"'I'm for Paul . I'm for Apollos'. This book reminds us that conflict of interpretation has marked the Christian community from the very beginning. And it claims that such a dynamism of creative contestation is indeed constitutive of the process of Christian tradition throughout the centuries. With Pope Francis' call for synodal openness to a diversity of views in the church, readers will find in this book much food for thought." --Rev. Dr Ormond Rush, Associate Professor and Reader, Australian Catholic University "Dissent, contestation, conflict, disagreement, in Church self-understandings are all considered in theological idiom in this book. It is a book which challenges all readers to sit up and to re-think how the Church is, and how it might be.

The diversity of thinking invites the reader to consider the theological possibilities that emerge when practices of contestation and informed debate are recognised as central in the making of ecclesial identity. The negotiation of controversy is an important challenge, particularly in a time of synodal considerations." --Dr Fáinche Ryan, Associate Professor in Systematic Theology and Director of Loyola Institute, Trinity College Dublin "Many people are conflict averse in matters of the heart pertaining to religious issues, while others seem to thrive on antagonism on such matters. Dissenting Church offers an invaluable resource for those who are searching for ways to analyze and address conflict in these matters by exploring myriad instances of such contestation. The benefit of this volume is that seasoned scholars offer helpful examples for delineating foundational categories, arguments, and methods across a spectrum of core areas: liturgy, canon law, gender and sexuality, race and postcolonial complications." --Bradford E. Hinze, Phd, Karl Rahner, S.J.

, Professor of Theology, Fordham University.