How Ableism Fuels Racism: Dismantling the Hierarchy of Bodies in the Church - Paperback

by Lamar Hardwick (Author)

★ 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.

Back Jacket

The Surprising Connection between Racism and Ableism in the Church

As a Black autistic pastor and disability scholar, Lamar Hardwick lives at the intersection of disability, race, and religion. In How Ableism Fuels Racism, he helps 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. Drawing on historical records, biblical interpretation, and disability studies, he examines how ableism has perpetuated both disability and racial discrimination. He calls the church to address deep-seated issues of ableism and offers practical steps for dismantling ableism and racism in attitude and practice.

"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."
--Amy Kenny, director, Disability Cultural Center, Georgetown University; author of My Body Is Not a Prayer Request

"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."
--Terence Lester, founder of Love Beyond Walls; author of All God's Children, I See You, and When We Stand

"Hardwick provides a sweeping review of the way historical and theological ableism upholds American Christian racism. This book is relatable, persuasive, and perhaps most important, constructive."
--Erin Raffety, researcher, Princeton Theological Seminary; lecturer, Princeton University

Author Biography

Lamar Hardwick (DMin, Liberty University) is the lead pastor of Tri-Cities Church in Atlanta, Georgia, and the author of Disability and the Church: A Vision for Diversity and Inclusion. He is a graduate of the Yale Divinity School Clergy Scholar Program and a 2017 graduate of Georgia Forward's Young Gamechangers program. Hardwick regularly writes and speaks on disability inclusion in the church. He has written for Huffington Post and BioLogos and is a frequent guest on radio shows and podcasts.