Amy Kenny

Disability Justice in the Church

My Body Is Not a Prayer Request

Stephanie Ridiculous

This bombshell of a title did not disappoint and I can't stress enough how good this book is & how much I want every one to read it. 

-Funny
-Sassy
-A great blend of personal narrative, facts, theology, and social commentary 
-Convicting and compelling, while being compassionate and hopeful

Kenny paints a vivid picture of what embracing the fullness of an image bearer looks like & invites us into the space with her to love our neighbors and our God better for it. Here are a few quotes that absolutely live in my head rent free now:

 Belonging shouldn't have the admission price of assimilation.

Are you "able-bodied"? Or are you just temporarily nondisabled?

Disabled people bear God's image. Not despite our bodies or once we receive our "new-creation bodies." Right now, disabled people in wheelchairs, using their ventilators, and communicating in diverse ways radiate God's image to the world. 

In my case, the problem was that the medical community recommended increasingly drastic measures to try to "overcome" disability instead of using medicine to support my disabled body.

We fool ourselves into thinking that's just the way it is, without realizing we  made  it that way. When we claim disability is part of a social construct, we forget that we are its construction workers. 

Physical space reveals who the world is built for and who we expect to use it. When pulpits are tall, ominous, and imposing, accessible only through a stairway to heaven, we're suggestion that a little person or a wheelchair user doesn't preach. We simply  receive . This might feel like a petty thing to you, but it reveals who we expect to lead and who we expect is only able to follow.

My Body Is Not a Prayer Request Disability Justice in the Church

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