Disability and Christian Theology Embodied Limits and Constructive Possibilities (Academy)

167 Pages·2009·0.67 MB·English

by  Deborah Beth Creamer

Disability and
Christian Theology
Academy Series
SERIES EDITOR
Kimberly Rae Connor, University of San Francisco
A Publication Series of
The American Academy of Religion
and
Oxford University Press
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Disability and Christian Theology
Embodied Limits and Constructive Possibilities
deborah beth creamer
Disability
and Christian
Theology
Embodied Limits and Constructive
Possibilities
deborah beth creamer
2009
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Creamer, Deborah Beth.
Disability and Christian theology : embodied limits and constructive
possibilities / Deborah Beth Creamer.
p. cm. — (Academy series)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-19-536915-1
1. Body, Human—Religious aspects—Christianity. 2. Disabilities—
Religious aspects—Christianity. I. Title.
BT741.3.C74 2009
261.8'324—dc22 2008017160
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
To Del Brown,
teacher and friend
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Acknowledgments
This book proposes that human limits are unsurprising and that they
are worthy of theological refl ection. Writing a book is itself an experi-
ence in limits, where one faces unavoidable limits of time, sleep, and
chocolate — as well as limits of knowledge and ability. It is only fi tting
that I preface this book by acknowledging and thanking those who
helped me understand and adapt to my own limits and who gave
generously of themselves. This project is much larger than anything
I would have been able to accomplish alone.
Thank you to Sallie McFague and Joretta Marshall, who encour-
aged me to pursue my interest in disability and religion as part of
my master ’ s work, and to Delwin Brown, Sheila Davaney, Albert
Hernández, and Frank Seeburger, who helped me develop these is-
sues into the dissertation “ The Withered Hand of God: Disability and
Theological Refl ection, ” upon which this book is based. Each made
a substantial contribution not only to this project but also to my
growth as a scholar. Special thanks to Sheila, an advisor in the best
sense of the word, who helped map the way and who strengthened
both the structure and content of my dissertation project.
This work would not exist in its current form without the sup-
port of Kimberly Rae Connor, editor of the AAR Academy Series,
who guided me with care down the road from dissertation to book.
I also wish to thank Oxford University Press, particularly Cynthia
Read, Meechal Hoffman, and Jennifer Kowing, for their support of
this project and their labor to bring it into being. I am grateful for
viii acknowledgments
the feedback of the anonymous reviewers (you know who you are!) as well
as the non-anonymous folks— i ncluding Cathy Brown, Audrey Harris, Mary
Olson, and Julie Todd— w ho willingly read and re-read my manuscript, helped
me say more clearly what I meant, corrected the bibliographic citations, and
developed the index.
T he most extraordinary aspect of this process has been conversation. When-
ever I have shared the ideas that follow— i n classes, conferences, churches,
and informal settings— p eople have freely offered their stories in response and
have joined with me in refl ecting on the diversity of our connections to disabil-
ity and limits. Family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers, spread throughout
the country and across a span of many years, are thus all contributors to this
volume. Their conversational gifts immeasurably enrich this work. I am par-
ticularly grateful to my friends, colleagues, and students at the Iliff School of
Theology who have encouraged and joined this conversation on many levels
and who have been unfaltering supporters of my scholarly and professional
journey. Lastly, and foundational to the scope of this work, have been my dis-
cussions with theorist and communication scholar Heidi Muller. These talks
sparked a process of scholarship that continues today.
For all my conversation partners, I am deeply grateful.
Contents
Introduction, 3
1. Understanding Disability, 13
2. Disability and Christianity, 35
3. Theology and the Disabled Body, 53
4. Liberation Theologies of Disability, 75
5. Limits and Disability Theology, 93
Conclusion: Embodied Limits and Constructive Possibilities, 115
Notes, 121
Bibliography, 135
Index, 153