Maggie Franke

COMM 494

April 21, 2020

Dr. Chase

Essay 1: What is your vocational calling?

Vocation is a central aspect to the Christian lifestyle. Many would argue that is a large

part of a person’s identity. In reality, vocation is just another part of being human that free will

allows people to choose. There is God-given influence, but each person’s vocation is still their

own. There is a general common ground that all vocations should have based in service to others.

The field of communication is a relatively broad one and is oftentimes the study of the basic

aspects of life itself. There is a copious amount of information to be applied to everyday life

within the study of communication and finding a specific vocation within the field can seem

daunting. Where would one begin?

For a Christian, vocation always involves service: service to others, service to God and

service to His Kingdom. Service within a vocation can be entirely different from person-to-

person. Those that study communication in today’s society are seemingly called to a vocation of

empathy. This is not specific to any job or career, but is a central aspect of any life an educated

person in the field of communication chooses to live as a Christian. At the basic level of a

complex communicator’s understanding of the world should be a constant application of

Kenneth Burke’s Pentad.

 Burke argued that there are five aspects to help people understand every scenario: act,

agency, agent, purpose and scene (Burke, 1969). The relationship between each of these five

pieces and how they interact helps scholars understand the reasons why situations happen the

way that they do. How does this apply to living a life with a vocation of empathy?

Understanding Burke’s theory allows complex communicators to have compassion for

the people and places involved in each situation. Instead of picking sides, these communicators

could empathize with a wide variety of perspectives. An increase in unempathetic online

communication has had a direct effect on the political polarization of society and not in a

positive way (Hwang, Kim & Huh, 2014). Especially in the United States, political extremes are

more prevalent than ever, and they way people communicate only acts as a catalyst to this trend.

Bitterness, blind loyalty and detachment are more common over digitally mediated discussions,

especially anonymous ones. Oftentimes, it is easier for people to communicate without empathy.

1 Corinthians 13:1 writes, “If I speak in the tongues of men or angels, but do not have love, I am

only a resounding gong or clanging cymbal.” To carry on this metaphor, a chorus of only loud,

harsh percussion would make for a inharmonious orchestra.

This is the world in which the current graduating class of seniors find themselves thrust

into. How does someone combat this trend? How does someone stand out among the rest of the

angsty world? A vocation of empathy is indeed a viable option and probably the best one. The

tongue is a dangerously powerful tool, the word tongue is mentioned upwards of 80 times in the

NIV Bible, and the phrase “words” is mentioned more than 400 times. “Ears” are mentioned

more than 80 times as well, and “hear” is used over 350 times. The Bible calls people to a

vocation of empathic communication often. With this understanding, Christian communication

scholars are blessed with the responsibility of communicating with empathy. Ephesians 4:15 says
of communicating, “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect

the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

Sources:

Burke, K. (1969). A grammar of motives. University of California Press.

Hwang, H., Kim, Y., & Huh, C. U. (2014). Seeing is Believing: Effects of Uncivil Online Debate

on Political Polarization and Expectations of Deliberation. Journal of Broadcasting &

Electronic Media, 58(4), 621–633. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2014.966365