God Talk

List of Contributors - Acknowledgments - Preface - Mark Ward Sr.: Introduction: "A Possible Relationship between Belief and Knowledge" - Quentin J. Schultze: The "God-Problem" in Communication Studies - Lakelyn E. Taylor: Let Them Take the Lead: A Holistic, Culture-Centered Approach to Divine-Human Communication - Elaine Schnabel: The Politics of Knowledge Production: Situating the "God Problem" in the Context of Decolonization - Arielle Leonard Hodges: Religion and Spirituality in Communication Research: Moving Toward a Sociocultural Identity Framework - Christine J. Gardner: The Researcher as Translator: Locating the God Problem in Researcher Identity - Kathleen D. Clark: "Silence is the Communication Behavior of God": Contemplation and Collaborative Autoethnography - Joshua D. Hill: The "Still Small Voice": A Phenomenological Approach to Divine Communication - Mark Ward Sr.: Toward a Theory of Divine Communication? Prospects and Problems - Edward Lee Lamoureux: Who Owns the God Problem? A Reader Response Solution - Quentin J. Schultze: Reconsidering the "God-Problem" in Communication Studies.

Mark Ward Sr. is Professor of Communication at the University of Houston-Victoria. He has authored or edited seven books, while his research on religious communication and media has been published in more than 40 scholarly articles and essays and received numerous awards.

"When I was invited to endorse God Talk: The Problem of Divine-Human Communication, I was very excited and anticipated a body of work that further solidifies the importance of a marginalized area of communication scholarship. It did not disappoint! The collection of critiques advances a powerful question that must be asked if we are to gain a broader and deeper understanding of humanity. The phenomenon of Divine-human communication (DHC) is framed as an area of scholarship replete with heurism, not limiting itself to Judeo-Christian belief systems. Instead, the authors individually and collectively address the ideological diversity in existent DHC and the robust research that has yet to be explored in the discipline. The chapters beautifully tie together and articulate the necessity of theistic communication research, stressing the intersectional identities of theist-scholars in their study of phenomena where religious ideologies are activated. As a religious communication scholar who also identifies as a theist-scholar, I found every chapter empowering, as they encourage the field to reconsider its positionality towards an area of scholarship that attempts to 'measure the immeasurable.' God Talk debunks the broad misconception that theist-scholars are attempting to advance a religious campaign of indoctrination. Moreover, the book provides a very strong foundation upon which others can stand as they interrogate communication phenomena where one's religious identity and relationship and communication with God/Creator/Higher Power are intertwined in theoretical yet practical ways. Upon reading each chapter, I was further convinced of the necessity and continued relevance of theistic communication studies. It is not a monolith but a swath of religious ideological diversity that is beyond worthy of further exploration. This book is a must!" -Tina M. Harris, Ph.D., Professor, Endowed Chair of Race, Media, and Cultural Literacy, Louisiana State University