Disability and the Gospel: How God Uses Our Brokenness to Display His Grace

by Michael S. Beates, Joni Eareckson Tada (Foreword)

Michael Beates's concern with disability issues began nearly 30 years ago when his eldest child was born with multiple profound disabilities. Now, as more families like Michael's are affected by a growing number of disorders and difficulties ranging from autism to food allergies, the need for programs and paradigm shifts is greater than ever. Beates thus seeks to motivate churches to pursue ministry to children and adults with developmental disabilities. He works through key Bible passages on brokenness and disability to develop helpful principles for believers and churches, teaching them first to embrace their own brokenness and then to embrace those who are more physically and visibly broken.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Disability, Christian Living, Christianity, Faith, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2012

Reviews

[Mike]

Actually, i wrote it -- not a good one to review it. . . . :-)

[Alex Etheridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

I likely wouldn't have picked up this book if I didn't now have a daughter with a rare genetic syndrome, but I think that'd have been a mistake. I'd have missed a really valuable read. The Christian church needs good theology on disability, the sanctity of life, and the image of God we bear. As Beates says often in this book, disability serves as a poignant reminder that we are all weaker than we'd like to admit. No matter how abled we are, God's love is not dependent on our abilities. "There is nothing I could perform that would fill a service to Him, nothing. Yet He loves me."

"The imago Dei in biblical perspective is first ontological--intrinsically part of who we are as people apart from any ability we may by God's grave have and use." This was so affirming as I think of the value and worth of my daughter and many others with disabilities. You don't need fully-functioning cognitive ability to reflect the image of God.

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beates surveys Old and New Testament teaching on the image of God and human brokenness. Then, he surveys Christian history and society’s approach to disability. The book’s scope is broad—from Aquinas through the Reformers to Bonhoeffer, Carl Henry, Stanley Hauerwas, Walter Wink, and Henri Nouwen. Beates also explores disability ministries from L’Arche to Joni and Friends to YoungLife Capernaum. The thorough survey evaluates each figure through a biblical lens. Beates closes with a brief but clear vision for disability-effective leaders and churches. Throughout, he models confidence in God’s sovereignty and faith that Christ will display his power through weakness.

The book is a decade old. It doesn’t mention Autism or newer evangelical non-profits like Key Ministry that promote church-based disability ministry. I wish there was an update that mapped contemporary thinkers writing on disability like Amy Fenton Lee, Amy Julia Becker, Eric Carter, Andrew and Rachel Wilson, Paul and Jill Miller, Chris Hulshoff, Lamar Hardwick, Sandra Peoples, and Stephanie Hubach.

[Jess Etheridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has everything. It is thick with theology- it goes through the entire Bible showing places God uses weaknesses and limitations for his glory, an in depth look at how all people are extrinsically valuable because of who God is, & his sovereign goodness in allowing disabilities to exist- it has practical steps for churches to think through as they look around and see an under representation of families with special needs, and it has a personal touch as his daughter has severe disabilities. Something he says over and over that I had never thought about is that “when we see people with disabilities with their limitations, we can begin to see ourselves in a new, more honest manner as broken men and women before God in need of redemption- body & soul.” We are obsessed with making ourselves look whole and put together when in fact we are all equally needy and broken before a Holy God. I need to read this book again in 6 months when the newborn fog and current heavy emotions have passed, but for what I retained this time around, I’m so so grateful.

[Daniel Threlfall · Rating 4 out of 5]

(This book review first appeared on my blog, www.danielthrelfall.com)

Before reading Disability and the Gospel, I was a bit skeptical. On the one hand, I was fearful of yet another "gospel and ____" book. On the other hand, I was afraid that the book would not apply to me, since I'm not exactly "disabled."

I was in for a surprise.

Big Idea of Disability and the Gospel
This book is a theology of disability. The author discusses biblical texts dealing with the topic, surveys disability from a historical perspective, and provides practical advice for dealing with disability in church and life. Beates does not answer every question about disability, but he does provide a discussion that is challenging, biblical, and, I believe, necessary.

