Disability and the Church

Disability and the Church

Author: Lamar Hardwick

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2021-02-09

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 083084161X

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IVP Readers' Choice Award Lamar Hardwick was thirty-six years old when he found out he was on the autism spectrum. While this revelation helped him understand and process his own experience, it also prompted a difficult re-evaluation of who he was as a person. And as a pastor, it started him on a new path of considering the way disabled people are treated in the church. Disability and the Church is a practical and theological reconsideration of the church's responsibilities to the disabled community. Too often disabled persons are pushed away from the church or made to feel unwelcome in any number of ways. As Hardwick writes, "This should not be." He insists that the good news of Jesus affirms God's image in all people, and he offers practical steps and strategies to build stronger, truly inclusive communities of faith.


Book Synopsis Disability and the Church by : Lamar Hardwick

Download or read book Disability and the Church written by Lamar Hardwick and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2021-02-09 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: IVP Readers' Choice Award Lamar Hardwick was thirty-six years old when he found out he was on the autism spectrum. While this revelation helped him understand and process his own experience, it also prompted a difficult re-evaluation of who he was as a person. And as a pastor, it started him on a new path of considering the way disabled people are treated in the church. Disability and the Church is a practical and theological reconsideration of the church's responsibilities to the disabled community. Too often disabled persons are pushed away from the church or made to feel unwelcome in any number of ways. As Hardwick writes, "This should not be." He insists that the good news of Jesus affirms God's image in all people, and he offers practical steps and strategies to build stronger, truly inclusive communities of faith.


Disability and the Gospel

Disability and the Gospel

Author: Michael S. Beates

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2012-07-31

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1433530481

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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.


Book Synopsis Disability and the Gospel by : Michael S. Beates

Download or read book Disability and the Gospel written by Michael S. Beates and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2012-07-31 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.


The Disabled Church

The Disabled Church

Author: Rebecca F. Spurrier

Publisher: Fordham University Press

Published: 2019-10-01

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 0823285545

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How do communities consent to difference? How do they recognize and create the space and time necessary for the differences and disabilities of those who constitute them? Christian congregations often make assumptions about the shared abilities, practices, and experiences that are necessary for communal worship. The author of this provocative new book takes a hard look at these assumptions through a detailed ethnographic study of an unusual religious community where more than half the congregants live with diagnoses of mental illness, many coming to the church from personal care homes or independent living facilities. Here, people’s participation in worship disrupts and extends the formal orders of worship. Whenever one worships God at Sacred Family Church, there is someone who is doing it differently. Here, the author argues, the central elements and the participation in the symbols of Christian worship raise questions rather than supply clear markers of unity, prompting the question, What do you need in order to have a church that assumes difference at its heart? Based on three years of ethnographic research, The Disabled Church describes how the Sacred Family community, comprising people with very different mental abilities, backgrounds, and resources, sustains and embodies a common religious identity. It explores how an ethic of difference is both helped and hindered by a church’s embodied theology. Paying careful attention to how these congregants improvise forms of access to a common liturgy, this book offers a groundbreaking theology of worship that engages both the fragility and beauty revealed by difference within the church. As liturgy requires consent to difference rather than coercion, an aesthetic approach to differences within Christian liturgy provides a frame for congregations and Christian liturgists to pay attention to the differences and disabilities of worshippers. This book creates a distinctive conversation between critical disability studies, liturgical aesthetics, and ethnographic theology, offering an original perspective on the relationship between beauty and disability within Christian communities. Here is a transformational theological aesthetics of Christian liturgy that prioritizes human difference and argues for the importance of the Disabled Church.


