Religious Communication Theories

Rhetoric

Persuasive preaching consisted of exegesis, written and oral interpretations of scriptures, and sermons, stylistically embellished oratory. Homiletic theory concentrated on pathos, appeals to emotions; ethos, religious knowledge and moral character of [Page 848]communicators; and elocutio, stylistic uses of metaphor, allegory, and irony. Religious messages attempted to recreate the three levels of meaning associated with scriptural interpretation. The literal level presented ideas as facts, the moral level offered guidance for human behavior, and the spiritual level referred to the faith-based truths found in scripture, such as the resurrection of Jesus. In the Middle Ages, homiletic theory applied both to the art of writing letters and to the art of preaching, and it emphasized the role of the preachers (messengers) as engaging listeners, inspiring religious belief, and moving audiences to act in a morally righteous way. The capacity to understand the figurative language of scriptures and deduce the religious meaning was an essential feature of the ethos of religious communicators.

Genres

Homilies are genres, general types of religious messages that share substantive and stylistic features in response to recurrent rhetorical situations. Many species of this genre evolved over time based on differences in religious purpose and situational demands. For example, the jeremiad sermon came into prominence with Puritan preachers who established religious communities based on scriptural beliefs. The vision and ideas of the jeremiad derive from the writing of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, who informed his audiences that they were a chosen people whose mandate was to keep their promise with God, obey his precepts, and become exemplars of godly people and communities. This religious species mutated into political jeremiads that utilize a similar vision, language, and themes, but that promote the political purpose of contemporary inaugurals and public ceremonial speeches. Homiletic theory generated other species that adjusted the style and content to new preaching situations, such as folk, performance, narrative, Pentecostal, and evangelical sermons.

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