In 20th century Germany, theologian Paul Tillich witnessed the religious and political crises of his time, and he recognized the need for action at the appropriate time. Out of this rhetorical situation, he adopted the classical concept of kairos, which permeated his life and work. I argue that Tillich’s notion of kairos presents three new dimensions: the existential, the demonic, and the extension of the present into the future. Although he believed that his work only spoke to the “kairos of his time,” Tillich continues to address us today, urging us to seize the kairos of our own time, and challenging rhetorical theorists to rethink the notion of kairos.

This study tested the moderating influence of the strength of social identification with religion on the relationship between similarity and dissimilarity in religious affiliations and the quality of leader-member exchange (LMX) relationships. One thousand five hundred and seventeen employed people, residing in India, responded to a survey from a subordinate perspective. The results of the survey provided support for the moderating influence of the strength of social identification with religion and further showed that at low levels of identification, the quality of the relationship was better in different-religion dyads than in samereligion ones. Hence the main implication is that studies have to consider moderators in examining the influence of demographic similarities/dissimilarities on LMX relationships as they can tease out the conditions under which the relationships hold.

This study situated in the area of media and religion in Africa investigates the emergence of Pentecostalism in Uganda and the creative use of radio and television by indigenous Pentecostal pastors. Informed by political economy and cultural studies perspectives, the research examines questions of media presence, ownership, message, and the influence of the socioeconomic and cultural environment in enabling the intersection of media and religion. Findings reveal a creative use of media by pastors for evangelism, mobilization of resources, and strategic political positioning in the country.

“Cults” offer an opportunity to study religiously-associated actors who understand death very differently than mainstream faith communities. Here, we consider Heaven’s Gate members’ “exit statements,” recorded before the mass suicide that they believed was the next step for spiritual advancement. We pair Terror Management Theory (TMT), which investigates factors affecting anxiety toward death, with Burkean analyses of metaphor and equipment for living. We suggest that these statements’ metaphorical frames (including mass suicide as graduation and bodies as mere vehicles to be transcended) serve as strategies to decrease anxiety and fear surrounding death generally, but particularly of death by mass suicide.

'Philosophy of communication, culture, and mission’ traverses huge areas of human knowledge that embody the sharing of meaning and values which, at once, cement and transcend cultures. One aesthetic gateway that can tie together a reflection on the vast intellectual landscapes encapsulated in our topic, within the Catholic Intellectual tradition, rooted in the natural law and Judeo-Christian traditions, is the notion of ‘person.’ Persons are rational creatures of God, sharing meanings as communicators. They embody ideas that go into the making of cultures, and stand as subjects of mission in the communication of the liberating love of God that binds persons and promotes human progress. Other things being equal then, this paper essentially asserts that the traditional notion of ‘person’ provides a good ontological basis for an enriching understanding of philosophy of communication, culture, and mission.

Some recent cases related to free speech show that different forms of fundamentalism challenge the liberal notion of absolute tolerance. This situation can also express that liberal tolerance based on ethical skepticism is not enough to solve the moral problem of noxious speech. I briefly explore the historical context and the philosophical background where political rights like free speech were founded. During this process, the Church passes from condemning modernity to dialogue. Vatican II contains the new theoretical framework of the Church about the secular world. The magisterium of John Paul II on communication and freedom in the public sphere offers a new approach to media within the Church and a profound insight to the main dilemmas related to the exercise of freedom.

This article explores an understudied aspect of Jewish rhetoric—restrictions against speaking lashon hara (evil speech, libel, gossip)—to contribute to the field’s understanding of Jewish rhetorical traditions. In reading Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan’s (1838-1933) treatise Chafetz Chaim (1873), this article shows how Jewish speech laws function as an ontological, nonagonistic, and ethical community-oriented rhetoric. In reading the Chafetz Chaim, this article shows that Kagan’s exigency in compiling the speech laws was in response to anti-Semitism and Enlightenment era Haskalah Judaism. The dialogic rhetoric found in Chafetz Chaim provides ethical and methodological lessons for contemporary rhetorical scholars, lessons that resonate with important twentieth century Jewish rhetorics.

Few would argue with the notion that teachers play an important role in shaping student learning. Best practices suggest we do so by positively influencing affect (motivation based on perceived relevance/utility), cognition (comprehension/ understanding), and behavior (performance/application). Grounded in the theoretical paradigms of Freire, Greenleaf, and Bandura, we contend that teachers have a moral obligation to influence not only students' minds, but also their hearts in ways that encourage them to grow into morally grounded servant-leaders as they interact in the world beyond the academy. We recommend several pedagogical strategies based on Greenleaf’s ten servant leadership principles and propose potential implications.

This essay considers the use of the word “I” in Christian sermons. Preachers commonly use “I” in three ways: 1) in reference to themselves; 2) as they stand in for the listener or share the stories of others; and 3) as they stand in for God. The essay examines why the word should be employed in each voice and how these uses and stances offer rhetorical risks and benefits. An ethical framework of love and liberty is developed as a series of norms by which uses of “I” can be guided. The ethical uses of “I” are examined in turn, inviting preachers to use the power of this small word to help identify with hearers rather than to coerce belief or action.

Using the epideictic as a hermeneutic entrance, this paper argues that Pope Francis’ rhetoric of conciliation during his visit to the United States in September 2015 resonated with a majority of Americans because he identified and consubstantiated with American society, American values, and American people in both word and deed. Casting himself as a brother and friend with profound knowledge of American history and cultural realities, the Holy Father refrained from pontificating and criticizing; rather, he chose the path of fearless dialogue amplified with performative rhetoric.