Disability and the Gospel

Disability and the Gospel
Author: Michael S. Beates
Publisher: Crossway
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2012-07-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433530481

Michael Beates's concern with disability issues began nearly 30 years ago when his eldest child was born with multiple profound disabilities. Now, as more families like Michael's are affected by a growing number of difficulties ranging from down syndrome to autism to food allergies, the need for church programs and personal paradigm shifts is greater than ever. Working through key Bible passages on brokenness and disability while answering hard questions, Michael offers here helpful principles for believers and their churches. He shows us how to embrace our own brokenness and then to embrace those who are more physically and visibly broken, bringing hope and vision to those of us who need it most.

Theology and Down Syndrome

Theology and Down Syndrome
Author: Amos Yong
Publisher: Baylor University Press
Total Pages: 465
Release: 2007
Genre: Church work with people with disabilities
ISBN: 1602580065

"While the struggle for disability rights has transformed secular ethics and public policy, traditional Christian teaching has been slow to account for disability in its theological imagination. Amos Yong crafts both a theology of disability and a theology informed by disability. The result is a Christian theology that not only connects with our present social, medical, and scientific understanding of disability but also one that empowers a set of best practices appropriate to our late modern context"--Publisher description.

Judaism and Disability

Judaism and Disability
Author: Judith Z. Abrams
Publisher: Gallaudet University Press
Total Pages: 260
Release: 1998
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9781563680687

Judaism and Disability delves into all of the ancient texts and their explications, including the Tanach, the Hebrew acronym for the Jewish Bible, the Mishnah, considered the foundation of rabbinic literature, and the Bavli, the Babylonian Talmud. Instead of imposing a contemporary consciousness upon these archaic works, this carefully researched book presents their viewpoints as written, in an effort to understand why they expressed the sensibilities that they did.

Vulnerable Communion

Vulnerable Communion
Author: Thomas E. Reynolds
Publisher: Brazos Press
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2008-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1587431777

A theologian and father of a child with disabilities reveals how disability highlights our common brokenness and need for grace.

Accessible Atonement

Accessible Atonement
Author: Associate Tutor David McLachlan
Publisher:
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2021-03-15
Genre:
ISBN: 9781481313674

The atonement--where God in Jesus Christ addresses sin and the whole of the human predicament--lies at the heart of the Christian faith and life. Its saving power is for all people, and yet a deep hesitancy has prevented meaningful discussion of the cross' relevance for people with disabilities. Speaking of disability and the multifaceted concept of the atonement has created an unresolvable tension, not least because sin and disability often seem to be associated within the biblical text. While work in disability theology has made great progress in developing a positive theological framework for disability as an integral part of human diversity, it has so far fallen short of grappling with this particular set of interpretive challenges presented by the cross. In Accessible Atonement, reflecting on his experience as both a pastor and a theologian, David McLachlan brings the themes and objectives of disability theology into close conversation with traditional ideas of the cross as Jesus' sacrifice, justice, and victory. From this conversation emerges an account of the atonement as God's deepest, once-for-all participation in both the moral and contingent risk of creation, where all that alienates us from God and each other is addressed. Such an atonement is inherently inclusive of all people and is not one that is extended to disability as a special case. This approach to the atonement opens up space to address both the redemption of sin and the possibilities of spiritual and bodily healing. What McLachlan leads us to discover is that, when revisited in this way, the cross--perhaps surprisingly--becomes the cornerstone of Christian disability theology and the foundation of many of its arguments. Far from excluding those who find themselves physically or mentally outside of assumed norms, the atoning death of Christ creates a vital space of inclusion and affirmation for such persons within the life of the church. --Eleanor McLaughlin, Lecturer in Theology and Ethics, Regent's Park College, University of Oxford

A Constructive Theology of Intellectual Disability

A Constructive Theology of Intellectual Disability
Author: Molly Claire Haslam
Publisher: Fordham Univ Press
Total Pages: 145
Release: 2012
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0823239403

Responding to how little theological research has been done on intellectual (as opposed to physical) disability, this book asks, on behalf of individuals with profound intellectual disabilities, what it means to be human. That question has traditionally been answered with an emphasis on an intellectual capacity--the ability to employ concepts or to make moral choices--and has ignored the value of individuals who lack such intellectual capacities. The author suggests, rather, that human being be understood in terms of participation in relationships of mutual responsiveness, which includes but is not limited to intellectual forms of communicating. She supports her argument by developing a phenomenology of how an individual with a profound intellectual disability relates, drawn from her clinical experience as a physical therapist. She thereby demonstrates that these individuals participate in relationships of mutual responsiveness, though in nonsymbolic, bodily ways. To be human, to image God, she argues, is to respond to the world around us in any number of ways, bodily or symbolically. Such an understanding does not exclude people with intellectual disabilities but rather includes them among those who participate in the image of God.

Wondrously Wounded

Wondrously Wounded
Author: Brian Brock
Publisher:
Total Pages: 394
Release: 2020-08
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9781481310130

Disability and the Media

Disability and the Media
Author: Charles A. Riley
Publisher: UPNE
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2005
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1584654732

A journalist's passionate expose of the media's portrayal of the disabled.

My Body Is Not a Prayer Request

My Body Is Not a Prayer Request
Author: Amy Kenny
Publisher: Baker Books
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2022-05-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1493437097

"With humorous prose and wry wit, Kenny makes a convincing case for all Christians to do more to meet access needs and embrace disabilities as part of God's kingdom. . . . Inclusivity-minded Christians will cheer the lessons laid out here."--Publishers Weekly Much of the church has forgotten that we worship a disabled God whose wounds survived resurrection, says Amy Kenny. It is time for the church to start treating disabled people as full members of the body of Christ who have much more to offer than a miraculous cure narrative and to learn from their embodied experiences. Written by a disabled Christian, this book shows that the church is missing out on the prophetic witness and blessing of disability. Kenny reflects on her experiences inside the church to expose unintentional ableism and cast a new vision for Christian communities to engage disability justice. She shows that until we cultivate church spaces where people with disabilities can fully belong, flourish, and lead, we are not valuing the diverse members of the body of Christ. Offering a unique blend of personal storytelling, fresh and compelling writing, biblical exegesis, and practical application, this book invites readers to participate in disability justice and create a more inclusive community in church and parachurch spaces. Engaging content such as reflection questions and top-ten lists are included.