Fractured Dance: Gadamer and a Mennonite Conflict over Homosexuality (C. Henry Smith Series)

"What a joy that a theologically Reformed psychologist can profit from a Mennonite pastor who courageously engages a raw conflict with the playful hopefulness of a postmodern, Gadamerian hermeneutic. Gadamer would be thrilled." —Dan B. Allender, President, Mars Hill Graduate School "By forthrightly addressing its critics, King illustrates how the Gadamerian conversational practices he advocates might reshape not only the church’s public sphere but also the argumentation styles of intellectuals." —Gerald J. Biesecker-Mast, Associate Professor of Communication, Bluffton College "Behind and sometimes through the scholarly overlay, one feels the passion of a Jeremiah who cares deeply for his people amid a tragic era. This is a book for those ready to imbue their vision for the church with the pulse of hope." —John A. Esau, Columnist, Mennonite Weekly Review "King uses Gadamer to redeem the dance of relating, growing, and changing around and within differences. Through analysing a failed dance, he highlights the fractures and provides hope for dances of the future." —Carolyn Schrock-Shenk, Associate Professor of Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies, Goshen College "King argues for genuine dialogue as a path not to mealy-mouthed compromise but to transformation. While showing that such dialogue has proved elusive in relation to homosexuality, King holds out hope that traditional Mennonite commitments to community, humility, and gelassenheit (yieldedness) may yet make it possible." —Gregory A. Clark, Associate Professor of Philosophy, North Park University and member, Reba Place Fellowship "This dispassionate analysis of the conflict over homosexuality is welcome and necessary. As one who loves lively debate far more than refusal to discuss controversial topics, this book encourages me to continue the dance—fractured though it may be at times!" —Reta Halteman Finger, Assistant Professor of New Testament, Messiah College