Let's Talk: Bridging Divisive Lines through Inclusive and Respectful Conversations - Softcover

Heie, Harold

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1725296055 ISBN 13: 9781725296053

Publisher: Cascade Books, 2021

Synopsis

The state of public discourse in America is dismal, reflecting an extreme us-versus-them tribalism where "me and my folks" have the full truth about the contentious issue at hand and "those other folks" are devoid of any truth and can even be demonized as evil. Rather than just cursing this darkness, Harold Heie presents what he considers to be a "better way" for those who disagree about contentious issues to respectfully engage one another, a way that is deeply informed by his Christian faith perspective; a way that reflects his understanding that to listen carefully to those who disagree with you and to then talk respectfully about your disagreements is a deep expression of the love for others to which Jesus calls all those who claim to be his followers. But this book is not just an abstract consideration of the nature of civil public discourse. Rather, drawing on his successes and failures, the beautiful and the ugly, in his attempts to orchestrate respectful conversations on contentious issues, both online and in small-group face-to-face meetings during the past decade, Heie presents practical, concrete proposals for how to talk to one another about significant disagreements, particularly in Christian churches that have tragically succumbed to tribalism.

About this title

About the Author

Harold Heie served as Founding Director of the Center for Faith & Inquiry at Gordon College and as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Messiah College and Northwestern College in Iowa, after teaching mathematics at Gordon College and The King's College.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1725296055
• ISBN 13: 9781725296053
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 152