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A review by onecandace
My Body Is Not a Prayer Request: Disability Justice in the Church by Amy Kenny
5.0
None of us are promised perfect bodies—not even Jesus.
According to the Gospels, even a post-resurrection God Incarnate emerged from the tomb with scarred hands and feet. The Christian God is no stranger to disability and disfigurement.
And yet, as author Amy Kenny, points out in My Body Is Not a Prayer Request, ableism flows freely through many of our Christian churches, homes, and in the wider culture.
Why are we so afraid, as a Church and as a culture, of accepting bodies of a wide range of abilities and appearances? Why is it hard for us to admit, that if we live long enough, almost all of us will see the functionality and ability of our bodies change over time?
In this unflinchingly honest and compassionate book, Kenny points out the many ways Christians have created theology and practices that deny the full humanity of people with disabilities.
Kenny relates her personal stories of the harmful words and treatments she has received from the Church, the ways she’s felt ignored, and the ways she’s been taught that she is less than whole as she is.
Though the stories and truths in this book are often uncomfortable and unsettling, Kenny shares her heart with the reader with an abundance of kindness, wry humor, and hope.
My Body is Not a Prayer Request is convicting and encouraging and an important read for everyone, whether or not you currently attend a church. I came away with this book with both internal mindset shifts and concrete actions (and things I’m going to immediately stop doing and saying!). I am truly grateful for this insightful book.
Thank you to the Amy Kenny, Brazos Press, and NetGalley for providing me an advanced digital copy of this book for review. I’m so glad to have read it.
According to the Gospels, even a post-resurrection God Incarnate emerged from the tomb with scarred hands and feet. The Christian God is no stranger to disability and disfigurement.
And yet, as author Amy Kenny, points out in My Body Is Not a Prayer Request, ableism flows freely through many of our Christian churches, homes, and in the wider culture.
Why are we so afraid, as a Church and as a culture, of accepting bodies of a wide range of abilities and appearances? Why is it hard for us to admit, that if we live long enough, almost all of us will see the functionality and ability of our bodies change over time?
In this unflinchingly honest and compassionate book, Kenny points out the many ways Christians have created theology and practices that deny the full humanity of people with disabilities.
Kenny relates her personal stories of the harmful words and treatments she has received from the Church, the ways she’s felt ignored, and the ways she’s been taught that she is less than whole as she is.
Though the stories and truths in this book are often uncomfortable and unsettling, Kenny shares her heart with the reader with an abundance of kindness, wry humor, and hope.
My Body is Not a Prayer Request is convicting and encouraging and an important read for everyone, whether or not you currently attend a church. I came away with this book with both internal mindset shifts and concrete actions (and things I’m going to immediately stop doing and saying!). I am truly grateful for this insightful book.
Thank you to the Amy Kenny, Brazos Press, and NetGalley for providing me an advanced digital copy of this book for review. I’m so glad to have read it.