The Impact of Media Theory on the Communication Theories Adopted in Contemporary Homiletics

Abstract

Contemporary homiletics has widely adopted the theories of the field of Communication Theory since the mid-twentieth century. In the same period, the field of Media Theory has developed its own theories that pose implications upon those communication theories adopted in contemporary homiletics. The present work explores such implications by arraying common elements of Communication Theory with media-related theories. In Chapter 2, the researcher performed a content analysis of those communication theories adopted by contemporary homiletics. In Chapter 3, the researcher performed a content analysis of the field of media theory, searching for theories which pose implications upon the communication theories documented in Chapter 2. In Chapter 4, the researcher arrayed the findings of the two content analyses, exploring each arrayed relationship individually. The researcher used the data arrayed in Chapter 4 to develop a Grounded Theory of Communication in a Media Saturated Age in Chapter 5. Based on the grounded theory, the researcher developed a Communication Theory Model for a Media Saturated age, depicted in Chapter 5. The present work produced both a grounded theory of communication and a communication theory model that account for the unique characteristics of modern communication in media saturated environments.