When Jesus Came to Harvard, by Harvey Cox
“…religious stories … point beyond themselves to a crucial dimension of human existence that defies reduction to empirical proof or disproof. Religious stories are often woven into rituals that enlist not just the mind but also the body and all the senses into the narrative. They link individuals and communities to vital parameters of life — pain, death, destiny, meaning, value — in such a way that they provide the most basic sense of direction and orientation. Religious stories cannot be proven to be true or false by either historical or scientific research. They become untrue when they no longer adequately link a person or a people to this ultimate dimension.” p36-7
The importance of narrative — it makes sense of our experience. Good stories & bad stories — how to sort them out? “… we need venues and occasions where we can strengthen each other’s capacity to integrate what is still worthwhile in the grand narratives of our peoples into our own lives. Then, grounded in these archetypes, we can sort out the timeless from the transient, truth from propaganda, that which unites from that which divides.” p45