Whether disabled bodies will be present in the resurrection is a poignant question that reveals implicit assumptions about God, personal identity, and what is considered 'right' or 'normal.' In this scholarly rigorous but also eminently understandable book, Whitaker tackles the question of disability in the resurrection with thoughtfulness, insight, and a courageous yet humble approach. Drawing on disability theology, biblical passages, and philosophical perspectives on identity, Perfect in Weakness is bound to ignite the pastoral and theological imaginations of those who read it. It will spark crucial conversations not only about the new creation but about the ways we might structure our current reality to better reflect God's heart for everybody.
~Keith Dow, author of Formed Together: Mystery, Narrative, and Virtue in Christian Caregiving
Maja Whitaker approaches the complexities of disability and identity with a wonderful sense of dignity, wisdom, and empathy. She draws on many voices to challenge and expand our thinking around perfection, encouraging new expressions of love, inclusion, and acceptance. In this robust book, Maja poses the question, 'If we look beyond perfection, can we bring about more of God's love here on Earth now, for all people, across the whole spectrum of ability?' Maja invites us to reconsider those we may have dismissed, to see more of God in them, and in ourselves. Disability is not a deficit. We are all human and are all worthy of receiving love. If there is breath, there is life, and there is the presence of God. This book's message of life, love, and acceptance is not constrained to resurrection, but is relevant right now, right here in today's human experience.
~Rachel Callander, author and speaker
In the current volume, Whitaker seeks to answer the perennial question of 'What form will the human body take in the resurrection?' Whitaker's examination of the resurrected body is done through the lens of disability studies thus adding a valuable contribution to the growing works that address disability from a biblical studies perspective. Whitaker challenges readers to reconsider representations of the resurrection that only allow for Hollywood-esque perfect bodies. Instead, she argues that in the resurrection, human variety and difference will still be experienced and that this may include, in some capacity, the human experience of disability.
~Louise Gosbell, Lecturer in New Testament, Australian College of Theology
This intelligent, but highly speculative, book struggles with trying to discern the relationship between the pre-resurrection bodies of those with disabilties.
~Robin Gill, Theology
This book skillfully incorporates Scripture, theology, disability studies, philosophy, history, and neuroscience. It both critiques problematic views of "perfect" resurrected bodies and argues convincingly for diverse embodiment in resurrected life. Throughout the book, Whitaker articulates and models intellectual humility (e.g., pp. 33, 85, 135), acknowledging God’s surprising creativity and allowing the reader to explore with her. She presents a panoply of theoretical perspectives succinctly and clearly to argue for the retention view from a Christian perspective while consistently reflecting on its ramifications for life in the present.
~Bart B. Bruehler, Journal of Disability and Religion
It provides an examination of an important topic within theological and ecclesial discourse and provides a corrective to the ableist desire for physical and cognitive uniformity in the resurrection. Whitaker underlines the need for the church to take her suggestion seriously in order to reconsider the assumptions about, for example, healing, embodiedness and the woundedness of Christ in the resurrection narratives.
~Eleanor McLaughlin, Ripon College Cuddesdon, Modern Believing
