The Disabled God Revisited: Trinity, Christology, and Liberation

Lisa D. Powell expands on Nancy Eiesland's idea that God is disabled, suggesting that God's triune identity is established in his decision for covenant and that creation is necessary for the fulfillment of God's nature. She argues that God is not only interdependent within the immanent Trinity but also experiences real dependency, risk, and vulnerability from his "original" self-determination. Powell challenges Eiesland's conclusions about Christ's resurrected body and eschatological embodiment, arguing that it is the able-body that does not persist eschatologically, and that all humanity journeys toward greater transparency, vulnerability, and interdependency as the Body of Christ.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 168 pages
Publication date: 18 May 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Lisa D. Powell takes Nancy Eiesland's groundbreaking work, The Disabled God (1994), to a new level by reinforcing and expanding on her assertion that God is disabled. In her book, she presents an alternative interpretation of the doctrine of God and the Trinity, leading to a God who is not autonomous and entirely independent. According to this perspective, God's triune identity is established through God's decision to enter into a covenant, and thus creation becomes a necessary requirement for the fulfillment of God's nature. Not only is the Son always anticipating the full embodiment and human nature, but he is also eternally anticipating an impaired body.

Powell argues that God is not only interdependent within the immanent Trinity but also experiences genuine dependency, risk, and vulnerability from God's "original" self-determination. She revisits Eiesland's claim about Christ's resurrected body and her conclusions about eschatological embodiment, arguing that it is the able-bodied individuals who do not persist eschatologically, but rather, all humanity is on a journey toward greater transparency, vulnerability, and interdependence as the Body of Christ.

Powell's book offers a profound exploration of the nature of God and the relationship between humanity and God, challenging traditional notions of divine omnipotence and omniscience. Through her thoughtful and compelling arguments, Powell provides a fresh perspective on the Christian faith and offers a valuable contribution to the ongoing dialogue about the nature of God and the role of disability in theology and spirituality.

Weight: 220g
Dimension: 215 x 139 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780567694331