Communications Faculty Scholarship

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2011

Publication Title

Journal of Media & Religion

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Keywords

Baptists, African American, Mass Media

Abstract

As aspiring Christians, this African American Baptist community faces intense societal pressures. These pressures work in conjunction with the following things to help shape their continued struggle to live righteous lives - their convictions in the Baptist faith, their church and work environments and their personal and familial experiences. This ethnographic study examines how they socially construct rituals of Christian media use that help them do the following things; negotiate feelings of guilt and moral conflict, prepare for life’s difficult challenges, and form meaningful social bonds with others. This study extends the literature on qualitative research conducted within the uses and gratifications tradition. It also adds to the scant amount of research that has been conducted on the Black Christian media audience. The results of this study contain ethnographic descriptions of what motivates this community to use Christian media during their struggle to become devout followers of the Baptist Faith.

First Page

1

Last Page

23

Volume

10

Issue

1

Original Citation

Jones, E. K. (2011). Why a Black Baptist Community Uses Christian Media: An Ethnographic Treatment of a Working-Class Community Where Christian Media Use Is Shaped by Sacred Tenets, Social Influences, and Personal Factors. Journal Of Media & Religion, 10(1), 1-23. doi:10.1080/15348423.2011.549389

DOI

10.1080/15348423.2011.549389

Version

Post-Print

Peer Reviewed

1

Download

Included in

Communication Commons

Share

COinS