A review by the Rev. Nancy Erickson, Associate Pastor at First Plymouth, Lincoln, Nebraska. Nancy also is a member of the Nebraska Conference Disabilities Task Force.
When I first saw The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability on a bookstore shelf, I was momentarily taken aback. It was the adjective “disabled” in front of “God” that did it. I am not used to the holy described in terms like that.
On closer scrutiny, I noticed the part of the title after the colon. Excited now, I had to get my hands on the book. I asked a salesperson to reach it for me, and I immediately started skimming it.
Here, in a brief and succinct way, Nancy Eiesland describes a way of thinking theologically about disability and about those who have one (or more) disabilities. She offers ideas as to what the church can do with, not for, those of us with disabilities.
As it turns out, she helped me understand my initial response to the title. Historically, God is seen as perfect, humankind as imperfect. A subset within humankind – those with disabilities – is set apart even more. The author states, “Within Christian tradition, `disability’ denotes an unusual relationship with God. The person with disabilities is seen as either divinely blessed or damned: the defiled evildoer or the spiritual super hero:’ As a result, people with disabilities have been viewed as needing charity, healing, or both. These notions do not engender thoughts of including or engaging people with disabilities in the work of the church.
In the heart of the book, the title chapter, Ms Eiesland proposes that the image of Christ’s resurrected body, with pierced hands and feet and scarred side, offers a way of seeing God as having lived through the fullness of the human experience in a very physical way. Not only was his body broken in life, but the signs, the symbols, of this brokenness remained after the resurrection. Eiesland proposes theological and practical implications of this way of envisioning God. Most certainly this entails full participation by people with disabilities at all levels of church life.
This book helped me put words and symbols to thoughts and feelings that have been hanging out on the edges of my consciousness as I have wrestled with my relationship with institutionalized Christianity. Sprinkled with stories of others’ experiences of trying to find a comfortable place within the church, it should be required reading for pastors trying to form inclusive communities within congregations.
The Disabled God, one of several books purchased as a project of the Nebraska Conference Disabilities Ministries Task Force, is available for loan from the Wholeness/Wellness section of the Conference Resource Center.
Reading the Signs a can-do forum about accessibility for the whole church family is edited Dee Brauninger.