Thoughts on Disability and the Gospel
- This is an important issue. The author does a helpful job of explaining how the disabled are marginalized and excluded from many Christian and evangelical congregations. Obviously, few churches would actively resist the attendance of disabled people, but the lack of proactive outreach to these people is a testament to their exclusion. If, as Beates asserts, 10% of the population has a physical or mental disability, then why do our churches not reflect this percentage?
- The treatment is thoughtful, biblical, and well-informed. Beates did his homework. This book is a helpful resource because of its excellent research. Not only does Beates deal with the biblical passages in a thorough way, but he also takes the reader on a historical journey through church history to see how Christian thinkers and writers throughout the ages have understood the topic of disability. Although thorough, the book is also very accessible for any layperson.
- We are all weak, broken, and, in a sense, disabled. I was born with a congenital heart disorder that was, by God's grace, corrected in two procedures when I was ten and eleven. Apart from a few bumps and bangs (and a really painful splinter a few weeks ago) I've never been "disabled," in the conventional sense. But what does it mean to be "disabled?" Michael Beates makes a case for the fact that we're all disabled, in one sense or another. We may not have a debilitating physical condition, but we all have weaknesses. Rather than resist our weakness, we ought to embrace it (2 Corinthians 11:30). Our weakness is an opportunity to display God's power and grace (2 Corinthians 12:9).

This is not a specialist book, only intended for those who are disabled or who have a disabled loved one. It is a book for every Christian. The challenge to humility, to bold engagement with the marginalized, and to more intentional service is a call that each believer would do well hear.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this review copy for free as part of the christianaudio Reviewers Program of christianaudio.com. I was not required to write a positive review, even though I did this time. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Due to the fall, all people are helplessly broken before God, and - in all honesty - before each other. Though some people are more visibly broken than others, all people - disabled and able-bodied - need redemption and the saving love of Christ."

In 'Disability & The Gospel', Michael S. Beates explores how disability reveals the brokenness of humanity and how desperately we all need God's grace. He outlines how the Old Testament reveals God as the Creator and humanity as being made in His image, explaining that disability does not fall outside of His sovereignty, but is ordained by God to reveal His glory. He shows how the ministry of Christ to the disabled and marginalised reveals the loving, compassionate nature of God, and how in Christ we find redemption from sin and are being conformed to the image of Christ, looking forward to total redemption from physical/spiritual decay. The overarching theme of this book is that God's power is made perfect in weakness, and it is when we understand and embrace our brokenness and surrender to Christ that God's glory can be revealed through us.

I found this book to be a very practical and gospel-centred exploration of disability. Beates is honest and unapologetic in his evaluation of how the church approaches disability. He expounds both secular and Christian views of disability, and analyses them based on personal experience and biblical truth. A challenging and encouraging read.

5/5.

[Eric Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been almost a year since I read "Disabilities and the Gospel" by Michael Beates, and I still regularly think about it.

I read it in preparation for preaching a series of sermons about suffering. It touched on so many questions that I have had and many that I still have and questioned many of my assumptions about the church and the imago dei- the image of God. Beate’s exposition of Scripture on the topic of disabilities shows that God is not looking at people with special needs in the way I sometimes do, He has intent and purpose. They have a meaningful and even irreplaceable, needed place in the body of Christ.

He then focuses on church history and the development of a theology of the image of God. And I was shocked not only by the way that some of the greatest leaders in church history spoke of those with disabilities, but also the way that the church continues to lack theologies that encompasses all people.

He points out that often the image of God is defined primarily in terms of function- creative capacity, the ability to “think about thinking,” and exercising dominion over the earth; and as I read the Genesis narrative and consider the unique functions of humans in comparison with animals, I come to these conclusions too. But, the crazy thing is that so much of the church’s historical understanding of the image of God would have to lead us to conclude that those with mental disabilities are at best, dysfunctional image bearers or at worst, lacking the image of God altogether.

I don’t think I know anyone who would say this about someone with disabilities, but it is alarming that most interpretations of what it means to be created in his image would lead to this conclusion.

From what I remember, Beate’s leads the reader and the church to think more about the “structural image” than “functional image” (Hoekema) of God and being primary.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many tears spilled (no surprise there). All creation was made to bring glory to God, even those suffering from physical or intellectual disability. When we work and commune closely with those with severe and debilitating conditions, we are reminded that no matter how severe the physical or mental handicap, our own spiritual state is far worse without Christ!!! We are broken, wholly dependent, unable to move, feed, bathe, or toilet ourselves spiritually! By God’s grace, he has chosen to love us - destitute, dependent, handicapped sinners - to bring him glory. And for that I weep.