Book Synopsis The Disabled Church by : Rebecca F. Spurrier

Download or read book The Disabled Church written by Rebecca F. Spurrier and published by Fordham University Press. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do communities consent to difference? How do they recognize and create the space and time necessary for the differences and disabilities of those who constitute them? Christian congregations often make assumptions about the shared abilities, practices, and experiences that are necessary for communal worship. The author of this provocative new book takes a hard look at these assumptions through a detailed ethnographic study of an unusual religious community where more than half the congregants live with diagnoses of mental illness, many coming to the church from personal care homes or independent living facilities. Here, people’s participation in worship disrupts and extends the formal orders of worship. Whenever one worships God at Sacred Family Church, there is someone who is doing it differently. Here, the author argues, the central elements and the participation in the symbols of Christian worship raise questions rather than supply clear markers of unity, prompting the question, What do you need in order to have a church that assumes difference at its heart? Based on three years of ethnographic research, The Disabled Church describes how the Sacred Family community, comprising people with very different mental abilities, backgrounds, and resources, sustains and embodies a common religious identity. It explores how an ethic of difference is both helped and hindered by a church’s embodied theology. Paying careful attention to how these congregants improvise forms of access to a common liturgy, this book offers a groundbreaking theology of worship that engages both the fragility and beauty revealed by difference within the church. As liturgy requires consent to difference rather than coercion, an aesthetic approach to differences within Christian liturgy provides a frame for congregations and Christian liturgists to pay attention to the differences and disabilities of worshippers. This book creates a distinctive conversation between critical disability studies, liturgical aesthetics, and ethnographic theology, offering an original perspective on the relationship between beauty and disability within Christian communities. Here is a transformational theological aesthetics of Christian liturgy that prioritizes human difference and argues for the importance of the Disabled Church.


Troubled Minds

Troubled Minds

Author: Amy Simpson

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2013-04-03

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0830843043

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Reflecting on the confusion, shame and grief brought on by her mother's schizophrenia, Amy Simpson provides a bracing look at the social and physical realities of mental illness. Reminding us that people with mental illness are our neighbors and our brothers and sisters in Christ, she explores new possibilities for the church to minister to this stigmatized group.


Book Synopsis Troubled Minds by : Amy Simpson

Download or read book Troubled Minds written by Amy Simpson and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2013-04-03 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reflecting on the confusion, shame and grief brought on by her mother's schizophrenia, Amy Simpson provides a bracing look at the social and physical realities of mental illness. Reminding us that people with mental illness are our neighbors and our brothers and sisters in Christ, she explores new possibilities for the church to minister to this stigmatized group.


Disability and the Way of Jesus

Disability and the Way of Jesus

Author: Bethany McKinney Fox

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2019-05-28

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 0830872388

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2019 IVP Readers' Choice Award What does healing mean for people with disabilities? The Gospels are filled with accounts of Jesus offering physical healing. But even as churches today seek to follow the way of Jesus, people with disabilities all too often experience the very opposite of healing and life-giving community: exclusion, judgment, barriers. Misinterpretation and misapplication of biblical healing narratives can do great damage, yet those who take the Bible seriously mustn't avoid these passages either. Bethany McKinney Fox believes that Christian communities are better off when people with disabilities are an integral part of our common life. In Disability and the Way of Jesus, she considers how the stories of Jesus' healings can guide us toward mutual thriving. How did Jesus' original audience understand his works of healing, and how should we relate to these texts today? After examining the healing narratives in their biblical and cultural contexts, Fox considers perspectives from medical doctors, disability scholars, and pastors to more fully understand what Jesus does as he heals and how he points the way for relationships with people with disabilities. Personal reflections from Christians with disabilities are featured throughout the book, which concludes with suggestions for concrete practices adaptable to a variety of church settings. Bridging biblical studies, ethics, and disability studies with the work of practitioners, Fox provides a unique resource that is both theologically grounded and winsomely practical. Disability and the Way of Jesus provides new lenses on holistic healing for scholars, laypeople, and ministry leaders who care about welcoming all people as Jesus would.


Book Synopsis Disability and the Way of Jesus by : Bethany McKinney Fox

Download or read book Disability and the Way of Jesus written by Bethany McKinney Fox and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2019-05-28 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 2019 IVP Readers' Choice Award What does healing mean for people with disabilities? The Gospels are filled with accounts of Jesus offering physical healing. But even as churches today seek to follow the way of Jesus, people with disabilities all too often experience the very opposite of healing and life-giving community: exclusion, judgment, barriers. Misinterpretation and misapplication of biblical healing narratives can do great damage, yet those who take the Bible seriously mustn't avoid these passages either. Bethany McKinney Fox believes that Christian communities are better off when people with disabilities are an integral part of our common life. In Disability and the Way of Jesus, she considers how the stories of Jesus' healings can guide us toward mutual thriving. How did Jesus' original audience understand his works of healing, and how should we relate to these texts today? After examining the healing narratives in their biblical and cultural contexts, Fox considers perspectives from medical doctors, disability scholars, and pastors to more fully understand what Jesus does as he heals and how he points the way for relationships with people with disabilities. Personal reflections from Christians with disabilities are featured throughout the book, which concludes with suggestions for concrete practices adaptable to a variety of church settings. Bridging biblical studies, ethics, and disability studies with the work of practitioners, Fox provides a unique resource that is both theologically grounded and winsomely practical. Disability and the Way of Jesus provides new lenses on holistic healing for scholars, laypeople, and ministry leaders who care about welcoming all people as Jesus would.


