Vulnerable Communion : A Theology of Disability and Hospitality

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ISBN: 9781587431777 | 1587431777
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 4/1/2008

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As parents of a son with disabilities, Thomas E. Reynolds and his wife know what it's like to be misunderstood by a church community. In Vulnerable Communion, Reynolds draws upon that personal experience and a diverse body of literature to empower churches and individuals to foster deeper hospitality toward persons with disabilities. Reynolds argues that the Christian story is one of strength coming from weakness, of wholeness emerging from brokenness, and of power in vulnerability. He offers valuable biblical, theological, and pastoral tools to understand and welcome those with disabilities. Vulnerable Communion will be a useful resource for any student, theologian, church leader, or lay person seeking to discover the power of God revealed through weakness.

Acknowledgments	p. 9
Introduction	p. 11
Notes	p. 21
Theology and Disability: Perils and Promises	p. 23
A Disabling Theology or a Theology of Disability?	p. 25
Defining Disability beyond the Medical Model	p. 25
Understanding Disability Christianly: Is Disability a Tragedy to Be Undone?	p. 27
Beyond Theodicy?	p. 31
Toward a Hermeneutic of Disability	p. 34
Dismantling Alienating Notions of Disability: Developing a Typology	p. 35
Avoiding the Theological Denigration of Disability	p. 36
Avoiding the Theological Trivialization of Disability	p. 38
Conclusion: Toward a Wider Horizon for Theological Thinking about Disability	p. 42
Notes	p. 43
Communal Boundaries: Dwelling Together and the Cult of Normalcy	p. 46
The Human Need for Welcome	p. 48
Fundamental Trust-A Desire for "Home"	p. 49
Home as Dwelling Together	p. 51
Social Boundaries: Ability and Disability	p. 52
Community and Identity-Frameworks of the Good	p. 53
Recognition, Value, and the Good: Into the Sway of the Cult of Normalcy	p. 56
Economies of Exchange	p. 56
Body Capital-Measuring Exchange Value	p. 58
The Cult of Normalcy	p. 59
Outside the Good	p. 63
Stigma-The Spoiled Body	p. 63
Taboo-Prohibiting the Abnormal	p. 65
Conclusion: Against "Normalization"?	p. 68
Notes	p. 70
Able Bodies? The Illusion of Control and Denial of Vulnerability	p. 73
Theoretical Roots of the Modern Notion of Personhood	p. 77
Problems with Equality, Freedom, Independence, and Reason	p. 80
Ironic Equality-Like "Us"	p. 81
Ironic Self-sufficiency and Freedom-Dis-abling Ability?	p. 82
Ironically Rational-Routing the Irrational (Reason-unable?)	p. 84
Managing the Body: The Productive Imperative	p. 88
Wealth Accumulation	p. 88
Efficiency-A Competitive Edge on Time	p. 90
Novelty-The Tyranny of the New	p. 92
The Person as Consumer-Empowered to Purchase	p. 93
Beautiful, Youthful, and Able Bodies	p. 96
Conclusion: Spiritual Self-Interest?	p. 97
Notes	p. 98
Recovering Disability: The Strange Power of "Weakness"	p. 102
Vulnerability: Reassessing Wholeness and Disability	p. 104
Dependence-Rethinking "Normal"	p. 105
The Difficult Strength of Vulnerability-Neediness and the Reality of Suffering	p. 107
Encountering Disability, Suffering the Other	p. 111
Creative Openings-An Autobiographical Excursus on Love	p. 112
Against Pity and Charity?	p. 114
Getting Closer-Loving Chris	p. 116
Relational Wholeness: Love's Interdependence	p. 117
The Strange Power of Weakness-Enabling Love	p. 117
Love-To Welcome the Presence of the Other	p. 118
The Moral Fabric of Love: Availability	p. 123
Respect-Giving Way for the Other	p. 124
Fidelity-Faithfulness to the Other	p. 125
Compassion-Sympathy with the Other, for Its Well-being	p. 126
Conclusion: Empowering Community	p. 129
Notes	p. 132
Love Divine: Vulnerability, Creation, and God	p. 136
Love and Conversion to God	p. 138
Gratitude-Existence as Gift	p. 139
Hope-Relation beyond Tragedy	p. 141
The Sense of God-An Extraordinary Possibility in Vulnerable Ordinariness	p. 143
Creation's God: A Theological Matrix	p. 146
God's Transcendence and the Redemptive Encounter	p. 147
Naming God's Redemptive Presence	p. 148
God's Creative Power: Toward a Theology of Creation	p. 151
In the Beginning, God	p. 152
Creation Called into Being	p. 153
Creation from Nothing	p. 154
Continuing Creation and Providence	p. 156
Creation a Free Act of God	p. 157
Creation as Gift, Loved into Being	p. 158
Relation and Vulnerability in God and Creation	p. 159
Creation's Difference, God's Giving	p. 160
Creation and the Tragic	p. 161
Divine Vulnerability and Tragedy	p. 164
Conclusion: Theology of Creation in a Key of Gratitude and Hope	p. 168
Notes	p. 170
Worthy of Love? Humanity, Disability, and Redemption in Christ	p. 175
Reconsidering the Imago Dei	p. 177
Imago Dei as Imitatio Dei	p. 178
Imago Dei as Creativity-Human Being as a Cocreative Agent of God	p. 180
Imago Dei as Relationality-Human Being as Embodied along with Others	p. 180
Imago Dei as Availability-Human Being as Freedom for Love	p. 182
The Imago Dei and Disability	p. 186
Sin's Tragedy and the Possibility of Redemption	p. 188
Sin-Creative Freedom for Love Gone Awry	p. 188
Sin, Idolatry, and the Possibility of Redemption	p. 194
Reconsidering Redemption in Jesus Christ	p. 197
Jesus as the Icon of a Vulnerable God-Redemptive Revelation	p. 198
Jesus-The Fully Human Person	p. 201
Jesus as God's Solidarity with Humanity-Incarnation, Cross, and Resurrection	p. 202
Conclusion: Reversing Disability's Disability	p. 209
Notes	p. 211
Being Together: Love, Church, and Hospitality	p. 214
To Love as Christ Loves: Loving Chris as Christ Loves and Loving Christ as Chris Loves	p. 216
The Strange Kingdom of God: Restoring the Imago Dei in Right Relationships	p. 219
The Creative Power of Inclusion-Welcoming (in) the Kingdom	p. 220
Healing Power-Welcome, Transformation, and Wholeness	p. 223
Cross as Inclusive Solidarity-The Power of Inability	p. 228
Disability and the Imitation of Christ	p. 231
The Strange Household of God: Church as the Ongoing Presence of Christ	p. 233
Church as the Household of God-A New Covenant	p. 233
Church as the Body of Christ	p. 235
Church as Anticipation-The Not Yet Kingdom of God	p. 238
Hospitality: Welcoming (in) the Spirit	p. 239
Hospitality-Inspirited Openness to the Other	p. 240
Hospitality and Disability	p. 245
Conclusion: Kindling Hope for the Church as a Communion of Strangers	p. 247
Notes	p. 250
Index	p. 253
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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Vulnerable Communion : A Theology of Disability and Hospitality

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