Evaluación de las clases impartidas por los docentes evaluados

In chapter two, the ways in which the people of Auchi communicated were analysed and one discovers from their peculiar experiences that the basic or most simplified (and sometimes most effective) form of communication is the inter-personal communication. All communication begins at the personal level first. Although Christ’s main mission was to bring the Good News to as many people as possible and lead them to God, at the same time he was involved in the personal lives of the individual. One sees this in his attention to Zacchaeus (Lk

164 19:1-10). Samaritan woman (Jn 4:1-42), Martha and Mary Lk 10: 38-42), the sidonian Widow (Mt 15: 21-28). These actions in themselves had an impact that surpassed the mere use of reaching the general public by means of speech. Josef Goldbrunner identifies five factors that affect inter-personal communication which in turn affect how this is received by others, either positively or negatively.

(i) Emotional disposition: The emotional signals one gives out determine how people react to us. An emotional disposition of friendliness and openness trigger similar emotions from the other party and makes the message being communicated easily acceptable and assimilated.

(ii) Intellectual disposition: the intellectual capability, in other words, the belief that the person who is communicating is competent to do so, helps to convince the listeners and the desired goal of passing on a message is achieved.

(iii) Archetypical disposition: there is the tendency for people to bring in archetypes of others into their communication. And this can either help or be a hindrance to the communication process. For example, in the course of a communication, the other partner may perceive you as the archetype of his father or mother, and depending on the relationship between him and the father or mother, the communication may succeed or fail. In evangelising communication, therefore, it is very important to know how others perceive us.

(iv) Existential dimension: the real situation of the communicator and recipient(s) is very important. Both have to come into a situation in which all suspicion is broken and they see each other as friends. So, both operating from a position in which mutual humility exists is very helpful for an effective communication.

(v) Pneumatic/Spiritual dimension: This is a situation in which each of both parties believes that their communication is one approved by God and takes places under his guidance. With such an environment of relying on the power of God, who they both believe in, communication is enhanced.

In Evangelli Nuntiandi, Pope Paul VI charges evangelisers not to forget the-person to person-form of proclamation whereby an individual’s personal conscience is reached and touched by an entirely unique word that he receives from someone else.³⁵⁰

350 Paul VI, 1975, Evangelii Nuntiandi, op.cit.

165 5.3.5 EVANGELISING IN MASS MEDIA

The Mass media will continue to dominate man’s life. This is because they provide man with news, information and entertainment.³⁵¹ Stewart Hoover posits that religion is changing and much of this change is attributable to the media. Evangelisation must therefore find a place within these changing environments.

Particularly in the 21^st century, Hoover argues that there are two categories by which the media frames religion and the way it is perceived. The first is the category of news and journalism which poses a very difficult scenario for media practitioners. Because religion is very sensitive, it has always posed a difficult challenge for those who cover it. And the second is the challenge of the non-journalistic or new digital and social media category where recourse to traditional authority no longer appears to be the soul guide of people’s religious beliefs and practices. Here, people recourse to the internet. However, this poses a real danger because of the uncertainty of the sources.

Evangelisation in the media has to take cognisance of these two influential categories. In the context of the media where bad news is good news and where the new, unexpected, unusual and controversial are news, how does the church use the media for its purposes? The Good news of the gospel is the same always. Different worlds, different cultures, different circumstances, different languages, different words, but the central message of the gospel is the same. As Hoover puts it, “stories of religious hypocrisy thus make news. Stories of moral failures of religious leaders make news. Stories of entanglement of religion with politics make news. Stories of religious conflicts and violence make news. Stories of religious “good works”

do not make news.”³⁵²

Unlike before the 20^th century, and with the birth of the new forms of media such as the digital media, there are now many channels of media available not just to the main stream faiths such as Catholicism and Islam but even more the Protestants and Evangelicals who seem to be more involved in the use of the new media.

How can the media be used then to evangelise especially in a world that appears hostile to religious views? There are many possibilities that are open to the church. First, the church must own such media and use it for its evangelising mission. Such already exist in Radio

351 Franz-Josef Eilers, 2004, Communicating in Ministry and Mission: An Introduction to Pastoral and Evangelising Communication, Bangalore, p. 209.

352 Stewart Hoover, 2012, Religion and the Media in the 21st Century, Barcelona, p.29.

166 Vatican and L’Osservatore Romano newspaper. In Auchi Diocese, there is already a diocesan newspaper, “The Promise”. Another possibility is to collaborate with existing media by sponsoring religious programmes and/or selling religious productions. Thirdly, training must be a priority. Experts must be trained who will in turn manage such sensitive information sector on behalf of the authorities. These should be both clergy and Lay persons. Within this context, Ecclesia in Africa states: “the Heralds of the Gospel must therefore enter this world (of communication) in order to allow themselves to be permeated by this new civilisation and culture for the purpose of learning how to make good use of them.”³⁵³

Besides, Catholic institutions should have communication faculties in order to provide the opportunity where young talents who will be able and willing to offer their knowledge in the service of evangelisation could be taught. Those who work in the field of media should be provided pastoral care and support. By so doing, they will be reminded always of their responsibility to God even as they serve the society.

Having seen the communicative dimension of evangelising in media in general, the second part of this chapter shall deal with communication in the church, namely communication as found in church documents.

5.4 REVIEW OF SOME CHURCH DOCUMENTS ON COMMUNICATION