Why, O God? (Foreword by Randy Alcorn)

Why, O God? (Foreword by Randy Alcorn)

Author: Larry J. Waters

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2011-07-07

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 1433525836

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With two in seven American families affected by disability, the body of Christ has a great opportunity for ministry. This new anthology uniquely points the way, training churches, caregivers, pastors, and counselors to compassionately respond. The book's contributors—ranging from Joni Eareckson Tada and others living with disabilities, to seminary professors, ministry leaders, and medical professionals—do more than offer a biblical perspective on suffering and disability; they draw from very personal experiences to explore Christians' responsibility toward those who suffer. The volume addresses various disabilities and age-related challenges, end-of-life issues, global suffering, and other concerns—all the while reminding readers that as they seek to help the hurting, they will be ministered to in return. This unprecedented work, which includes a foreword by Randy Alcorn, belongs in the hands of every Christian worker and caring individual who is seeking a real-world, biblical perspective on suffering.


Book Synopsis Why, O God? (Foreword by Randy Alcorn) by : Larry J. Waters

Download or read book Why, O God? (Foreword by Randy Alcorn) written by Larry J. Waters and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2011-07-07 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With two in seven American families affected by disability, the body of Christ has a great opportunity for ministry. This new anthology uniquely points the way, training churches, caregivers, pastors, and counselors to compassionately respond. The book's contributors—ranging from Joni Eareckson Tada and others living with disabilities, to seminary professors, ministry leaders, and medical professionals—do more than offer a biblical perspective on suffering and disability; they draw from very personal experiences to explore Christians' responsibility toward those who suffer. The volume addresses various disabilities and age-related challenges, end-of-life issues, global suffering, and other concerns—all the while reminding readers that as they seek to help the hurting, they will be ministered to in return. This unprecedented work, which includes a foreword by Randy Alcorn, belongs in the hands of every Christian worker and caring individual who is seeking a real-world, biblical perspective on suffering.


Of Such is the Kingdom

Of Such is the Kingdom

Author: Summer Kinard

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 294

ISBN-13: 9781944967611

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Disability is not a boundary to holiness, because God is with us. But it can sometimes be an obstacle to full participation in the life of the Church, simply because many do not understand what is needed to help people with disabilities overcome any physical, mental, or interpersonal challenges they may face in church and in leading an Orthodox Christian life. This book addresses the question from theological, practical, and experiential perspectives, giving individuals and families with disabilities the opportunity to voice their needs and suggest some things the rest of us can do to make them welcome in the household of God.


Book Synopsis Of Such is the Kingdom by : Summer Kinard

Download or read book Of Such is the Kingdom written by Summer Kinard and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Disability is not a boundary to holiness, because God is with us. But it can sometimes be an obstacle to full participation in the life of the Church, simply because many do not understand what is needed to help people with disabilities overcome any physical, mental, or interpersonal challenges they may face in church and in leading an Orthodox Christian life. This book addresses the question from theological, practical, and experiential perspectives, giving individuals and families with disabilities the opportunity to voice their needs and suggest some things the rest of us can do to make them welcome in the household of God.


My Body Is Not a Prayer Request

My Body Is Not a Prayer Request

Author: Amy Kenny

Publisher: Baker Books

Published: 2022-05-17

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1493437097

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"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.


Book Synopsis My Body Is Not a Prayer Request by : Amy Kenny

Download or read book My Body Is Not a Prayer Request written by Amy Kenny and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2022-05-17 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "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.


