According to Peirce, the first person in history who fully developed and deployed the abductive method was Jesus of Nazareth.63 One key element of Jesus’ parabolic style of communication was surprise. Herein lies our problem. Gutenberg culture didn’t like surprises: “The best surprise is no surprise.” Holiday Inn used this slogan in the late 1970s and early 1980s to promise “no surprise” experiences — everything predictable, standardized, and franchised. People today are looking for more than the assurance of clean linens and toilets in their spiritual life. They’re looking for ambushing
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