COMMUNICATION 12 - Foundations
God is communication
- God is a Trinity (Gen 1:1-3, Mth 3:10-17, Mth 28:19, Jhn 1:1-2, …).
- The Trinity presupposes communication within the God-head himself.
- The Trinity is shown as constantly communicating with each other (Gen 1:26, Mth 3:10-17, Mrk 1:35, Jhn 14:10, Jhn 17, …).
- The Bible is God’s communication. Why would God write a 1000 page book if he didn’t want us to hear and understand who he is?
- God created the universe by his spoken word (Gen 1:3-26).
- Jesus’ title is ‘the Word of God’ (Jhn 1:1-2, Heb 1:1-2)
- Jesus reveals the Father (Jhn 14:9, …)
- The Holy Spirit leads into all truth (Jhn 16:13).
- God’s creation – his handiwork – reveals God (Psa 19:1).
- God speaks, reveals, proclaims, shows, explains …
Humans are communicators
- Humans – made in God’s image – are also communicators.
- Humans cannot live in isolation and absence of relationship.
- Humans are made to relate and to interact.
- Babies that are not spoken to or touched die.
- Everything God makes communicates.
- Everything we make communicates … something.
Communication’s presuppositions
- What is necessary for communication to happen? Communication presupposes …
- Personhood
- only beings with self-awareness can communicate (on a higher level than animals).
- only beings who think and decide can communicate.
- Human are sovereign beings
- only if I can tell whether a thought is mine or somebody else’s is communication possible.
- only if I can reject or accept incoming things is communication possible.
- communication is offering a statement and considering an other’s statement.
- There is an outside reality
- about which both communicator and listener can know something.
- if nothing is really there I will never know anything about anything …
- and will never be able to communicate anything about anything to you.
- Words have real meaning and can be understood
- if everybody understands something different by any given word, we will never be able to communicate, meaning will never be able to be communicated.
- There is such a thing called truth
- if nothing is true, nothing can be said.
- if nothing is true, nothing needs to be said.
Human sovereignty
- God is sovereign, powerful to choose, powerful to implement.
- Humans – made in God’s image – are sovereign, powerful to choose, to implement
- God, as Creator and true Authority is sovereign over everything he wishes to be sovereign over (unlimited sovereignty)
- Humans are sovereign over a few things, especially ourselves (limited sovereignty)
- we can accept or reject truth when presented with it
- we can obey or ignore the voice of conscience
- we can choose to see only certain things
- we can follow or refuse counsel
- we should not sin, but we can sin, we do not have to spend eternity with God
- Different humans see, perceive and are aware of different things.
- We strongly filter what information we let in or retain, based on our prior thinking.
- Our different perspectives, thinking or world view influence our perception.
- We attach meaning and importance to things according to prior experience.
- In court completely identical statements are rejected as fabricated.
Power of the media?
- We Christians tend to believe that the media is very powerful. We say
TV destroys people
video games lead to aggressive behavior - Does hearing or seeing something ‘make me do it’?
- If media was so powerful, why can’t Christian Gospel broadcasting convert the whole world in 24 hours?
- And an Hindu broadcast a day later would convert everybody to Hinduism?
- Is it really this easy?
- Media in itself is not powerful, but it may give good or bad, true of untrue content.
- People basically listen to what they want to hear.
- People basically watch what they want, what they like.
- People basically watch what they want to be influenced by.
- Media is an influence, we choose to empower it … or not to empower it.
- Dennis Peacock says: “The mind justifies what the heart has chosen”
Empowering influence
- Example: Shampoo commercial. If I watch it thinking ‘oh, if only I had hair like that, then everybody would like me’ I empower the commercial, I accept its suggestions, believe its message, agree with its statements, judge myself by its values.
- But if I watch the commercial thinking ‘Yes, she’s got nice hair, many have nice hair, so what?’ the same commercial doesn’t touch me in the least.
