ABSTRACT
Ableism, unlike its more widely recognized ‘cousins’ racism and sexism, might well be dismissed by some as no more than another political identity ideology that these same critics insist the others reduce to. However, for those who find at least some value in how the hermeneutics of suspicion retrieves marginalized and neglected perspectives amidst a dominant culture, 1 ableism names the unconscious elevation of non-disabled experiences as normative for all human beings, as well as the resulting marginalization of those who are unable to live up to its expectations. Understood in this way, ableist biases have proven to be no respecters of people or institutions, as they happen also in churches and in institutions of theological education. What is unfortunate is that there are authoritative (scriptural) sources in the latter contexts which have long named and rejected this ableist attitude, but yet have been subjugated by the ableist regime. 2
