A friend recently asked me for some recommendations about the topic of theology and disability, and this echoes a question people keep asking me. I'm also reliably informed that certain people have been - well-meaningly - informing their friends that I am about to start a PhD on disability. That isn't true (certainly re disability, and possibly generally given that I don't hold an offer at the moment) but disability has been one of the key things that has challenged me to get to the point of having a PhD proposal...
A powerful and poignant - considering the political situation our nation finds herself in - letter from a friend reminded me of a conversation with her and others on Twitter, and two very thoughtful individuals in email and in person, regarding the general, broad and rather vague topic of the church and disability. With that in mind, I offer some resources, some 'recommended reading', if you will, on the topic of disability and theology/church. This comes in a similar vein to my ongoing and ever-growing 'A Bibliography: Sex and Gender', as well as other similar posts (including one forthcoming on theological anthropology/The Doctrine of the Image of God. So, without further ado, some recommendations:
When googling a blog post about this, it was poignant to see this: 'disability' crossed out, buried under a search result that Google seems to think is more important than what I was searching for, more important than the topic I'm sharing some books and things about today. But I digress. I offer a few key blog posts and several books that have shaped my thinking on Disability
Andrew Wilson, "Four Types of Divine Healing" - this short but hard-hitting post by NewFrontiers Theologian and Elder Andrew is important for all of us trying to recognise a belief in God as healer with the reality of many hurting people, a broken world, and the challenge presented by people amongst us with disabilities.
Haydon Spenceley, "Please Stop Pretending I'm Not Human" - this is a robust and brilliant post, going right to the heart of the issue - the issue being what we believe it is to be human - and engaging with personal experience of disability in an often-unforgiving and un-welcoming church...
James Mumford: "Abort it and Try Again?" - this is a brilliant short piece of writing by the inimitable James Mumford, challenging the attitudes best espoused by Richard Dawkins but held by most people...
Jennie Pollock, "One Too Many" - echoing the complexity and inter-linked-ness of many issues, this is a profound and sobering piece examining how suicide (
Luke Geraty, "Church for the Sake of the Disabled and Marginalized" - Luke is a good friend, emerging theologian, and Vineyard pastor, and this is a brilliant post calling the church to thoughtful love of our disabled sisters, brothers and friends..
(Thomas Creedy) "Bonhoeffer on Disability/Human Dignity" - while it is a slightly awkward inclusion on my own list, the quote here from Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one that radically echoes the way I want to think and live with regard to human beings of all shapes, sizes and abilities...
Amos Yong, The Bible, Disability, and the Church: A New Vision of the People of God - this is one of the basic texts that needs to be read; slim, readable and combining a range of relevant data to challenge the church.
Brian Brock and John Swinton, Disability in the Christian Tradition: A Reader - this book, which I reviewed for the Churchman Journal, is a powerful and rich collection of writing from within Church history regarding disability and related topics. Swinton spoke at a conference I found very helpful - this book should be on everyone's shelves who cares about disability and the church.
Elizabeth J. Browne, The Disabled Disciple: Ministering in a Church Without Barriers - this is an interesting book, authored by a blind person who happens to teach at Loyola University, echoing the two-way nature of inclusion; ministers/pastors must include, but also that disabled people are/can be valuable contributors to the ministry of the church.
Erving Goffman, Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity - not a particularly 'Christian' or 'Theological' book, but a powerful primer on the question of stigma. Much of the theory here informed my recent conference paper at Stavanger, looking at the Apostle Paul's usage of 'stigmata' in Galatians 6:17 in relation to disability theology... (link to version presented at SVS, or the final version, pending publication...
Gordon Temple and Lin Ball, Enabling Church: a Bible-based resource towards the full inclusion of disabled people - this helpful little book is a great practical tool, as I said in my review...
Hans Reinders, Recieving the Gift of Friendship: Profound Disability, Theological Anthropology, and Ethics - this brilliant monograph by Reinders is a robust theolgoical approach, drawing together threads from disability theology and other disciplines. Recommended, as is this review by my friend James Mumford. I read this in a hairdressers, a pub and walking the streets whilst unemployed - it had a formative effect.
Jean Viner, Becoming Human, and The Broken Body: Journey to Wholeness - Jean Vanier is well known for his radical work in living with and caring for people with profound disabilities. His writing has been prolific, but these two, both touching on many themes dear to my heart, are probably the most helpful (in my limited opinion!) on this topic.
Myroslaw Tataryn & Maria Truchan-Tataryn, Discovering Trinity in Disability: A Theology for Embracing Difference - this slim book is far more than 'just' a book on disability. This is a stunning and challenging work of systematic theology that is deeply practical. Buy it, read it, and look out for my review...
Nancy L. Eisland, The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability - this is one of the key landmarks in the discipline of disability/disabled theology, and deserves reading. I am personally not fully persuaded by Eisland's thesis or argument, but it is important to engage with.
Paul Brand with Philip Yancey, Pain: The Gift Nobody Wants, a surgeon's journey of discovery - this is a powerful - if perhaps occasionally over-long - book which engages with pain in conversation with surgeon Paul Brand and renowned Christian author Philip Yancey.
Roy McCloughry, The Enabled Life: Christianity in a disabling world - this brilliant recent book, by a tutor from my former college and National Disability Advisor to the Church of England, is a brilliantly helpful read. I say more in my review - but would recommend reading this.
Sheila Cassidy, Sharing the Darkness: The Spirituality of Caring - this is a powerful book which draws deeply on the author's story of torture, arrest and working with terminally ill people. This is a powerful challenge regarding Christian discipleship and love in the hard places.
