Communicating for Life: Christian Stewardship in Community and Media (RenewedMinds) [Paperback]

Quentin Schultze (Author)

Book Description

Series: RenewedMinds | Publication Date: September 1, 2000

We are responsible for how we communicate, for what we communicate, and for how our communication affects others. In this discerning introduction to communication theory, Quentin Schultze guides readers through an interesting, creative, and spiritual study of communication. Rooted in a Christian worldview, Communicating for Life explores the implications of individual human communication and the influence of communication on community.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Easily the best presentation I know of a Christian perspective on communication and the media. It raises questions where most of us just take things for granted, and issues challenges where most of us just go along. Though deeply informed in both the Christian tradition and contemporary discussions on the media, it nonetheless wears its learning with extraordinary grace and vividness of rhetoric. -Nicholas Wolterstorff, Yale Divinity School

This high-torque book engages your mind and invigorates your spirit. The theory of symbolic action is a splendid achievement. It catches hold of Augustine, Burke, Elliot, and contemporary cultural studies but is distinctive with shalom. The problems and stories are stunning in themselves-from across history and around the globe. Quentin Schultze sets the standard for all work henceforth in the theology of communication. -Clifford Christians, University of Illinois

Now there is a book written from an explicitly Christian perspective, and one thing is clear: Never again can religious beliefs and values be relegated to the intellectual sidelines. To study human communication is to be immersed in questions of the most profound religious significance. -Martin J. Medhurst, Texas A&M University

In this discerning introduction to communication theory, Quentin Schultze guides readers through an interesting, creative, and spiritual study of communication. Thoroughly based in a Christian worldview, Communicating for Life explores the implications of individual human communication and the influence of communication on community.

Quentin J. Schultze is professor of communication arts and sciences at Calvin College. A nationally known communications expert, he is the author or editor of several books, including Internet for Christians and Dancing in the Dark: Youth, Popular Culture, and the Electronic Media.

About the Author

Quentin J. Schultze (Ph.D., University of Illinois) is professor of communication arts and sciences at Calvin College. He is the co-author of several books, including Internet for Christians and Dancing in the Dark: Youth, Popular Culture and the Electronic Media.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801022371
• ISBN-13: 978-0801022371
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Challenging, thought provoking... and an enjoyable read!, August 25, 2000

By 

Sarah Sharp (Elgin IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Communicating for Life: Christian Stewardship in Community and Media (RenewedMinds) (Paperback)

MANY books today cover the topic of responsible media consumption. But few do it with the insight and depth of Communicating for Life. Schultze takes the reader beyond consumption of media to look at what it truly means to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ in our technology rich world. Not only was I prodded to transform the ways I use media in my life, but I was encouraged to become a whole member of the human community. Schultze weaves these two concepts of community and media into a beautiful tapestry that can hint to us what true peace, true justice, and true community ought to look like. This is a must read for all who seek to live as authentic followers of Jesus.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking, August 11, 2009

By 

B. Hughes - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Communicating for Life: Christian Stewardship in Community and Media (RenewedMinds) (Paperback)

COMMUNICATING FOR LIFE: CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP IN COMMUNITY AND MEDIA provides a unique spin on stewardship. Schultz gives a thought provoking perspective on communication by utilizing a lens of God's creation of man and man's resultant reflection of God. He enlarges the understanding of communication theory beyond the basic communication models by enriching the process of communication with the aesthetic of the miracle of reaching the understanding of another human being. The book is excellent!

5.0 out of 5 stars Book Reviews Posted by the Author, August 23, 2010

By 

Quentin J. Schultze (Grand Rapids, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Communicating for Life: Christian Stewardship in Community and Media (RenewedMinds) (Paperback)

"I recommend 'Communicating for Life' to all persons struggling for authenticity in word and deed."
-- Robert J. Hoeksema, in the "Reformed Review"

"This work is highly recommended."
-- John Suk, in the "Calvin Theological Journal"

"'Communicating for Life' provides an insightful road map for Christian responsibility in communication."
-- Joicy Becker-Richards, in the "Princeton Seminary Bulletin"

"Schultze is adept at showing us the sin embedded in our communication and our need to be transformed by God's grace to enable us to become agents of shalom."
-- Joseph B. W. Smith, in "Christian Century"

This is a book about "love and accountability, forgiveness and humility, and about how faithful communication by God's grace is not only a foretaste of heaven, it is also a conduit for shalom in the here and now. We commend 'Communicating for Life' to you."
-- Denis D. Haack, in "Critique"

"This book's solid doctrine is lubricated by lucid writing and dozens of real-life examples -- international journalists who risk torture for telling the truth, a secretary struggling with ethical questions of e-mail privacy. Schultze thus extends his work from scholarly theory to an accessible handbook for our everyday interaction with friends, strangers, and the media."
-- Nathan Bierma, in "The Banner"

"Schultze's tone and approach to application strike a chord of appropriate Christian inquiry -- raising important questions for the field and looking for interlocutors of every strip. Taken as such, the book reads as a hearty invitation to communication inquiry from a 'merely' Christian standpoint."
-- Calvin L. Troup, in "Rhetoric and Public Affairs"

"This book has convicted me to use my gifts in communication to build community, rather than destroy it."
-- C. Mitchell Carnell, Jr., in "Christianity Today" online

"[Schultze] connects stewardship with how we speak and listen, how we interact in word and gesture, what we have to say and hear, whether one-on-one, in community, or in mass communications within our culture... I hope his book will convert others to this approach to communicating and then inform them as they go about living up to their new resolves."
-- Martin Marty, University of Chicago (from the foreword)