ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the primary reason Rorty and Lyotard rejected Christianity is not because of the epistemological status of the Christian metanarrative, but rather because in their view it is a narrative that oppresses others violently. Rather, theological knowing indicates just one window onto the single event of our relationship with God by means of our participation in Christ. The Christian narrative, if taken seriously, not only prohibits the terror but actually represents the antithesis of any narrative of violence. Thus practical oppression must be stopped at all costs, even at the cost of a limited form of linguistic oppression. Both Rorty and Lyotard criticise Marxism in broadly similar ways to their critique of Christianity. The crucial point here is that Jesus Christ is accepted as paradigmatically good by both Christians and those who critique the Christian narrative. Christianity is a theoretical discourse, but is rather a practical agapaeistic activity which is characterised by self-sacrificial service for the other.
