Inspire, Spring 2004

24 Spring 2004 do for us. The importance of words cannot be overstated. Words can be used to lift people up and encourage, or they can also be weapons of hate and discouragement. We have the ability to manipulate words for good or for evil. This may mean holding back words as well! I think it is important to use every opportunity we are given to use words wisely, in ways that direct people to Jesus. I have been in situations where no matter how much I prepare or plan beforehand, I just don’t know what to say. There are situations when all the sparkling phrases ring dull and trite in light of the situation you must face with another individual. In times like these I remember that God promised so many of the people He loved who were facing similar situations that He would give them the words to say. So I try to stand back and let the Creator of words use me as a channel and put in my mouth the right thing to say. Words are a vital part of journalism, so how should a Christian journalist address the challenges that come with engaging our world with words? I think the journalist who is a Christian must maintain the highest standards of professionalism in a field that is currently plagued with a variety of attacks to the very nature of reporting the news. Upholding truth in a Postmodern world is important. Maintaining high standards of conduct in a ruthless working environment is also imperative. Ethics in all phases of the work should be constantly on the minds of the Christian communicator. How will this work glorify God? How will it affect those reported? How will it bring truth to the minds of those receiving it? In a market-driven journalistic context, the motivations of the Christian communicator must remain stayed on principles above the profit motive. In the past, with the opportunity for Christians to operate in Christian contexts, many talented communicators withdrew from participation in the secular realm of media. As a result, non-Christian media professionals have had a tremendous freedom to incorporate their value structures into the media products they create and transmit to American society (and beyond!). It is important that Christian communication professionals have equal opportunities to do this. Christians working in any medium of communication face the same challenges as Christians working in other fields, except that their efforts tend to be much more visible. It is vital that Christians in communication excel in their work so that God might be glorified and the cause of His Kingdom advanced. The challenge is for Christian communication to be excellent in content and form in order to honor God and to reach the media-savvy lost in our culture. With that in mind, what is your vision for the department of communication arts? I think it is important to continue the high standard of excellence the department has established and continue it into other areas of critical opportunity. Any healthy academic program is always seeking to consolidate its strengths while looking for new challenges, and our program is no different in this regard. We are in the initial stages of looking at adding a journalism component to our electronic media division — to bring broadcast journalism back into our curriculum with modifications that incorporate the changes made by new technology and the impact of the Internet. We are also looking at meeting the demand for public relations education by adding this area to our organizational communication program. The theatre faculty is considering how to add more to the technical aspect of their program of study to better prepare those working behind the stage. We have a mandate from the University to prepare gatekeepers with the mind of Christ. To do this we must maintain high academic standards to educate students to have a depth of knowledge about our discipline balanced with communication skills in written and presentational areas. So, we will continue to carefully scrutinize our curriculum to maintain ever-higher standards of academic rigor and professional application. Chuck and his wife, Becky (Reid) ’77, live in Cedarville with their three children, Samuel, Benjamin, and Elisabeth.