ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a vision of religious communication based on an allegorical interpretation of Jesus' parable of the Sower. Religious Communication is a genus containing seven species: Evangelism, Inter-Faith Dialogue, Nurture, Child-Nurture, Religious Education, the Academic Study of Religion and Ministerial Formation. In a secular age, Motivation to learn about and explore religion would not be secure unless the Communicatee's Sense of God was Nourished. The Stage of Learning was analysed in terms or a ruling conception of religion with four dimensions. The appropriate types of Commitment for the various species of religious communication were explained, and the chapter distinguished between a positive commitment to a faith and an educational commitment to the search for truth. In terms of the Stage Theory, teaching in the Stage of Learning, enabling or encouraging in the Stage of Exploration, and preaching or urging in that of Commitment can be considered aspects of sowing and the Religious Communicator has to do these things.