I do have some disagreement with Beates’ literal interpretation of many scriptures, specifically Luke 14. While the church body should pay special attention and provide help for those members and families who care for children with special needs, missions and outreach of the church toward the disabled should not be the sole focus of the church. It may be the special gift and interest of individuals in the church, but there institution of the church is there to preach the Gospel to all peoples, not to bring in the physically disabled and disenfranchised, but the spiritually (who just so happen to also be the physically disabled and disenfranchised). Not sure this is entirely the point Beates was trying to make, but it seemed to me in some comments his focus/emphases about the mission of the church was a little off.

[Andy Bond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb

Deeply insightful on a whole range of topics, centred on the Gospel and rejects liberationist readings of the texts which do far too much reading into the scriptures and not enough reading out of them.

This was my first full read in the topic of disability. I was moved by the need to be intentionally inclusive of those with disabilities.

This book challenges our reliance upon ourselves and our own giftedness and explains how those with disabilities are a gift to Jesus' church in this way.

[Millie Camp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beates meticulously goes through the Bible and points out where disabilities and people with disabilities are prevalent and what Jesus has to say about them. “God used Jacob to show us that He uses such people not despite their weaknesses, but rather because of and through these very weaknesses.”

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not that I need to, but I will tell you that we have spent months in various children's hospitals with our daughter praying for her life. My son's best friend has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. We have known disability.

I found this book to be a scold.

Michael S. Beates early on (pg. 18) begins scolding the church for not being accepting and loving. He states that he dropped his wheelchair bound daughter off in the Sunday school class and was appalled that the teacher dared to question, "You're not going to leave her here with us are you?" Parents of children with disabilities receive all manner of in-home counsel and instruction, in-depth instruction from doctors and nurses before we ever feel adequate to care for our disabled child. To imagine that you could simply pop into a Sunday school nursery and drop that same child off with people who have never dealt with nor received instructions concerning that particular disability is just plain mean.

He sums it up, "The problem is that Christians people generally have an inadequate understanding of God's role in disabilities. This lack of understanding leads to closed doors for people with disabilities even after the handicapped spaces are painted in the parking lot, dipped curbs are cut, and ramps are built to the front entrance." For Beates to castigate the church for lack of skill and knowledge to deal with disabilities when it takes a parent all manner of time to figure it out, is heartless.

On the one hand this book seeks to make us all handicapped (and of course to one degree or another we all are) "handicap- any difficulty which is imposed on a superior person so as to hamper or disadvantage him, making that person more equal with others."

And on the other hand Beates seeks to reduce it to the wheelchair bound, chromosomal anomaly, the obviously not "normal." It's confusing.

Add to all that, Beates wants to blame the uncomfortable attitude toward disabilities on Western culture. The book is sprinkled with blame toward "Western culture," and never gives us that culture somewhere seemingly east of here that is doing it all right.

This book- Disability and the Gospel: How God Uses Our Brokeness to Display His Grace- doesn't ever get around to telling us How God Uses Our Brokeness to Display His Grace. It's stuck on scolding Western society and the Western church in particular.

[Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father of a disabled adult child, pastor, Wheels for the World short term missionary, and Board Member of Joni and Friends, Int'l.

Well written, good word-smithing, good overview of OT, NT, historical church figures, secular figures and views about disability.

I took away a number of significant points:
1. God creates some people or allows people to have or become disabled, simply for the sake of His glory. Obviously hard to humanly accept yet myriads of family stories through the ages of how God's character is somehow reflected in the lives of people with disabilities.

2. People with disabilities tend to show us that we are all full of brokenness and in need of God's grace.

3. People with disabilities present opportunities for the church of Christ to serve Him by serving them, unconditionally with no expectation of any return.

4. People with disabilities remind us of our desire for Heaven where ALL things are made new.

5. We are ALL created in God's image but are all not His children

Great story about Mephibosheth's story and parallels to the Gospel.

[Bonnie Ainsworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this material in this book was a bit dry to me, it was also very educational. I really liked that it had scripture references to Jesus'blessing on the brokenness of those of us wit who have disabilities. It's an excellent resource to be shared with pastors and other church leadership, and my intention is to do just that. Bill my dear, you're still looking out for us!

