
Ministry – Christian
Education, Homiletics,
Counseling and Worship
Communitarian
values/Role of
Aesthetics
Religion
Mission/
History
Stereotypical
representation,
inter-religious
Intercultural
/ tract/radio
mission
Gender
Studies
Women
in ads
CE text
analysis, online
counseling,
visual worship
Ramayana
in TV and
Hindutva

20. Possible Researches in
Media and theology
• Tele-evangelists and people’s faith
• Virtual Church and theology of body of
Christ
• Relationship in SMS and Kingdom Values
• Breakdowns in Call Centers and Pastoral
Counseling
• Shaping faith through Ads
• Puppet for Human rights advocacy
• Newspapers and end of Print culture…

21. Mass Media
Roles and
Functions
Window
Mirror
Filter
Signpost/
guide/
interprete
r
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…

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. Alternative
media
Mass
media
Alternativ
e Mission
and
Alternativ
e Media:
Challenge
s for the
new
millenniu
m

30. ALTERNATIVE
MEDIA
Global to
local
Local to global
Cheap, available
Effectiveness
Simple, plain
Easy access
to community
Development and social
change Democratic,
participatory
Against mass media
in promoting
culture of peace,
dialogue
Promote communitarian values and Individual
freedom
Inter-cultural
understanding
Purpose
Reaching the mass but
not for profit
Fair representation of minorities,
disabled, refugees…
Taking sides with
poor, labourers in
reporting
Voice of
the
voiceless
Culturally rooted, community building,
inter religious harmony
Praxis

31. Mass
Media
Market Pressure/Profit
motive/increasing space
Negative
/Stereotype
reporting as
Practice
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

32. 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

33. Alternative
Media and
Mission
Sharing the
Gospel
Serving
Christian
Community
New Spirituality,
Alternative media
and mission
Ecumenical
Media as
alternative
Interacting wit
Communities
Networking
different
Communities
Alternative
Media for
Development
Net as
Alternative
Media
Training
Priests and
Missionaries
Banking the
Knowledge
Alternative - Media
Education as
mission
Alternative
media and
cultural groups