CHRISTIAN COMMUNICATION PRINCIPLES ACCORDING TO WACC

                                                                                                                          K. Lalzarliana

Introduction:

The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) is an international NGO registered as a charity in both Canada and the United Kingdom. It is a worldwide network of ecumenical Christian communicators whose global office is based in Toronto. It is a membership organization bringing together some 1,500 institutions and individuals in more than 100 countries.

Organizations and individuals become members of the global Association, organized for practical purposes into eight Regional Associations (Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America and Pacific).

History:

The origins of WACC date back to 1950 when Christian communicators from Europe and North America began seeking guidelines for the future of religious broadcasting. Several organizations, including the World Council of Churches, shared the same concerns and they eventually joined forces to establish the ‘old’ WACC in 1968. Rapid developments in mass media worldwide and a concern to integrate the work of the Agency for Christian Literature Development of the World Council of Churches led to a merger in 1975 that created the present WACC. In 1986 WACC adopted its Christian Principles of Communication as a statement of core values based on Liberation Theology's option for the poor.

Activities:

WACC’s wide-ranging activities include support for communication projects mainly, but not exclusively, in the global south; the promotion of analysis, reflection and action on important topics related to its areas of concern; support for networking within and beyond its membership; and publication and sharing of information. WACC’s project support has traditionally been largely of a responsive nature. WACC's largest single activity is the Global Media Monitoring Project a worldwide longitudinal study (1995, 2000, and 2005) on the representation of women in the world’s media.

Over the last 25 years WACC has been instrumental in developing the concept of Communication Rights and their relationship to participatory development communication.

       

Vision: Communication for All

Mission: 

In its mission statement, the WACC states, “The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) is an international organization that promotes communication as a basic human right, essential to people’s dignity and community. Rooted in Christian faith, WACC works with all those denied the right to communicate because of status, identity, or gender. It advocates full access to information and communication, and promotes open and diverse media. WACC strengthens networks of communicators to advance peace, understanding and justice.

CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION

The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) adopted its Christian Principles of Communication in 1986. It is an official WACC document which was drafted to guide the members of the Association in their thinking, planning and working. The document states, “These principles should guide the work and mission of Christians in communication”  and “to examine their communication practices and policies on the basis of the Good News of the Kingdom”.  Though the WACC recognized mainly the problems of the existing structure of the mass media and the impacts of information and communication in general, the principles also demonstrate its interest in encouraging communicators to engage in people’s communication process and Christian mission.

 

1. Communication from a Christian Perspective 

According to the WACC document, the kingdom of God, the proclamation of the Gospel, human beings and other creations, and Christ’s own communication, etc are at the very centre of Christian communication. The document states, “Jesus announced the coming of God’s Kingdom and commission to us to proclaim the Good news to all people until the end of time. Hearing the Good news, living by it and witnessing to it, is the basic calling to all Christians.”  Jesus, through his act of self-giving took initiative to communicate the good news of the kingdom of God which addresses itself not only to the whole person and to all people, but also to all creations. Thus, as Jesus set an example, all Christian communicators are also expected to communicate the gospel of love and to show action of self-giving love in their communicative process.
 

Moreover, since Christian communicator proclaims God’s kingdom where God reigns and in which the will of God is done, and that every individual could partake in it, there is no distinction in Christian communication. Rather Christian communicator proclaims oneness and unity by witnessing to the one body of Christ.
 

The document also recognized the church as a community of believers which is chosen as the instrument for promoting the kingdom. Thus Christian communication sees the church as a means to embody and testify to the central value of the kingdom, in which oneness, reconciliation, equality, justice, freedom, harmony, peace and love are given precedence.  The document further notices the importance of an act of worship in which sharing and action of communitarian living prevail among the worshiping community. Furthermore, every Christian communicator is challenged to witness to God’s transforming power in all areas of human life. Because of this, the glory of God and the joy of the people are taken very seriously in Christian communication.
 

2. Communication Builds and Shapes Community 

WACC builds on the assumption that genuine or effective communication cannot take place where there is division, alienation, isolation and barriers that disturb prevent or distort social interaction. Just as the document states that “one aim of our works is the breaking down of all kind of barriers which prevent the development of communities with right and justice fall all”,  every Christian communicator is directed to work for building up community. It further states, “True communication is facilitated when people join together regardless of race, colour or religious conviction, and where there is acceptance of and commitment to one another”.  The statement therefore indicates that the concern for community occupies a central place in the WACC. In Jesus’ ministry, one can also see this concern for community, for example, the calling of the disciples, the innumerable feasts which Jesus partook, the institution of the Lord’s Supper, and the resurrection appearance etc., which affirm Jesus’ desire to enable community. Since the words ‘communication’ and community’ come from the same root word ‘communis’ which means ‘to share’, any true communication should enable building and sustaining community.
 