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess I was a little bit disappointed with this book.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of Michael Beates’s introduction:

“As I travel around the globe, I hear, “What does the Bible say about my child who was born with multiple disabilities?” and “Why does God allow so much brokenness in the world?” My heart aches because these people often hear only silence (or experience rejection) from the body of Christ. Sadly, the church is ill equipped to answer the tough questions about God’s goodness in a world crumbling into broken pieces.

When it comes to suffering, I’m convinced God has more in mind for us than to simply avoid it, give it ibuprofen, divorce it, institutionalize it, or miraculously heal it. But how do we embrace that which God gives from his left hand? I have found a person’s contentment with impairment is directly proportional to the understanding of God and his Word. If a person with a disability is disappointed with God, it can usually be traced to a thin view of the God of the Bible.”

This book is broken down into four sections. I found the 1st & last sections most helpful … the 2nd section was more of a historical/research paper-like and therefore the least interesting for me personally (my mind wanted to wonder off a bit).

I found myself thinking how perhaps I really could’ve used this book a decade ago. But yet, I’m not sure I was ready for it. I certainly wasn’t LOOKING for it.

Sometimes things … like books … land in our laps exactly when intended.

This book actually hits the churches the hardest. And oh how our churches would be different if those with disabilities were truly SEEN, welcomed, cared for … if they were actually WANTED in the church!!! If they were wanted and sought out like Jesus did! How very different I think God intended the churches to be…

This isn’t true with just churches though. This very much rings true to any part of society as a whole. But of anywhere outside the home, wouldn’t it be the most lovely to be present, known and WANTED in a church family??

Beates quotes Joni Eareckson Tada saying “at least ten percent of our population is severely disabled. (That’s a flat figure, including impairments of all sorts.) So theoretically, on any given Sunday, a pastor ought to look out over his people and see ten percent who are limited – the deaf, the blind, people in wheelchairs – whatever.”

I definitely didn’t see that growing up and certainly all these years later, nothing has changed. People don’t like being uncomfortable and unfortunately, random outbursts, yelping, unprovoked laughter, drooling, fidgeting or anything “out of the ordinary” fosters disapproval. Those with disabilities are equally uncomfortable because they know this & it’s not something they can control.

He also said “In our day in the West, people with disabilities are not left to beg outside religious sites where they might remind people of the brokenness of humanity. Rather, such people are carefully hidden in homes and care facilities, seldom ever gracing temples and churches with their presence…this absence deprives the church of gifts that only those with disability can bring to the body of Christ.”

This book has so much truth … and NEEDED truth … for all to hear. Sadly, most would never pick up this book unless they themselves have a disability, or perhaps someone they know & love. But without doubt, books like this are EXACTLY needed by leaders, leaders in the church and the average person.

We all could be so different than how we allow society, instead of God, to shape us!!

We are all BROKEN … we are all WEAK … we are all DISABLED! This book helps us to see why and how this is used by God.

We humans forget truth so easily. God knows this. And this book helped remind me of truths and Gods love, plan and purpose for all people … for all situations … and what that means for me & others. It reminded me of Gods love, grace, mercy and that we all NEED Him in every facet of life.

[Alice Gent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really challenging and much needed.

The introduction poses the question, if one in six Americans are disabled, why do we see so few at church and our congregations? I agree that this is a shocking truth and one I was really glad to finally think hard about with this book. Why are we so blind in this area.

Part one looked at disability in the Old then New Testaments, and was excellent. I had to read some parts a few times just to glean all the drops of wisdom from it. I realised I had always read the Old Testament with 'able bodied' glasses on and so had missed so much and also missed how some passages may make disabled people feel. With regards to the New Testament, I wonder if at times he was in danger of overstating what the Bible says in regards to Jesus' heart for the disabled. Did he really love them as a people group above others? But his language is fuzzy so easy to read exaggerations into, and to be honest since we as a church, desperately need to pick up our game from the other side, I don't think there is much of a danger to over stating, currently!

I think Beates' language could be more explicit in a few places. His changing definition of those who are 'weak' doesn't particularly help matters. But the use of emotionally provocative, beautiful language and quotes is powerful in a different way, even if it sometimes took some undressing to see the exact point being made underneath.

