Gems of story

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I was startled earlier this year when news anchor Peter Mansbridge called someone a Good Samaritan on The National, the flagship nightly newscast of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. I was surprised that in our secularized, multifaith society, newswriters assumed that listeners would understand an allusion from the Bible.

On second thought, I was less surprised. The reference is to a parable, and the word pictures from the parables take on a life of their own. Ever since my seminary days, I've been attracted to these analogies with a twist, these stories drawn from Palestinian life. I love their strange juxtapositions, the power of their elusiveness, the possibilities they open up.