ABSTRACT
Religious constructs of bodies and bodily experience are particularly influential on theological interpretations of disabled bodies. People with disabilities have long been marginalized in the Christian tradition: disabled people are situated as inspirational tropes and objects of pity and charity, disability is literally demonized, and disabled people are excluded from full religious participation. Theologian Nancy Eiesland is a forerunner in the field of disability theology, providing the image of the risen Christ as the Disabled God after a vision of Christ in a sip-puff wheelchair. Biblical interpretation and preaching are key areas for theology of disability, and a variety of disability perspectives, including from Deaf Christians, illustrate retrieval of otherwise-oppressive biblical texts. Access to worship services and rejection of any connection between sin or demonic forces and disability are important goals of disabled Christian thinkers. Thomas Reynolds in particular argues for a distinct hermeneutic of disability. Disability theology is Influenced by disability studies, but there is some tension between the two disciplines. Among the insights of disability studies that is developed in disability theology is the distinct experience of different kinds of disability; intellectual disability, dementia, mobility impairments, Deafness, and visual impairments, for example, provide different embodied experiences from which to engage in theological reflection.
