Pastoral Relationship with People with Intellectual ... - Theses

50itself of its function of direct description in order to reach the mythic level whereits function of discovery is set free." 76 Here we have a mode of linguisticexpression that invites the interpreter to seek insight 77 beyond the boundedness ofmore conceptual, dogmatic forms of expression. It points to the metaphor asmaking a vital contribution to the development of a more holistic and deeperlevel of narrative analysis and understanding, beyond the level of the rational anddiscursive, amidst the realm of imagination where life is truly known andcelebrated. 78 It is the metaphor that “gives rise to a creativity in narrative thatgoes beyond the immanent sense,” 79 a creativity that allows insight into thatwhich would otherwise remain a mystery. Therefore, metaphor, as expressedthrough narrative, as well as ritual, parable and other creative forms, attunes us tothe “more basic hermeneutical task of understanding the creative imagination asthat which uniquely allows us to see and say the conceptually imperceivable andinexpressible.” 80The biblical parallel to this is revealed in the role of the parable which,because of its detailed, storied form of linguistic expression, is referred to byfeminist theologian Sallie TeSelle as an “extended metaphor.” 81 In its ambiguityof meanings this metaphorical form can challenge complacency and touch ourpoints of vulnerability as uncomfortable meanings are revealed. 82This metaphorical form allows for layers of meaning and ambiguity. It iswell-suited to language that seeks to speak of an incomprehensible God, and ofthat God’s activities in human affairs. As TeSelle states of parabolic theology,76 Ricoeur, Paul. The Rule of Metaphor: Multi-Disciplinary Studies of the Creation ofMeaning in Language. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991), 247.77 Here, the term insight is deliberately employed rather than more cognitive terms such asunderstanding. It suggests metaphor as a creative, imaginative linguistic form that offersalternative or ambiguous layers of interpretation of a text or context. Sallie McFague speaksof the capacity to be “shocked into a new awareness … (of the) existential, worldly, sensuousstory of human life.” by the power of metaphorical imagery. See,McFague, Sallie. Models of God: Theology for an Ecological, Nuclear Age. (Philadelphia:Fortress Press, 1982), 13.Bracketed words in the above explanatory footnote are those of the thesis author.78 Bausch, William. Storytelling: Imagination and Faith. (Mystic: Twenty-Third Publications,1989), 17.79 Browning, A Fundamental Practical Theology, 129.80 TeSelle, Sallie. Speaking in Parables: A Study in Metaphor and Theology. (London: SCMPress Ltd, 1975), 24.81 ibid., e.g. 5.82 Anderson, Herbert, and Edward Foley. Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals: WeavingTogether the Human and the Divine. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001), 14.