Who is the God We Worship? Theologies of Disability; Challenges and New Possibilities

This research report is less a survey of the literature than a reflection on the emergence, aims and predominant themes to emerge from theological engagements with issues of disability. It advances a rather bold claim: the theology of disability is central to our understanding of what it means to know who God is and to know what it means to be a human being living fully under God. While such a statement will need justification, the emphasis within this essay is that the theology of disability is not a specialist enterprise for those who are "interested in such things." Theological reflection on human disability leads us into the very heart of the theological enterprise in both its practical and theoretical aspects. As such it has particular significance for practical theology.