Disability and Christian Theology

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Disability

and Christian

Theology

Embodied Limits and Constructive

Possibilities

deborah beth creamer

2008

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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

1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper

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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

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the feedback of the anonymous reviewers (you know who you are!) as well as the non-anonymous folks — including Cathy Brown, Audrey Harris, Mary Olson, and Julie Todd — who willingly read and re-read my manuscript, helped me say more clearly what I meant, corrected the bibliographic citations, and developed the index.

The most extraordinary aspect of this process has been conversation. When-ever I have shared the ideas that follow — in classes, conferences, churches, and informal settings — people 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.

viii acknowledgments

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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

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Disability and Christian Theology

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