Investigates the polarization of theological positions at the level of discourse. The focus is on Alfred Loisy, representative of Roman Catholic modernism, and three of his neo-Thomist critics. Intends to further understand why these two points of viewóthe historical critical and that of the dominant theologyófailed to make contact, why proponents of these two views tended to "talk past one another." The author utilizes the work of Thomas Kuhn on paradigm incommensurability, Paul Ricoeur on metaphor, and Hayden White's metahistorical analysis, to further understand the dynamics of theological controversy.