Part two was very short and was thoughts on disability from the past. I felt these chapters didn't add anything to my thought processes and didn't really add to the book.

Part three was voices of today which was useful, especially as I have heard the rise of controversial liberal comments on disability recently, saying that blindness etc is not a disability and won't be taken away in the new creation. It was helpful to just have a very rough overview of the ideas and names involved. The author doesn't engage heavily and assumes the reader's view point is the same as his own, rather than arguing against them.

Part four was ideas of how to go forward with helpful suggestions for pastors and members of congregations. Those very repetitive it was nice to have some application at the end, though I would have loved more. I understand, however, that this book aims to provide a solid belief in how we are incomplete as the body of Christ without those with disabilities and how they can teach us so much, rather than what that might look like in our individual church.

I would recommend the intro and part one as crucial reading for any Christian in this area. The rest I found less important and often just repeating points in a different format. I would have preferred if this book had instead used those pages to unpack and clarify the ideas he makes from part one as there was without a doubt much more that could have been said and pondered!

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disability and the Gospel was recommended to me as a biblical counterpoint to the disastrously awful My Body is Not a Prayer Request. And by certain measures, it absolutely succeeds. It examines, in detail, what the Bible has to say about disability, what church fathers had to say about disability, what contemporary voices have to say about disability, and then offers some advice to church leaders and nondisabled church members. Beates is incredibly thorough, and his approach clearly demonstrates both his high view of scripture and his interest in this subject. On that front, five stars.

However, the book itself comes across as sterile and academic. While I am sure that as a father of a profoundly disabled daughter, Beates' interest in the subject is more than academic, it wasn't apparent from the book itself. While on the one hand, focusing on the truth of God's word is a great way to avoid the feelings-driven disaster that was My Body is Not a Prayer Request, this book was so impersonal that it seems to fall into the other ditch--the doctor who has spent so long studying disease to improve the lives of his patients that he's forgotten that his patients are actually people.

While I'm certain that is not how Beates actually feels, the dryness of the book made it challenging to get through at times. Still, millions of times better than the aforementioned other book on disability that I've read recently.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

In all honesty, as a Christian parent of a child with multiple disabilities, I wanted to love and be gripped by this book, but while it started strongly and ended strongly, the middle section caused my attention to wane at times.

The book is divided into four parts: The Voice of God, Voices from the Past, Voices of Today and Speaking into Tomorrow.

I was interested to read Beates’s explanation of the ways scripture speaks to the issue of disability and how it relates to the gospel in Part 1. As a Christian, I am less interested in how secular voices in the past, and even voices of believers throughout church history, have spoken about this issue. This was the type of content covered in the middle two portions of the book. To me, the most critical part, having laid the groundwork in Part 1 was Part 4, looking at what the church must say to the world on this issue and looking at God’s sovereignty in the area of disability.

Had the book ended at Part 3, or not hit home the key points it does in Part 4, I would have been very disappointed, but the final section contained many, many beautiful truths and made me really appreciate Beates’s work on this topic.

I hope many Christians, particularly church leaders, will read this and be convicted and provoked to think more deeply about disability and the gospel, as I was, thanks to this book.

[Daniel Mcgregor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am always disappointed by books on Disabilities. Maybe because I am disabled I intuitively know what the author is going to say. I have lived his arguments. Or maybe it is because I never feel they go deep enough in their exegesis or examination. This book clearly did not go deep enough for my liking. Rather it was skipping stones over ideas and passages begging for more attention. It relied too heavily in my opinion on the work of Joni Eareckson Tada. What he had to say was all good and well and sometimes even profound. "So we begin to see already that God intentionally brings woundedness to those he loves. And in fact, those God uses the most he breaks, in some manner, for his sovereign purposes." Or "Deep inside, most of us recognize that we “belong to our scars” as life experiences unfold." Overall it left me feeling unsatisfied with the depth of thinking. Beates's addresses the church is welcomed and for someone who has never thought of the sovereignty of God and disability this is a good entry point. Just not what I was looking for.

[Kaylin Worthington · Rating 4 out of 5]

“As followers of Christ, we must respect God’s creation of all people, and see them not as problems to be ignored or hidden away. Rather, we must see them as mirrors of our own brokenness, and as divine windows through which we can catch glimpses of God’s grace. We must do whatever we can to respect God’s image in even the most broken and twisted lives. Even the least of these carries intrinsic dignity and worth.”

