Title | Paradox in the Development of the Non-Disabled Church |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2007 |
Authors | Webster, CM |
Journal Title | Journal of Religion, Disability & Health |
Volume | 11 |
Pages | 23β49 |
ISSN | 1522-8967 |
Abstract | Abstract {βHe} was born blind so that the work of God can be revealed in him,β John 9:3. The appropriation of disabled body images and metaphors in the symbolic language of Christian theological discourse played and continues to play an instrumental role in the formation, building, and sustaining of Christian faith communities. Yet, Christianity's symbolic language is also used effectively to disenfranchise and alienate the actual disabled body from Christian communities. An inheritance from its Graeco-Roman and Jewish ancestry, Christianity takes as normative a direct link between disability and sin. This paper focuses on John 9:1β41 in exploring early Christianity's use of disability to articulate its ideals and examines the implication of the disability/sin correlation for contemporary Christian Communities. |
URL | http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J095v11n03_03 |
DOI | 10.1300/J095v11n03_03 |
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