- Therefore: The popularity of a message is not a reflection of the power of a message … but a reflection of the will and values of the audience
- Example 1856: Darwin’s “of the origin of species” was an instant success not because it was indeed scientific, but because it was what colonialist post-Christian Europe wanted to hear:
- ‘the Europeans races are superior to other races’
- ‘the stronger has a right to rule the weaker’
- ‘therefore colonial empires and exploitation are justified’
- ‘there is no God and there are no morals > I can do what I want.’
How does God communicate?
- God offers truth.
- God gives understanding. He explains reality to us.
- God shows us: “if this … then that”. He explains “cause … effect” to us.
- As a human I now take God’s input and:
- I can compare it with what I already know.
- I can weigh it, evaluate it, verify it.
- I can accept it or reject it … Humans are indeed sovereign!
- God could easily override or overpower human sovereignty.
- but he doesn’t just manipulate our brains to think right.
- he doesn’t just force our hearts to be obedient.
- he doesn’t overwhelm us with supernatural effects, miraculous firework, a megaphone blasting the gospel from the moon to the earth.
- God communicates in such a way that you can ignore him at any time, if you want to.
- God entered the world as a baby, vulnerable and simple.
- God – in Jesus – entered the world as one voice among many.
How does Jesus communicate?
- He is one voice among many voices.
- He offers truth in the same way others also may offer their opinions or supposed truths.
- He does miracles, but those who want to ignore them or find other explanations, can (as the Pharisees’ reactions show).
- He explains, but doesn’t argue anybody into the corner by his superior knowledge.
- He brings understanding, but the unwilling are not forced, many walk away.
- He knows everything, but doesn’t use that to cower others or to overwhelm.
- He offers new thinking, but only if you engage
- Why does Jesus use parables? Why is he not stating things straight?
- stories are easier to remember (oral culture)
- stories engage the mind, capture thoughts, convict the heart.
- those who want to can easily ignore them as silly stories, nobody is forced.
- parables make a difference between seekers and on-lookers.
- Everyone who asks for the meaning of the parables gets an explanation, but not all people ask (Mrk 4:10-11)
Freedom of speech?
- Is Jesus for freedom of speech? Even if lies are spoken?
- Jesus spoke the truth freely.
- Jesus defended his right to speak.
- Jesus challenged his opponents, argued his points, contradicted them.
- but Jesus did not silence his opponents, even when they were wrong.
- Jesus only silenced demons, not humans.
Truth versus lies
- Freedom of speech is defended by Jesus.
- Example: Gutenberg printing press developed in 1525 AD. Printing can produce Bibles, school books, but also pornography. Proverb: “Paper accepts anything”
- Example: Internet today
- Don’t silence, but publish and communicate the truth!
- Fight for the right to speak, even an opponent’s right to speak!
- Offer people a choice, inform them!
- Evil is present, but therefore offer good and true alternatives!
- Ask: What is not being said that should be said?
- God believes that truth (when offered) speaks for itself.
- God says that light (truth) is stronger than darkness.
- Freedom of press in a nation correlates with the development of the nation.
- Example: Daniel is a light and lives a life in a very ungodly Babylon.
- Example: First newspapers were printed by Christians ‘People have a right to know’.
- Example: Soviet Union after 70 years of brainwashing and propaganda, less than 25 % of the population actually believed the propaganda
Summary
- God does not try to control us, but he seeks to communicate the truth.
- God seeks to offer choice.
- Words do not have the power of control, but the power of influence.
- We empower words by accepting them.
- God made us sovereign. He wants us to learn to recognize truth & lies, good & evil and learn to choose right.
- God does not hide evil, God does not remove lies, but he offers truth, enables us to recognize lies and choose wisely.
How does this apply to raising children?
- For a time you as parent have to limit the child’s exposure to certain things, but parents ‘forever controlling exposure’ is not the goal.
- The real goal has to be to teach children to recognize truth & lies, good & evil and for them to learn to choose what is good and right on their own.
- Learn to choose wisely what you empower and what you expose yourself to.