About the Book
Christian theology looks forward to a consummation of all things in which hope, justice, and flourishing will finally prevail. All creation will be perfectly united to God as its Creator, and all shall be well. But what does this mean for disabled people? The typical Christian answer through history has been that disability will not exist in the world to come. The advent of disability theology has given us reasons to doubt this answer. In response, Disability Theology and Eschatology: Hope, Justice, and Flourishing gathers together essays from established and emerging scholars alike to provide an extensive look at what it might mean to imagine disability as a part of humanity's ultimate ends. The volume advances conversations in disability theology through rigorously creative work, including on the much neglected topic of psychiatric disability. Contributors ask and answer questions like “how can one's well-being be high if they are disabled?,” “do Thomists have to be ableists?,” “how do our beauty standards limit our eschatological thinking?,” “what does dissociative identity disorder mean for the afterlife?,” and more.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: Disability Theology and Eschatology, Aaron Brian Davis and Preston Hill
Part I: Disability in the Resurrection
Chapter 1: A Theory of Well-Being for Disability Theology, Aaron Brian Davis
Chapter 2: For the Beauty of Glory: Aquinas, Disability and Resurrection, Derek Estes
Chapter 3: Disability, Life After Death, and the True Self, Eleonore Stump
Chapter 4: Beautiful Bodies: Disgust, Diverse Embodiment, and Redeemed Perception in the Eschaton, Maja Whitaker
Part II: Psychiatric Disabilities
Chapter 5: Yo-Yo Hope, “Symptom Talk,” and the Courage Not to be Well: A Practical Theology of Chronic Illness, Long Covid, and Hope, Erin L. Raffety and Emma Worrall
Chapter 6: On the Afterlife of Saint Dymphna: A Reflection on the Interplay of Psychiatric Disability and the Communion of the Saints, Jessica Coblentz
Chapter 7: “Ask, Wish, and Believe Through Another”: Dissociative Identity Disorder and a Renewed Doctrine of Fides Aliena, Samuel J. Youngs
Chapter 8: Dissociative Identity Disorder in the Eschaton: Community, Integration, and Life After Death, Harvey Cawdron
About the Author :
Preston Hill is assistant professor of integrative theology at Richmont Graduate University, where he holds the Chair of Integration and serves as Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program.
Aaron Brian Davis is fellowship engagement director and theologian-in-residence at the Lutheran Church of the Nativity in Arden, North Carolina (US).
Review :
The question of resurrected life has bulked large in recent debates in disability theology. The authors in this extremely rich volume push the cutting edge of that debate a big step forward by asking not only how Christians should think about the resurrected life for those with physical and intellectual disabilities, but also of those with mental illness, whose conditions are very much part of their identity. A landmark work drawing together some of the most important voices in the debate today.
Hope is a precious thing that is limited by what we can imagine. The chapters in this book open up the possibilities for what can be hoped for by people with disabilities, including mental, cognitive, psychiatric ones, along with their caregivers, family members, partners, and lovers, and this inspires new potentialities for flourishing for us all in the present life. Theology comes alive in powerful ways to enable the thriving of neuro-and-body diverse persons and their communities in the here and now thanks to the witness borne in these pages!
Disability Theology and Eschatology is a remarkable collection that pushes the boundaries of theological thought on the intersection of disability and resurrection. With scholarly insight and compassionate depth, Aaron Brian Davis and Preston Hill, along with the contributing authors, explore how disabilities might not only exist but be honoured in the eschaton. This volume is essential for anyone seeking a nuanced, hopeful perspective on disability and identity in the scope of Christian eschatology. A profoundly thought-provoking contribution to disability theology.
Disability Theology and Eschatology is a welcome addition to the maturing theology of disability literature. Davis and Hill have pulled together a valuable collection dedicated to thinking how disability might not only be compatible with but contribute to the hope, justice, and flourishing Christians look forward to in the eschaton. While the collection as a whole focuses primarily on cognitive and psychiatric disabilities, it contains valuable insights on a wide range of disabilities, the history of eschatology, and theological methodology.
Disability theology is flourishing in 21st century, but important gaps remain in the literature. Many disability theologians have argued that some disabilities may remain in the afterlife, but few have treated this idea systematically, and still fewer have considered the place of psychiatric disabilities within eschatology. Disability Theology and Eschatology: Hope, Justice, and Flourishing helps to fill both gaps by offering a sustained attention to the place of disabled bodies in the eschaton and the inclusion of psychiatric disability within disability theology. Authors in this volume creatively weave together theology, philosophy, disability studies, and psychiatric literature to drive home the point that rather than a natural evil, disability can be beautiful, resourceful, and meaningful in this life and the next. This volume is an important resource for those who wish to further the cause of disability justice in our churches and will offer hopeful resources for disabled Christians and those that care about and for them.
