The disabled God? : a citical analysis of disability theologies

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The subject of discourse and in question in this thesis is 'the disabled God: What does the image of the disabled God consist of and portray? Issues surrounding disability within the Christian church have been intensely debated of late. Hence, a critical study of the image of the disabled God is needed. Understanding the image of the disabled God may allow people to experience liberation, since the issue of disability seems to subject many disabled persons to a critical levels of marginalisation, segregation, and oppression. Chapter 1 contains the general introduction to the thesis and provides a brief introduction to the subject of discourse. It introduces certain concepts concerning the creation of human beings in the image and likeness of God, and a challenge to the church to ask herself what the image of God is like. It asks whether the church is influenced and follows the dictates of cultural myths and the societal norms within which human beings live. In addition, it asks why those with disabilities are considered not fit for society. Charismatic preachers and motivational teachers often preach messages that are demeaning to vulnerable persons with disabilities, claiming that persons with disability are hindered from experiencing healing because they could either not activate their faith or probably have sin in their lives. These messages are not too far from cultural myths and the societal norms which have crept into the church with messages that portray God as omnipotent, omniscience and omnipresent only, thereby contaminating a sound biblical hermeneutic which also portrays God as vulnerable, weak and disabled, a God who became vulnerable and disabled through Jesus Christ. To portray God as only powerful and perfect, is a subjection and undermining of who God is. God is the creator of all human beings in His own image and likeness, and therefore this is a call to preachers to return to a responsible biblical hermeneutic of Scripture and accurately teach and preach what the image of God consists of and portrays. Chapter 2 is a critical analysis of the image of the disabled God. Nancy Eiesland points to Jesus Christ bearing the wounds of the crucifixion even after His resurrection in His glorified body. She claims that Christ appearing with the pierced hands, feet and side, is the creation of a new humanity, which provides access for those who have been side-lined through marginaliszation and segregation. According to her Christ identified with the vulnerable and disabled when He revealed Himself to His disciples and asked them to touch His hands with wounds. This signifies solidarity with those who have disabilities and the abolition of the physical avoidance of persons with disabilities. This is a call and a challenge to the church and to society to create access for persons with disabilities so that they can be integrated into the church and society at large. Chapter 3 contains a critical analysis of the vulnerable God by Thomas Reynolds, who portrays the disabled God as vulnerable. He emphasises that for Jesus Christ to come into our world, He needed to be vulnerable, portraying Jesus as the icon of God's vulnerable love. Reynolds does not stop at physical disability; he also considers mental disability. He asserts that all human beings are disabled, claiming that as people get older, and everyone's disability is revealed. Therefore, he challenges medical and societal models that want to fix persons with disabilities before they can be considered 'fit for use. In this regard, he refers to the 'cult of normalcy. Reynolds claims that every human is a gift in their capacity to the other. Therefore, there is the need to open up and welcome the other. Reynolds emphasises that the image of God characterises creativity, availability, and relationality, and this image surpasses what our culture, society and even church focus on. Chapter 4 provides a critical analysis of the narrative of Shane Clifton's life experience of profound disability due to an accident, which resulted in spinal cord injury (SCI) and left him with (mostly) no sensation from his neck downward. He was frustrated with his new life of disability even though he did not wish for death as a better option, so he embarked on a search for happiness with his condition of SCI. He had to devise a means by which he could experience happiness with SCI. Clifton declares that whether a person flourishes does not depend on a state of perfect health and on having an able body. Therefore, he turned to virtue ethics, knowing that he is created in the image of God, and knowing that God can help him to live his life with a profound disability and yet flourish. Chapter 5 draws some conclusions, provides summaries of the preceding chapters and proposes two models regarding disability and human flourishing, namely (i) reconciliation of disability with human flourishing and (ii) reconstruction of disability and human flourishing. The image of the disabled God remains a challenge to the church, charismatic preachers and motivational speakers. Overcoming this challenge requires a deliberate return to a responsible biblical hermeneutic teaching of the Word of God, through which the elusive category of the image of the disabled God is made known and through which will be discovered that the image of God is inclusive of all human beings whether abled or disabled. God came not in power to vanquish, but in weakness to help human beings in their profound state of weakness and need.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University