Beauty from brokenness: Witness and wonder as God works through all bodies

This article draws on personal narrative and art along with disability and the Bible to challenge who is able to witness. Disability creates barriers in how people imagine witness to God taking place. Personal narrative paints a picture of this reality. Yet the gospel flips expectations with ultimat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMissiology Vol. 52; no. 4; pp. 380 - 394
Main Author Opie, Andrew K.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England SAGE Publications 01.10.2024
Subjects
weakness
art
2 Corinthians
Christian witness
beauty
disability
disability theology
Christian mission
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Summary:This article draws on personal narrative and art along with disability and the Bible to challenge who is able to witness. Disability creates barriers in how people imagine witness to God taking place. Personal narrative paints a picture of this reality. Yet the gospel flips expectations with ultimate beauty as Jesus on the cross. Accordingly, a damaged body points to God working through brokenness to bring blessing. In light of frailty, brokenness, and troubles in this world, this article intersects art, disability and Christian mission to demonstrate how art subverts norms of human strength, and highlights how beauty flows through brokenness. With Paul’s weakness language in 2 Corinthians, disability becomes the showplace for God’s glory.
ISSN:0091-8296
2051-3623
DOI:10.1177/00918296241269636