Disability and the Way of Jesus - by Bethany McKinney Fox (Paperback)

About the Book

What does healing mean for people with disabilities? Bridging biblical studies, ethics, and disability studies with the work of practitioners, Bethany McKinney Fox examines healing narratives in their biblical and cultural contexts. This theologically grounded and winsomely practical resource helps us more fully understand what Jesus does as he heals and how he points the way for relationships with people with disabilities.

Book Synopsis

What does healing mean for people with disabilities? Bridging biblical studies, ethics, and disability studies with the work of practitioners, Bethany McKinney Fox examines healing narratives in their biblical and cultural contexts. This theologically grounded and winsomely practical resource helps us more fully understand what Jesus does as he heals and how he points the way for relationships with people with disabilities.

Review Quotes

"Bethany McKinney Fox has provided the contemporary church with an indispensable guide for extending Jesus' holistic healing ministry for people with disabilities in analogically faithful and appropriate ways. Disability and the Way of Jesus will give many of us new lenses and free our imaginations from cultural impairments that all too often exclude those with disabilities from experiencing Jesus' multidimensional, miraculous power in our midst. All of us who take to heart, head, and hands the Gospel accounts of Jesus' healing ministry that this volume so ably conveys for the present time, will gain new access to Jesus' transformative touch."

"Bethany McKinney Fox's book is a joy to read. She uses research, exegesis, multidisciplinary perspectives, and her own experience of living with and listening to people with disabilities to produce a book that honestly and boldly looks straight at the healing stories of Jesus in the Gospels. This is a book for any pastor or lay group, not just those committed to inclusive ministries. Her writing is both clear and engaging while creatively stretching our vision, disrupting some of our assumptions, and deepening our understanding of healing. I cannot imagine preaching or writing about these healing stories without pulling this back off my shelf and reminding myself of what Dr. Fox has to say."

"Disability comes not in one but many forms, so it should not be surprising that the message of Jesus as healer is good news to people with disabilities in more ways than just that they might be cured (what temporarily able-bodied people, those not disabled, usually presume). Disability and the Way of Jesus shows how different first century and contemporary readings of the Gospels envision holistic healing and empowers the church to live more fully into such good news so it can be a more welcoming space for all people."

"I believe this book will make a difference."

"Reading Bethany McKinney Fox's work is like taking a long, transformative walk, a walk that anyone committed to practicing the gospel will want to take with her-churches and small groups included. On page after page, she demonstrates insight and care in her approach to the testimonies of disabled persons, Western physicians, pastors and theologians, and the New Testament evangelists. Fox carries us along so that we see better than we did before (as we begin to see through her eyes) how our study of Scripture and our patterns of discipleship and ecclesial life can better reflect 'the way of Jesus.'"

"With a working knowledge of multiple disciplines, including biblical criticism, pastoral care, philosophy of medicine, disability studies, and the history of the Christian tradition, Dr. Bethany Fox has managed to create a work that is both erudite and deeply practical. Disability and the Way of Jesus is relevant and incisive, drawing the biblical narrative into conversation with voices of persons today who have encountered the church as unhealing. Sensitive to multiple perspectives, yet critical of the status quo, this book challenges readers to consider how we can better understand healing as it relates to persons with disabilities. Eloquent yet simply written, this book is essential reading for pastors, teachers, and anyone wishing to create more inclusive and welcoming churches."

"Bethany McKinney Fox has provided the contemporary church with an indispensable guide for extending Jesus' holistic healing ministry for people with disabilities in analogically faithful and appropriate ways. Disability and the Way of Jesus will give many of us new lenses and free our imaginations from cultural impairments that all too often exclude those with disabilities from experiencing Jesus' multidimensional, miraculous power in our midst. All of us who take to heart, head, and hands the Gospel accounts of Jesus' healing ministry that this volume so ably conveys for the present time, will gain new access to Jesus' transformative touch."

--Paul Louis Metzger, professor of theology and culture, Multnomah University and Seminary, author of Consuming Jesus

"Disability comes not in one but many forms, so it should not be surprising that the message of Jesus as healer is good news to people with disabilities in more ways than just that they might be cured (what temporarily able-bodied people, those not disabled, usually presume). Disability and the Way of Jesus shows how different first century and contemporary readings of the Gospels envision holistic healing and empowers the church to live more fully into such good news so it can be a more welcoming space for all people."

--Amos Yong, professor of theology and mission, Fuller Theological Seminary

"With a working knowledge of multiple disciplines, including biblical criticism, pastoral care, philosophy of medicine, disability studies, and the history of the Christian tradition, Dr. Bethany Fox has managed to create a work that is both erudite and deeply practical. Disability and the Way of Jesus is relevant and incisive, drawing the biblical narrative into conversation with voices of persons today who have encountered the church as unhealing. Sensitive to multiple perspectives, yet critical of the status quo, this book challenges readers to consider how we can better understand healing as it relates to persons with disabilities. Eloquent yet simply written, this book is essential reading for pastors, teachers, and anyone wishing to create more inclusive and welcoming churches."

--Devan Stahl, assistant professor of clinical ethics, Michigan State University

About the Author

Bethany McKinney Fox (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is the director of student success and adjunct professor of Christian ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary. She has worked previously at San Francisco Theological Seminary, First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, and L'Arche Wavecrest. Fox lives in Los Angeles, where she is a founding pastor at Beloved Everybody Church.