Stanley Hauerwas, Suffering Presence: Theological Reflections on Medicine, the Mentally Handicapped, and the Church - this is a tour-de-force by a key thinker in this area, forcing Christians of integrity to consider what 'being present', and 'the presence of God' actually mean in real life...
W. Brad Johnson and William L. Johnson, The Minister's Guide to Psychological Disorders and Treatments - this is a helpful textbook for people in ministry (lay and 'ordained'!) seeking to work through how what we think and how we are can give us clues to underlying problems and factors. I've found it helpful as someone who suffers from depression.
"I believe that ecclesiology exists for the sake of the disabled and the marginalized"
Luke Geraty.
When googling a blog post about this, it was poignant to see this: 'disability' crossed out, buried under a search result that Google seems to think is more important than what I was searching for, more important than the topic I'm sharing some books and things about today. But I digress. I offer a few key blog posts and several books that have shaped my thinking on Disability
Blog posts/articles
Haydon Spenceley, "Please Stop Pretending I'm Not Human" - this is a robust and brilliant post, going right to the heart of the issue - the issue being what we believe it is to be human - and engaging with personal experience of disability in an often-unforgiving and un-welcoming church...
James Mumford: "Abort it and Try Again?" - this is a brilliant short piece of writing by the inimitable James Mumford, challenging the attitudes best espoused by Richard Dawkins but held by most people...
Jennie Pollock, "One Too Many" - echoing the complexity and inter-linked-ness of many issues, this is a profound and sobering piece examining how suicide (
Luke Geraty, "Church for the Sake of the Disabled and Marginalized" - Luke is a good friend, emerging theologian, and Vineyard pastor, and this is a brilliant post calling the church to thoughtful love of our disabled sisters, brothers and friends..
(Thomas Creedy) "Bonhoeffer on Disability/Human Dignity" - while it is a slightly awkward inclusion on my own list, the quote here from Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one that radically echoes the way I want to think and live with regard to human beings of all shapes, sizes and abilities...
Books
Brian Brock and John Swinton, Disability in the Christian Tradition: A Reader - this book, which I reviewed for the Churchman Journal, is a powerful and rich collection of writing from within Church history regarding disability and related topics. Swinton spoke at a conference I found very helpful - this book should be on everyone's shelves who cares about disability and the church.
Elizabeth J. Browne, The Disabled Disciple: Ministering in a Church Without Barriers - this is an interesting book, authored by a blind person who happens to teach at Loyola University, echoing the two-way nature of inclusion; ministers/pastors must include, but also that disabled people are/can be valuable contributors to the ministry of the church.
Erving Goffman, Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity - not a particularly 'Christian' or 'Theological' book, but a powerful primer on the question of stigma. Much of the theory here informed my recent conference paper at Stavanger, looking at the Apostle Paul's usage of 'stigmata' in Galatians 6:17 in relation to disability theology... (link to version presented at SVS, or the final version, pending publication...
Gordon Temple and Lin Ball, Enabling Church: a Bible-based resource towards the full inclusion of disabled people - this helpful little book is a great practical tool, as I said in my review...
Hans Reinders, Recieving the Gift of Friendship: Profound Disability, Theological Anthropology, and Ethics - this brilliant monograph by Reinders is a robust theolgoical approach, drawing together threads from disability theology and other disciplines. Recommended, as is this review by my friend James Mumford. I read this in a hairdressers, a pub and walking the streets whilst unemployed - it had a formative effect.
Jean Viner, Becoming Human, and The Broken Body: Journey to Wholeness - Jean Vanier is well known for his radical work in living with and caring for people with profound disabilities. His writing has been prolific, but these two, both touching on many themes dear to my heart, are probably the most helpful (in my limited opinion!) on this topic.
Myroslaw Tataryn & Maria Truchan-Tataryn, Discovering Trinity in Disability: A Theology for Embracing Difference - this slim book is far more than 'just' a book on disability. This is a stunning and challenging work of systematic theology that is deeply practical. Buy it, read it, and look out for my review...
Nancy L. Eisland, The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability - this is one of the key landmarks in the discipline of disability/disabled theology, and deserves reading. I am personally not fully persuaded by Eisland's thesis or argument, but it is important to engage with.
Paul Brand with Philip Yancey, Pain: The Gift Nobody Wants, a surgeon's journey of discovery - this is a powerful - if perhaps occasionally over-long - book which engages with pain in conversation with surgeon Paul Brand and renowned Christian author Philip Yancey.
Roy McCloughry, The Enabled Life: Christianity in a disabling world - this brilliant recent book, by a tutor from my former college and National Disability Advisor to the Church of England, is a brilliantly helpful read. I say more in my review - but would recommend reading this.
Sheila Cassidy, Sharing the Darkness: The Spirituality of Caring - this is a powerful book which draws deeply on the author's story of torture, arrest and working with terminally ill people. This is a powerful challenge regarding Christian discipleship and love in the hard places.
Stanley Hauerwas, Suffering Presence: Theological Reflections on Medicine, the Mentally Handicapped, and the Church - this is a tour-de-force by a key thinker in this area, forcing Christians of integrity to consider what 'being present', and 'the presence of God' actually mean in real life...
W. Brad Johnson and William L. Johnson, The Minister's Guide to Psychological Disorders and Treatments - this is a helpful textbook for people in ministry (lay and 'ordained'!) seeking to work through how what we think and how we are can give us clues to underlying problems and factors. I've found it helpful as someone who suffers from depression.
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I sincerely hope that this collection of resources engages your little grey cells and compels you to deeper action and love for people. If you want to continue or start a conversation on this, I'd love to connect with you via Facebook, or you can me on Twitter. This is a vital conversation, and it cannot be delayed. Thank you very much for reading.
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