Multnomah Bible College plans to host a well-known scholar, Dr. Quentin J. Schultze, as a lecturer on the topic of the media and culture. Dr. Schultze, who hails from Chicago, will be speaking on "the Meedia Influence and the Christian life" April 7 and 8. The Staley Distinguished Christian Scholar Lectureship will sponsor him.

Dr. Schultze is well-known for his columns in Moody Magazine and his many lectures at colleges and universities. His column is called "Culture Watch." He discusses issues concerning the media from a Christian perspective. Some of his recent columns have addressed pop spiritualism, television talk shows and comedies.

Dr. Schultze promises that his "'lectures' will not be your typical fare." His approach to the media involves four main concepts. First, he views communications as a part of "the image of God in us." Second, he thinks that part of communications is naming the world around us. He believes most of the "naming" in our culture is done by the media. Third, he sees a decline in cross-generational communication. "We are part of one vast experiment to see if society can survive with very little tradition and wisdom, both of which are cross-generational," Dr. Schultze said. Fourth, Dr. Schultze believes Christians should carefully develop the media in ways that please our Creator.

The Staley Lectureship conference committee, spearheaded by Dr. Daniel Scalberg, chose Dr. Schultze for the lectureship series after receiving recommendations from various faculty members. Dr. Arthurs of the MBC Speech Communications department recommended Dr. Schultze, who is the professor of Communications Arts and Sciences at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The lectureship conference committee was looking for a speaker who could address undergraduates and "meet them at their level." "The committee was looking for a person who can apply his scholarship to the student, " Dr. Scalberg said. He said Dr. Schultze also combines sound scholarship with strong Christian character.

The most influential factor in the committee's decision to book Dr. Schultze for the spring lectureship was his curriculum vita, which was 19 pages long. A curriculum vita is an academic term for a resume, or list of an individual's accomplishments. Dr. Schultze's curriculum vita included a list of the seven books, more than 47 essays, and columns he has written.

Dr. Schultze's curriculum vita also included a list of his credentials, which included a doctorate from Illinois University and teaching experience at Illinois and Drake Universities.

The lectureship conference committee contacted Dr. Schultze more than two years ago to book him for the Staley Lectureship this spring. Dr. Schultze will speak in two one-hour chapels on April 7 and 8. The 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. classes will meet for only a half hour each of the days of the lectureship.

According to Dr. Scalberg, the goal of the Staley Lectureship is to make Christian scholarship relevant to all fields of study. "The lectureship should be able to be applied broadly across all the arts and sciences," Dr. Scalberg said.