THY 573
OUTREACH MINISTY:THEORY
TWENTY-TWO THESES
FOR
ACCURATE OUTREACH COMMUNICATION
1.
CHANGE and DECAY in all around I see. Oh, thou that
changest not abide with me!!
2.
Experience teaches us that the ONLY CONSTANT in the
physical world is CHANGE. From a theological perspective we
call that mortality.
3.
HOW DOES CHANGE AND DECAY apply to language and
communication and how does it not apply?
4.
COMMUNICATION is generally defined as either verbal or
non-verbal.
5.
NON-VERBAL communication is carried out through eye
contact, facial and body gestures, wearing apparel, use of
space, timing, voice quality, stress, intonation and other nonverbal signals.
6.
VERBAL communication is carried out through language.
7.
LANGUAGE is made up of:
a.
Meaning
b.
Symbols
(Signified)
(Signifier)
8.
THE ESSENCE of language is it's meaning (SIGNIFIED).
9.
THE OUTER FORMS of language, that signal this meaningful
essence, are the symbols (SIGNIFIERS).
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10. The MEANING of the language is best defined as the mental
characteristics of the message (notions, components, patterns,
semantic fields, taxonomic hierarchies, and the conceptual
system of meaning).
11. The SYMBOLS of language are best defined as the physical
characteristics of the message (sounds, signs and written
symbols and their linear or chiastic arrangement in speech,
signing and text).
12. This basic principle of the mortality of all worldly things
applies especially to the characteristics of LANGUAGE in
which change is inescapable, relentless and inevitable. Only
approximately 50% of the symbols (linguistic forms) of the
Greek language that carried the verbal content of the New
Testament are still used to carry that same verbal content in
the Greek of today.
13. The conclusion is that the meaning characteristics of a
language can ONLY REMAIN CONSTANT with respect to
accuracy and clarity if they, on a regular basis, put off the
decaying linguistic forms that are no longer in use by the large
majority of the speakers of that language. The key to retaining
accuracy and clarity is to put on the appropriate symbols
which are at the present time the agreed upon vehicle for
transmitting that ageless and constant meaning.
14. This basic life principle creates a major problem in Gospel
Communication since it is self evident that a CHANGELESS
COMMUNICATION PIECE with respect to its linguistic form,
by definition, loses over time some and at times all of its:
FIDELITY
CLARITY
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15. The fact of the matter is that a communication piece whose
linguistic form is kept unchanged over enough time becomes
for the average speaker of the language almost TOTALLY:
INACCURATE
UNCLEAR
INCOMPREHENSIBLE
16. The obvious solution to this inevitable problem is to regularly
RESTRUCTURE THE LINGUISTIC FORM in order to preserve
the fidelity and clarity of the verbal content.
17. This restructuring will only BE SUCCESSFUL as the meaning
characteristics of the message is carefully held constant as the
physical characteristics of the message is restructured to
appropriately transmit, in the medium of contemporary
language usage, the constant meaning of that message.
18. If in the context of change and decay which all around we see
this restructuring of the symbols (words) is not done regularly,
carefully and appropriately the end results are perfectly
predictable. The meaning characteristics of the message will
FIRST BE DISTORTED then over enough time TOTALLY LOST.
This process takes place quite naturally and regularly.
It is accomplished by obdurate insistence on archaic words
and phrases which no longer communicate to the large
majority of the speakers of that language the meaning that
they originally carried so beautifully to nearly all of the
speakers of that language.
19. Failure to recognize the irreversible and constant nature of
change as it habitually affects all languages has, over the
years since the time of Christ, been one of the great if not the
GREATEST BARRIER TO COMMUNICATING JESUS THE
CHRIST to the eternally lost (65 - 80% of the world's
population) in 2007.
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20. I would say that the greatest example of GOD PLEASING
RESTRUCTURING is God's direct identification with mankind
for salvation and communication through Jesus the Christ. In
the incarnation God shows us how to lay away the beautiful
and even the treasured and important things of our past and
present in order to achieve meaningful and accurate
communication in the present to a world full of lost people
who are living in the present. Yes, that does mean identifying
the open and meaningful channels, including appropriate
contemporary linguistic words, phrases, and music, to
communicate God's great love in Christ to a lost and dying
world.
21. Finally the LOVE OF CHRIST AND HIS INCARNATIONAL
EXAMPLE, of restructuring the physical characteristics of
message in order to open the channels for the timeless
meaning of the message, must constrains us to:
a.
Recognize our past unwillingness to use the open,
Gospel communication channels that God has
prepared for us.
b.
Immediately turn to our God in repentance for
forgiveness and mercy.
c.
Turn daily to the enlightening Spirit of God for His
guidance and help as we commit ourselves to follow
Christ's incarnational model of Good News sharing
at all levels of Gospel communication in our daily
life.
d.
Daily search for the commonly used symbols which
communicate the meaning of God’s message
accurately and clearly to the present day speakers
of the language in which we are attempting to
communicate the Gospel message.
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22. MAY OUR GRACIOUS COMMUNICATING GOD HELP US with
this privilege of being totally teamed up with Him in His
mission of “seeking and saving the lost.”
Not only to do it, but to do it His way. That is in the way that
fits smoothly and meaningfully into the natural, every day
ways and words for communicating that ordinary people of all
ages use. This ordinary world is the one that He created and
that He continued to strongly identify with and communicate
into even after the fall into sin. Yes, that very same world in
which we as Christians now live and witness for the Christ
both through our verbal and non-verbal communication.
DISCUSSION STARTERS
1.
What are the key “ahas” that you have received from this
essay?
2.
What additional theses would you add to make the essay even
more meaningful?
3.
What notions/concepts/ideas do you want to discuss with
others in reference to these twenty-two thesis for accurate
Outreach communication?
Copyright © 2007 Eugene W. Bunkowske Ph.D.
EWB\MS\OUTREACH MINISTY:THEORY\0802109.
Twenty Two Theses for Accurate Outreach Communication
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