How Ableism Fuels Racism
- Ethics, Culture & Social Issues
- Publisher: Brazos Press (Baker Publishing Group)
- Published: 2024
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Publisher's Description
2024 International Impact Book Award (Religion)★ Publishers Weekly starred review"Marshaling fine-grained historical detail and scrupulous analysis, Hardwick persuades."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)As a Black autistic pastor and disability scholar, Lamar Hardwick lives at the intersection of disability, race, and religion. Tied to this reality, he heeded the call to write How Ableism Fuels Racism to help Christian communities engage in critical conversations about race by addressing issues of ableism. Hardwick believes that ableism--the idea that certain bodies are better than others--and the disability discrimination fueled by this perspective are the root causes of racial bias and injustice in American culture and in the church. Here, he uses historical records, biblical interpretation, and disability studies to examine how ableism in America led to the creation of images, idols, and institutions that perpetuate both disability and racial discrimination. He then goes a step further, calling the church into action to address the deep-seated issues of ableism that started it all and offering practical steps to help readers dismantle ableism and racism both in attitude and practice.
Endorsements (3)
“A mix of insightful theology, historical research, and personal narrative, this book is necessary reading for anyone who seeks justice in the church. Hardwick highlights the history of ableism and racism in US churches and invites us to a joy-filled reversal of the shame that comes from worshiping these idols.”
“Lamar Hardwick provides a sweeping review of the way historical and theological ableism upholds American Christian racism. Grounded in his own embodied experience and pastoral perspective, Hardwick has given us a book that is relatable, persuasive, and perhaps most important, constructive. He not only levels incisive critique but also shows how embracing disability theology helps confront the shameful underside of American Christianity, heralding a fuller vision of God and humanity.”
“Ableism has been a fixture in our society for far too long, determining which bodies are deserving and which ones are not. It has also influenced architectural designs that dictate who can occupy public spaces—upholding views that trample on the dignity of the disabled community. Hardwick draws a connection between race and disability and what we must do to dismantle a hierarchy of bodies to achieve a more just society in our churches, communities, and the world. As he says, ‘disability is not a dirty word,’ and I join him in asserting that the time to resist believing this is now.”
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