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

Mixing memoir with social critique, Kenny draws on her experiences as a Christian disabled person to examine ableism in the church in her enlightening debut. The author, who uses a wheelchair, contends that disability is not something to pity or look away from, but something to accept and celebrate. She highlights the prominence of disability in the Bible, including Isaac’s blindness and Timothy’s “frequent ailments,” to suggest that her body, like theirs, “is a temple for the Holy Spirit.” Kenny criticizes the concept of curing disability, writing that she considers her disability an intrinsic part of her identity and finds it offensive when people remark that “there are no wheelchairs in heaven.” She details the “mosquito bites” she gets from microaggressions, including when people use such slurs as lame or tell her, “You’re such an inspiration.” Pointing out that texting was first developed for Deaf people, Kenny suggests that prioritizing the disabled community benefits everyone. With humorous prose and wry wit, Kenny makes a convincing case for all Christians to do more to meet access needs and embrace disabilities as part of God’s kingdom, rather than treat them as “glitches.” Inclusivity-minded Christians will cheer the lessons laid out here. (May)