[Oe List ...] Event and Story Quote re literalism

[Jack Gilles]

Randy & Rod,

Good discussion.  I guess if I were to explain the Event & the Story of Knox I'd add a third piece, which is implied in his writing but I'd be more up front about it.  I'd call it The Event, The Transparency and The Story.  Once you add that third term it gives you some leverage over those who tend to ignore what you call the ontological.  For me, when you have an event, that occasions a transparency (see JWM's talk on The Happening of Transparency) you need to find a way to talk about it that freights the impact it had on your life.  This then brings the conversation to the Transparency and from which a common reference point of what happened.  From that you can begin to appreciate each person's story of that experience with a lot less judgement.

Jack
On Aug 11, 2011, at 12:49 PM, R Williams wrote:

> Rod,
>  
> The word "true" describes what Knox calls, in the Christian context, the "Christian experience."  For him there is some kind of historical basis for the Christian experience--a guy named Jesus got born and died, etc.  The church called him Christ and Lord (ontological).  They then added the symbolism, metaphors, etc. (mythological) and it became a story that got handed down at first orally and then in written form, and when people heard it, this Christian experience became their experience.  (All this we said in the RS-1 Christ lecture.)  Knox is clear that the story is not just history, but that it has historical grounding.
>  
> In that context Knox says that the ontological and the mythological without the historical is Gnosticism.  He also says that the historical and ontological without the mythological is fundamentalism, and the historical and mythological without the ontological is modernism (or secularism).  I think Knox would say for the story to be "authentic" (my word), i.e. point to deeper meaning, it has to have all three dynamics.  What are your thoughts?
>  
> Randy 
> 
> From: Rod Rippel <rodrippel at cox.net>
> To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe at wedgeblade.net>
> Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 11:54 AM
> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Event and Story Quote re literalism
> 
> Randy,
>     Regarding Knox's paper and the three criteria for a "true" story (historical, ontlogical and mythological).  What if the historical element is missing?  Is the 'story' any less "true?"
>     In other words, what if the reported event is thoroughly fictional?  e.g., Mountain's epiphany and response?
>  
> Regards,
> Rod
> 
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