Attention to embodiment and the religious significance of bodies is one of the most significant shifts in contemporary theology. In the midst of this, however, experiences of disability have received little attention. This book explores possibilities for theological engagement with disability, focusing on three primary alternatives: challenging existing theological models to engage with the disabled body, considering possibilities for a disability liberation theology, and exploring new theological options based on an understanding of the unsurprisingness of human limits.
The overarching perspective of this book is that limits are an unavoidable aspect of being human, a fact we often seem to forget or deny. Yet not only do all humans experience limits, most of us also experience limits that take the form of disability at some point in our lives; in this way, disability is more "normal" than non-disability. If we take such experiences seriously and refuse to reduce them to mere instances of suffering, we discover insights that are lost when we take a perfect or generic body as our starting point for theological reflections. While possible applications of this insight are vast, this work focuses on two areas of particular interest: theological anthropology and metaphors for God.
This project challenges theology to consider the undeniable diversity of human embodiment. It also enriches previous disability work by providing an alternative to the dominant medical and minority models, both of which fail to acknowledge the full diversity of disability experiences. Most notably, this project offers new images and possibilities for theological construction that attend appropriately and creatively to diversity in human embodiment.

Synopsis: This book is about leadership, a scholarly and pastoral response to the urgent demand for the renewal of the contemporary Christian church. It challenges readers to articulate the identity and vision of the church in new ways, and encourages them to revitalize their ministry with fresh insight and passion from women's perspectives. The eight essays written by female scholars in relation to various areas of theological study and the nine pastoral responses to the essays written by ministers from seven different denominations, based on their experiences of actual ministerial settings, provide new paradigms of church leadership--theologically profound, practically relevant, and historically timely. This volume, a product of a collaborative process between academia and church, promises to be a most useful resource to renew the leadership of the church and its vocational commitment to the transformation of the church and society. Endorsements: "This is a book befitting the pioneering scholar and leader it honors. These essays advance the essential conversations required for contemporary church leadership with scholarly integrity and pastoral sensitivity." --Lovett H. Weems Jr. Professor of Church Leadership and Director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC "In anxious and disorienting times, these essays provide refreshing and bold paradigms for the future leadership of the church. As befits the honoring of Jean Miller Schmidt, this is a clarion call that pulls us deeply into the leadership of God, that honors the fruit of our heritage, that focuses on the edifying experience of women and others whose witness has been marginalized as a way to the future. This volume is filled with grace, confidence, and vibrant hope." --Rev. Dr. Mark A. Fowler Murray H. Leiffer Associate Professor of Congregational Leadership Executive Director of the Institute for Transformative Leaders & Communities Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Illinois "This volume is a welcome and much-needed addition to our discussion of church leadership, which is too often dominated by a single perspective. Eunjoo Mary Kim and Deborah Beth Creamer have collected a rich variety of voices who examine new experiences and paths of leadership, yet at the same time keep us grounded in faith and tradition. This book will be widely used and discussed in classrooms, churches, and denominational offices." --Deborah J. Kapp Edward F. and Phyllis K. Campbell Associate Professor of Urban Ministry McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois Editor Biographies: Eunjoo Mary Kim is Professor of Homiletics at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver. She is the author of Preaching the Presence of God (1999), Women Preaching (2004), and Preaching in an Age of Globalization (2010). Deborah Beth Creamer is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Director of Library and Information Services at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver. She is the author of Disability and Christian Theology: Embodied Limits and Constructive Possibilities (2009).