en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/558056 Comments by DrewDowns http://kreitsauce.renewingminds.com/2009/06/tell-me-a-story/#IDComment23199025 I sort of agree with you except for one thing: you seem to suggest that propositional statements are not only declarative but clear or universally understood. One of these statements that you make note of in particular is a common source of conflict, which is the statement from Jesus by way of John's Gospel: "I am the way". Yes, this is a propositional statement, but it doesn't also include the following statement: "I am the way--so attend this church, believe this dogma, and reject all else." This very propositional statement is not only vague and wide open for interpretation, but is itself, ripe with story! I do agree that it is important to work with propositional and declarative statements (evidently). But I also like to look at the nature of the scripture. Virtually all of Jesus' propositional statements in the Synoptics are directly attached to a story, a parable, or a visual aid of some sort. The scripture is short on instances of "do this and this and you're fine" and long on "about that--there was this guy..." Your discussion of postmodernity is otherwise well-considered and I appreciate your skepticism, but I think part of "our" relative confusion about this phenomenon is that it is both a direct response to the dualistic and combative methods of modernity, while also rejecting many of its presuppositions. In other words, it is forced to be a direct response to its predecessor, while also being timeless. One of the ways this is achieved is by being a response to ancient thinking as well. I just thought I'd share my own thoughts. I appreciated your post. Wed, 3 Jun 2009 16:22:12 +0000 http://kreitsauce.renewingminds.com/2009/06/tell-me-a-story/#IDComment23199025