This post is the first in a series of four that explores the relationship between vocation and rhetoric, focusing on how ethos, logos, pathos, and mythos offer a fresh perspective for creatives, educators, and scholars to conceptualize their professional and personal callings.
In February 2020, I found myself in the pulpit in Phoenix, Arizona, ready to deliver the message of a three-night revival. My father—a significant influence in my life and vocation—had flown in with my mother from Birmingham, Alabama, to support me and to introduce me on the revival’s second night. Among the many things he said during his introduction, one statement resonated deeply and has stayed with me ever since. “My son’s biggest problem his entire life,” he said, “is that he always thought he was me, Reginald Bell, Sr.”
This statement reflects more than our father-son dynamic; it also represents how ethos is transmitted, often subconsciously, from one generation to the next. It made me ponder how much my father has shaped my own ethos, and how, as educators, our ethos invariably influences those we teach.
and younger brother (right).
In its essence, ethos is the image of self that we project to the world and the ethical system that undergirds our daily actions. It’s about the “other people’s faces” that the speaker wears in May Sarton’s poem, “Now I Become Myself.” Whether we are aware of it or not, our ethos leaves a mark on those around us, especially on our students. My father, a Holiness-Pentecostal preacher, embodied an ethos of love and transformation, and this ethos became a part of me as I grew up under his tutelage. His message focused on giving everyone a chance and transforming society through love, a mission he dedicated himself to for over 41 years. This ethos is one I have carried into my own vocation as an educator.
My father’s ethos of love contrasts sharply with the ethos of many modern religious figures, such as televangelist Joel Osteen. Osteen represents an ethos of acquisition, focusing on the prosperity gospel, which emphasizes the accumulation of wealth as a sign of divine favor. Joel Osteen is a modern Pentecostal preacher and arguably the most famous protégé of Charles Fox Parham, the founder of the world’s largest white Pentecostal denomination. In her book Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel, American religion scholar and podcaster Kate Bowler notes that one of the distinguishing characteristics of Parham’s preaching was its projection of economic ambitions through a theological lens. His emphasis on acquiring wealth contrasts sharply with the message of William J. Seymour, a Black preacher with whom Parham had a close relationship before ultimately breaking ties. Seymour led the Azusa Street Revival, a significant twentieth-century religious movement in which hundreds of people from various racial backgrounds worshipped together. The revival also influenced the Church of God in Christ, the second-largest Pentecostal denomination, founded by Charles H. Mason. Unlike their white counterparts, these religious leaders identify as Holiness-Pentecostal, a distinction that aligns them with those who suffer because of systemic barriers that impede their ability to accumulate wealth.
In contrast to Osteen’s ethos and its investment in economic uplift, my father’s ethos focused on love and the transformation of those who suffer from systemic injustice. This difference in ethos is crucial for educators to understand. In All About Love: New Visions, bell hooks warns of the destructive path humanity is on because of an ethos rooted in greed rather than love. She notes that the decline of the influence of institutionalized religion—which previously provided moral guidance—has coincided with the rise of figures like Joel Osteen. These figures rationalize a materialistic ethic, leading to a generation that has little trust in institutions because they fail to critique the public policies that result in widespread suffering. My father’s vocation, however, was rooted in giving and addressing societal needs, particularly those of the marginalized and oppressed. He modeled an ethos that prioritized the transformation of lives through love, not material gain.
In my vocation as an educator, I strive to embody and model my father’s ethos of love in my work with my students. As an educator, have you ever taken the time to consider how many students have been influenced by your ethos over the years? Our vocation goes beyond imparting knowledge—it should foster an ethos that drives positive change.
In 2018, I found myself at a crossroads, desperately believing I needed another job that paid more money. Little did I know that a talk I wrote for a job interview to become the senior pastor of a Black congregation in Indianapolis would, by 2022, make me a beloved college professor. By 2024, this talk had evolved into a TED Talk, “The Money is in the Hogs,” becoming the brand story of my vocational journey and allowing me to share it with the world.
While money is in the title, the talk is less about money and more about love—the kind of love that motivated my parents to provide after-school, weekend, and summer opportunities for inner-city children and youth in Birmingham. These were young people who, without such opportunities, might have been arrested simply because there were no public pools or government-funded after-school programs in their neighborhoods. Our church raised funds to purchase a bus and sold sandwiches to support these initiatives, saving forty to fifty inner-city youth each year from the horrors of the American penal system.
To be clear, I often think about money, as most Americans do. It’s nearly impossible not to, given our economic system. The difference, however, lies in what motivates our decisions. In an ethos of greed, money dictates every choice. In an ethos of love, decisions, including those related to money, are driven by a desire to transform lives and address societal needs.
I recognize that as teachers, our ethos influences everything we do, from the boundaries we set to how we interact with students, peers, and society at large. Our values shape the learning environment we create and the perspectives we impart to our students. For this reason, it’s crucial to be conscious of the ethos we project because it directly impacts our students’ development and worldview.
Our values shape the learning environment we create and the perspectives we impart to our students. For this reason, it’s crucial to be conscious of the ethos we project because it directly impacts our students’ development and worldview.
In my classroom, I use exercises like opinion editorial writing to help students identify and articulate their values. For instance, through The Op-Ed Project, I guide students to express their viewpoints on societal issues, fostering a sense of responsibility and ethical reasoning. It’s essential to teach students how to use logic and argumentation in a way that supports an ethic of love and contributes to the greater good, rather than perpetuating a narrative of greed. I encourage students to look beyond themselves and identify issues that harm their communities, prompting them to consider how they can contribute to the common good. This kind of reflection helps them discern their ethos and how it aligns with their vocational aspirations.
By developing a clearer sense of our ethos—the image of self that we project to the world and the ethical system that drives us—we can all gain a deeper understanding of our vocation.
Reginald Bell, Jr., is an assistant professor of strategic communication and public relations at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. A third-generation clergyman, he was honored and humbled to deliver a TED Talk at Knox College in March 2024 titled “The Money is in the Hogs.” He first learned about NetVUE after attending seminars on vocation on his campus in 2024.