Disability in Mission

Disability in Mission

Author: David Deuel

Publisher: Hendrickson Publishers

Published: 2021-10-05

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 168307288X

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Disability in Mission: The Churchs Hidden Treasure outlines a radical change in approaches to missiology, missions, and praxis for the twenty-first-century global cultural context. It explores a pattern whereby God works powerfully in missions through disability and not in spite of it. No matter what our disability or vulnerability may be, God can use us; and if the body of Christ is supportive, people with disability can be effective agents of transformation in the mission field. Via a number of case studies of people with disabilities who are involved in missions, and with robust biblical and missiological justification, this book examines the role of those with disability in missions. Includes a foreword by Joni Eareckson Tada. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Foreword by Joni Eareckson Tada Introduction by Nathan G. John 1. Disability and Biblical Weakness by David C. Deuel 2. Moses, Messenger of Weakness by David C. Deuel 3. Kingdom Impact through Weakness and Disability by Bonnie Baker Armistead 4. Unformed yet Ordained by J. M. Paul 5. Called and Equipped through Paraplegia by Barry Funnell 6. Paul the Leper and Olive the Servant by David C. Deuel 7. Being a Mission Partner with Disability in Kenya by Paul Lindoewood 8. People with Disabilities on Short-Term Mission by Jeff McNair 9. Weak to Weaker: For Children with Disabilities across the Globe by Natalie Flickner 10. Deciding to Go on Mission with Disability by Justin Reimer 11. Mission Possible: The Role of Member Care in Mobilizing Workers with Disabilities by Deanna Richey Conclusion: Disability and Mission: For His Glory by Nathan G. John


Book Synopsis Disability in Mission by : David Deuel

Download or read book Disability in Mission written by David Deuel and published by Hendrickson Publishers. This book was released on 2021-10-05 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Disability in Mission: The Churchs Hidden Treasure outlines a radical change in approaches to missiology, missions, and praxis for the twenty-first-century global cultural context. It explores a pattern whereby God works powerfully in missions through disability and not in spite of it. No matter what our disability or vulnerability may be, God can use us; and if the body of Christ is supportive, people with disability can be effective agents of transformation in the mission field. Via a number of case studies of people with disabilities who are involved in missions, and with robust biblical and missiological justification, this book examines the role of those with disability in missions. Includes a foreword by Joni Eareckson Tada. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Foreword by Joni Eareckson Tada Introduction by Nathan G. John 1. Disability and Biblical Weakness by David C. Deuel 2. Moses, Messenger of Weakness by David C. Deuel 3. Kingdom Impact through Weakness and Disability by Bonnie Baker Armistead 4. Unformed yet Ordained by J. M. Paul 5. Called and Equipped through Paraplegia by Barry Funnell 6. Paul the Leper and Olive the Servant by David C. Deuel 7. Being a Mission Partner with Disability in Kenya by Paul Lindoewood 8. People with Disabilities on Short-Term Mission by Jeff McNair 9. Weak to Weaker: For Children with Disabilities across the Globe by Natalie Flickner 10. Deciding to Go on Mission with Disability by Justin Reimer 11. Mission Possible: The Role of Member Care in Mobilizing Workers with Disabilities by Deanna Richey Conclusion: Disability and Mission: For His Glory by Nathan G. John


Disability

Disability

Author: Brian Brock

Publisher:

Published: 2021-05

Total Pages: 208

ISBN-13: 9781540964212

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Leading ethicist and pastoral theologian Brian Brock reflects on the challenge of disability, refuting widely held misconceptions and helping readers respond well to the pastoral implications of disability. Brock, the father of a child with special needs, weaves together theological commentary with narrative reflection, offering rich theological wisdom for shepherding people with disabilities. He shows pastors and ministers-in-training that thinking more closely and theologically about disability is a doorway into a more vibrant and welcoming church life for all Christians.


Book Synopsis Disability by : Brian Brock

Download or read book Disability written by Brian Brock and published by . This book was released on 2021-05 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leading ethicist and pastoral theologian Brian Brock reflects on the challenge of disability, refuting widely held misconceptions and helping readers respond well to the pastoral implications of disability. Brock, the father of a child with special needs, weaves together theological commentary with narrative reflection, offering rich theological wisdom for shepherding people with disabilities. He shows pastors and ministers-in-training that thinking more closely and theologically about disability is a doorway into a more vibrant and welcoming church life for all Christians.