Andrew Peterson’s contemporary worship song “Is He Worthy?” quickly gained popularity through its call-and-response format, praise of a worthy Redeemer, and celebration of a Church made up of members from every culture. However, his video was criticized for lacking any people of color, and subsequent videos by Chris Tomlin and Shane & Shane displayed the same lack of diversity. Applying Walter Brueggemann’s conceptual framework to “Is He Worthy,” we find that the lyrics and musical composition powerfully express prophetic imagination, while the recorded performances reveal the persistence of royal consciousness (in the form of whiteness) in Contemporary Worship Music. We conclude that overcoming this inertia will require collaboration with worship leaders of color.

This study is a conceptual analysis of the role that online jihadist magazines play in the process of Islamic terrorist radicalization. This topic is essential because it demonstrates how successful jihad propagandists have been at finding new ways to radicalize new and potential recruits—often a young target audience—into the Salafist-jihadist doctrine. The four specific magazines examined are Al-Qaeda’s Inspire, ISIS’s Dabiq and Rumiyah, and Al-Shabaab’s Gaidi Mtaani. These units of analysis were selected because they remain the most influential online magazines in the jihadist world today. An important conclusion is that, although Islamic terrorist radicalization still happens offline (through face-to-face meetings, group communication, or various rituals), internet content that promotes jihadism can yield equally damaging consequences in the real-world environment, as demonstrated by a myriad of terrorist attacks (in Europe and the United States) that were inspired by those online magazines.

This essay explores human-divine communicating as though it were between beings who are already connected. Such a reframing is suggested by recent research in human-divine communication, Christian contemplative non-dualistic attending and acting, the study of spirituality and pedagogy from a communication disciplinary angle, and non-linguistic means of communicating from studies using the ethnography of communication. From the perspective of a contemplative Christian spiritual director as well as a communication scholar, the concepts of contemplation, dialogue, interbeing, and connectedness are considered toward an expanded conceptualization of human-divine communication. The essay concludes with a series of questions and reflections highlighting the possibilities of communication research with such a reframing, including suggestions for future research.

This qualitative study investigated how individuals managed their religious identity at work. Christians, non-Christians, and non-religious (n = 320) from across the United States took an online, open-ended questionnaire. Rich information emerged from the data concerning the why and how of religious disclosure, what happened after disclosure, and what strategies should be used for the most positive disclosure outcomes. The findings suggested a religiously respectful culture depends on its individual members’ communicative practices. Religious conversations in the workplace were possible so long as individuals knew how to do so appropriately and effectively. Practical implications including best religious communication practices for employees and organizations were provided.

This article reviews several converging scholarship fields—internal communication, leadership, and workplace culture—coupled with the biblical principle of the imago dei (people’s intrinsic value stemming from being made in God’s image) to offer two propositions. First, Christian public relations scholars/faculty can integrate their faith into their research, grounding their understanding and practice of “excellent” public relations in the concept of imago dei; they can also equip their students to approach their learning and future practice of public relations in the same way. Second, Christian public relations practitioners basing their work in the imago dei concept can help their organizations reap associated relational and productivity outcomes through encouraging particular leadership strategies, practicing “excellent” internal public relations, and fostering an employee-valuing workplace culture.