“When we begin to do for the least of these what David did for Mephibosheth and what Jesus called his followers to do, we discover this: we are the broken and the needy. They. Are. Us. Perhaps more openly and undeniably, but all the same, they remind us of our true state before God. That is the gift they bring to God’s people.”

Aside from deciding that I need to read Joni Tada’s books, these are two amazing quotes that summarize a few of the ideas in this book. It also goes into different purposes for suffering. Great read!

[Deborah-Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book provides an easy-to-read, accessible theology of disability in a way that few other books have mastered. It is extremely streamlined, tracing the history of disability from the Old Testament through the New, into the early church, and pulling from contemporary theological sources (both Conservative and Liberal). It is also a highly practical book as the author draws from his own experience of having a daughter with a severe developmental disability. I loved this little book and I think it would highly benefit any church which wants to start a disability ministry or just wants to know more about how to minister to the disabled community.

[Emily Trotter · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are seeking to be more inclusive in your ministry, or just in your own personal life, this book is a great help. Personally I'm still working on this, but this book encouraged me in this process. Beates challenged me to form my own theology of brokenness. Do I truly see myself as broken? Do I see my need for God's grace moment by moment?
This book reminded me of how Jesus welcomes everyone, no matter how broken, into his presence. Any person who follows Christ should seek to do the same. When the disability community is not included in the Church, we are missing an important part of the body of Christ. Every person has been made in God's image, and we should treat them as such.

[Allison Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a good read! I especially appreciated Part 2: Voices From the Past. It was interesting seeing how the church has respond to individuals with disabilities in the past, especially the church fathers who are the faces of denominations. His emphasis of the necessity of understanding the meaning of Imago Dei was a needed and helpful aspect of his arguments. Because it’s not as recent of a book, some of the language is outdated and could be deemed offensive today. It had some practical ways to make churches a more hospitable places for families with disabilities, as well as how to get trained to serve these families well. I so appreciate the work of Joni & Friends in this area!

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

God's strength is shown through our weakness - this is a recurring Biblical theme that shows up in various books, sermons, etc. But here, we see a comprehensive treatment of the topic - covering the Old Testament, the New Testament, Church History, contemporary scholarship, and ministry practice. Well worth reading, if you're concerned for the church to properly reflect God's will and be used by Him in this world.

[Dorrin Gingerich · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a lot of good here and some bad. I feel like this book wasn’t written for disabled people. So the things that stood out to me will probably be different for you. He's very critical of how most churches aren't properly equipped to handle this topic. So I appreciated that.

There’s also a smattering of victim-blaming, stating some people might be sick so God can teach them something or because of there sin. So that’s great. (sarcasm)

[Lauren Bruna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book that I’m reading for capstone!

This book has reminded me of my own brokenness and utter need for a Savior! Through my weakness, His glory is revealed!

I appreciated this quote from chapter 9, “some of the most powerful models for disability-effective leadership and churches are those who lead from disability… leading from weakness is, in the upside-down nature of the gospel, undeniably powerful in the eyes of the skeptical world.”

[Jodee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was well written and organized, which made it easy to understand and follow. I learned so much in a short 174 pages that I feel will help me in my discussions about my daughter. Only a few chapters in I was recommending this book, and now that I've completed it, I think I will start passing out copies. The author's sermon alone, in Appendix 2, is worth a read!

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

God can build perseverance and the ability to relate to others through suffering and difficult seasons! God can use any one, and especially those considered weak, broken, outcasts, to bring Him glory and expand His Kingdom. He can guide them to be overcomers in Christ, and be His light in the world. Praises!

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

This is my second read through this book. It's a great book for those who want to get started in disability studies or disability in the Bible.
I started reading this book after watching a documentary about disability in heaven. It helped me start my journey to discovering who I am in Christ, even with my disabilities.

[Philip Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super thought provoking. I was really helped by this. Beates was the man for the job, and he didn't disappoint. I particularly enjoyed the theologizing about the meaning of the image of God. The statements from historical and contemporary figures (Christian and non-Christian) were troubling at times. I'm looking at you, Martin Luther.