God Talk: The Problem of Divine-Human Communication

Winner of the Religious Communication Association Edited Volume of the Year Award (2024) and the Religious Communication Association Book Chapter of the Year Award (2024).

God Talk: The Problem of Divine-Human Communication is a landmark publication, the first book to address the problem from the perspective of communication studies. In ten thought-provoking essays, communication scholars confront the "God Problem" by describing diverse approaches they have used in field research to study groups that claim to hear God while also balancing respect for informants’ claims with their own personal beliefs.

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The intelligence of this exceptional book is a perfect ten. The theoretical depth of every chapter reflects research brilliance. The authors’ clarity with ideas, ancient and contemporary, is knowledge production at its substantive best.

Whether your interests include communication theory, rhetorical criticism, ethnography, or theology, regardless of your faith tradition―or absence of a faith tradition―it is a stimulating read. I highly recommend it.

As a religious communication scholar who also identifies as a theist-scholar, I found every chapter empowering, as they encourage the field to reconsider its positionality towards an area of scholarship that attempts to "measure the immeasurable." This book is a must!

God Talk: The Problem of Divine-Human Communication is a timely contribution to religious communication and communication studies. The authors examine the absence of God in communication theory and in engagement with others. I highly recommend this relevant work.

A much-needed contribution to the growing body of research at the intersection of communication and religion, this scholarly volume gathers work from established and emerging scholars to address a long-standing issue in the field of religious communication: the conundrum of divine-human communication. ―Janie M. H. Fritz, Duquesne University; Executive Director, Religious Communication Association

Mark Ward Sr. is Professor of Communication at the University of Houston-Victoria. He has authored or edited seven books, while his research on religious communication and media has been published in more than 40 scholarly articles and essays and received numerous awards.