3. Please state your understanding of the relationship of biblical perspectives to your scholarly discipline or professional specialization.
As I explore the various facets of this question and its application to communication and media communication, let me begin by simply stating that communication is not possible in a universe with no God. Without a foundation rooted in God everything would be essentially meaningless and without purpose. With no basis for meaning, communication would be without content and merely babble.
Communication then, is rooted in God. The Trinity expresses this in that each person of the Trinity communicates with the others yet perfect unity is retained. Not only does God communicate within the Trinity, God has chosen to communicate to His creation. Both Genesis 1 and John 1 demonstrate this. John 1:1 states that "In the beginning was the Word..." and Genesis 1 shows that God spoke the universe into being, "Then God said, let there be...". In the former, God is communication itself, in the latter, God weaves communication through the very fabric of creation.
Further, God has chosen to communicate to the beings that He created in His own image - you and I. In Genesis 1, 2 and 3 for example, we see God communicating with Adam and Eve. Before the Fall, this communication was natural, pure and complete. After the Fall, this communication was unnatural, stained and incomplete. The entrance of sin has clouded not only the communication between God and man, but also between man and self (intrapersonally), man and man (interpersonally) and man and others (socially, culturally). These damaged relationships (and communication is essentially relational) are clearly expressed in Genesis 11:5-9 in the story of the tower of Babel. The point remains however, that we are communicative creatures because we were created in the image of a communicating God.
Given that communication is not now what it was intended to be does not leave us in despair. God still chooses to communicate with us despite how imperfectly we listen. God sent prophets, priests and kings to communicate His nature and His commands. He has spoken through nature, miracles, signs, dreams and other methods and vehicles. He can even speak through a donkey when it suits Him! Ultimately, God expressed Himself in the person of His Son Jesus Christ who is God's perfect word in the flesh.
Once in the New Testament, I find that the Greek word for communication, "koinonia," is a word that expresses the richness of communication. The word can mean "communication," "communion," "community," and "fellowship" among others. These reflect the fact that communication is not only personal and intimate, it is also social. This social dimension opens the door to discuss the nature of the relationship between media communication and the Bible. There are those who might say that the Bible is silent on media communication. After all, the Bible was written long before the development of radio, television and other mass mediums. This perspective is short sighted. The previous discussion links media communication with communication through the word koinonia. Biblical principles that apply to communication also apply to media communication. Let me suggest briefly, two Biblical concepts that apply equally to both:
1) "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29)
and,
2) "I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?"
(Job 31:1) (Job is making a faith statement that he will not gaze on anything that might lead him to sin)
The first concept relates to the sender or encoder of a message, the second to the receiver or decoder of a message. Both tell us that communication should reflect as best as possible, the nature of communication as it was before the Fall. And, as those created in God's image we have a responsibility to be wise in both the messages we send and those we receive. This applies equally to communication and media communication contexts. Space does not permit a more detailed expression of the relationships between communication, media communication and Biblical perspectives. The above discussion however, I believe lays the groundwork for a more complete discussion.