Department Statement of Hospitality and Cultural Engagement.

The Communication Arts Department encourages you, as part of our mission statement, to “act as agents of truth, reflection, transformation and reconciliation.”  We recognize that one of the best opportunities that we have to act as these kinds of agents is by participating in the story-telling in our culture.

In theatre, journalism, media production, interpersonal communication, and public relations and speaking, Christians will always feel the rub of our story-- the Gospel of God-- against the other stories people bring to these contexts. Our goal is not to silence these stories, or triumph over them.  Instead, through patient listening and engagement, we want to engage others’ stories as a means to embrace the wholeness of the Gospel—joining in the Divine compassion for the human condition.

We want our classrooms and our work to engage stories, sometimes even stories that challenge our assumptions and even undermine our core beliefs and values.  We believe a Christian university is the best place to examine such stories.  In the hospitable context of a community of faith we can dialogue and understand more deeply stories that both affirm our beliefs and those that challenge them

We will try, whenever possible, to alert you to “controversial” ideas that may be part of some of the stories we choose to engage.  Sometimes we will offer alternative experiences and allow you to “opt out”.  But we encourage you in all cases to demonstrate the grace that Christ did when he encountered brokenness. When you feel defensive, try to seize that moment as an opportunity for growth and openness.