3. Communication Enhances Participation 

One of the most serious concerns of the WACC in Christian communication is participation. This concern arises from the WACC’s belief that participatory communication “can give people a new sense of human dignity, a new experience of community, and the enjoyment of fuller life”.  For the WACC, communication is by definition, participatory in a two way process.  It refers to the full involvement of participants in communication processes and includes giving individuals access to communication channels and enabling them to participate freely and equally in any Christian communication. Since participatory communication shares meaning and establishes and maintains social relationship, every Christian communicator is anticipated to maintain this principle in their communication process.
 

Though the WACC stresses its recognition of individual participation in modern communication process especially in Mass media, it is makes concerted efforts to anticipate participatory communication within the body of Christ. This communication demands that the believer, having been incorporated into the body of Christ, ought to participate according to the grace given him/her in the planning, implementation, evaluation, etc., of the communication that builds and sustains the body of Christ. It is essentially necessary to stress the importance of communication which could not only provide space or platform for participation but also facilitate the expression of people’s needs and priorities through effective communication.

4. Communication Liberates

 Though the WACC stresses its focus on liberation from the power or hegemony of modern Mass media, the focus can also be integrated with the church’s mission in general. The document clearly showed where the WACC stands with regards to liberative dimension of communication. It states, “Communication which liberates, enables people to articulate their own needs and helps them to act together to meet those needs. It enhances their sense of dignity and underlines their right to full participation in the life of society. It aims to bring about structures in society which are more just, more egalitarian and more conductive to the fulfillment of human rights.”  It further states, “Genuine communication presupposes the recognition that all human beings are equal worth. The more explicit equality becomes in human interaction, the more easily communication occurs.”  In the Bible, Yahweh is seen as the God who entered into human history to liberate the oppressed. This liberative dimension of God’s communications is found in different parts of the scripture as seen in the Exodus event. Thus, as Joshva Raja says, “Mission should be liberative in its praxis, liberating people from exploitation and the force of hegemony… Church and the Christian institution should show solidarity with communities at the margins who are affected by the dominant groups.”  In line with this statement or liberative dimension of God’s communication, the WACC appeals to all Christian communicators to persuade their communication for a liberative purpose.
 

5. Communication Supports and Develops Culture

 The term “culture” may refer to the complex collection of knowledge, folklore, language, rules, rituals, habits, lifestyles, attitudes, beliefs, and customs that link and give a common identity to a particular group of people.  It also refers to the environment that humans create as social beings.  Since every human being is totally immersed into his/her culture, this limits as well as creates the possibility to engage in communication. The WACC holds that “people’s basic culture and need for cultural identity are part of the dignity of the human person”,  and affirms that “many countries and people are now rediscovering and redefining their basic cultural identities. This is particularly urgent where culture, language, religion, gender, age, ethnicity or race have been attacked or treated with contempt by members of other cultural groups.”  Hence, Christian communicators are anticipated not only to nourish and strengthen other culture but also to support and develop indigenous forms of communication. Moreover, they are also expected to cultivate symbolic environment of mutually shared images and meanings which respect human dignity and religious and cultural values. 
 

6. Communication is Prophetic

 Prophets are regarded as ones who bridged the gap between God and human or the world. Through the medium of the prophet, God communicates with human. In a similar way, the WACC appeals to all Christians to be prophetic in their communication process in the context of oppression, discrimination and marginalization. The prophetic vocation is to be exercised within the context of the conflict between powers and powerless. It is the responsibility of the church or Christian communicators to exercise the role of prophetic communication combining the memory of freedom in Christ and the vision of God’s community. The document states, “Prophetic communication expresses itself in words and deeds. Such prophetic action must be willing to challenge the principalities and powers, and may carry a high price.”  Furthermore, since lies and half-truths are a great threat to communication, the document further appeals to all Christian communicators to serve truth and challenge falsehood and help people to distinguish truth from falsehood.

Conclusion

The WACC document therefore makes a concluding remark by stating, these principles should guide the work and mission of Christians in communication. They also set out the corporate agenda of the World Association for Christian Communication - for project support, studies and dissemination of policies. Communication must be seen as central to the churches, as the process in which God's love is received and shared, thus establishing communion and community.

References(footnotes are pasted here):

      John Joshva Raja, Facing the Reality of Communication: Culture, Church and Communication (Delhi: ISPCK, 2001), 332.
      Ibid., 328.
      Franz Josef  Eilers, Communicating in Community (Indore: Satprakashan Sanchar Kendra, 1996), 328.
      Ibid.
      Ibid.
      Ibid.
      Christ Arthur, Religion and Media: An Introductory Reader, op.cit., 278.
      Ibid.
      Ibid., 279.
      Ibid.
      Ibid., 280.
      Ibid.
      John Joshva Raja, Introduction to Communication and Media Studies. op.cit., 202.
      Ibid. 93.
      Christ Arthur, Religion and Media: An Introductory Reader, op.cit., 280.
      Ibid.
      Ibid., 281.
      Ibid.
      Ibid.