Of Such Is the Kingdom

A Practical Theology of Disability

By: Summer Kinard

Narrated by: Kristina Wenger

Disability is not a boundary to holiness, because God is with us. But it can sometimes be an obstacle to full participation in the life of the church, simply because many do not understand what is needed to help people with disabilities overcome any physical, mental, or interpersonal challenges they may face in church and in leading an Orthodox Christian life.

This book addresses the question from theological, practical, and experiential perspectives, giving individuals and families with disabilities the opportunity to voice their needs and suggest some things the rest of us can do to make them welcome in the household of God.

©2019 Summer Kinard (P)2021 Summer Kinard

Practical, powerful, and poignant

Practical, powerful, and poignant.

I could talk at length about this book, but I will try to keep it concise. Written thoughtfully, the chapters are easy to break down, and offer discussion questions. The author not only draws on her own experiences of living neurodivergent, she includes quotes and experiences from individuals who have a wide variety of differences or disabilities.

The narrator, Kristina Wenger, has read several audio Orthodox books I have listened to. She is easy to understand, warm, and handles even the numerous endnotes smoothly, a feat often made clunky by other narrators.

As a mother to a son who has recently been diagnosed with ADHD and Generalized Sensory Disorder, we have been on quite the hunt for resources and support that are neither militant nor totally submissive to the whims of my child. This book time and again reminds us to see everyone who whole people, made in the image of God, and gives innumerable practical tips and ideas for how to welcome and include everyone in our churches. I cannot recommend it enough!

An eye-opening look into others' struggles

"Of Such is the Kingdom" provides an eye opening view into the struggles many Orthodox Christians with disabilities face in parish life.

As someone without disabilities, I found this to be a valuable "inside look" at the crosses (seen and unseen) that many of our fellow Christians bear. Frequent patristic citations and relevant anecdotes work together in painting a picture of what an inclusive parish should look like.

From a practical point of view, this book lives up to its name. The chapters are divided into easily digestible segments, and include a recap / discussion questions to drive home key points. I was also impressed by the audiobook narrator's inclusion of the end notes without interrupting the overall flow of the narrative.

This book would work very well for a "book club" to start conversations within a parish. I would recommend this book to any Orthodox Christian looking for a fresh perspective on how to include all members of our parishes in community life.

Insightful and Humbling

Of Such is the Kingdom: A Practical Theology of Disability by Summer Kinard is an excellent resource on how to not only be more understanding toward those with disabilities but also, on how to create an environment where those vital members can participate fully in the church life.
It is a difficult subject that is neglected in many spheres of life. How do we accommodate those whose experiences are different and we don’t understand? It is often not convenient and takes practice, but it is essential to create a full community. This book makes it clear that no person should be left out of a community when there are actions others can take to incorporate them in. It benefits everyone when members with disabilities are in the community.
Also, this book has good information on how humans (particularly children) best learn and interact. There are little things we can do to better engage ourselves and others in the faith. One section I know I will find particularly useful was on prayer practices.
Personally, now that I have listened to the audiobook I will buy a physical copy that I can refer to when needed. Audiobooks are great ways to make books more accessible, but there is enough useful information in this book that I know having a physical copy will make it easier to find again. The recording quality is good overall, but there is an occasional faint high-pitched sound that I could hear when listening in my car.
Overall, this book effectively tackles the difficult and important subject of disability in church life. It is truly humbling to see the shortfalls that are often present and we could all work toward moving past. There are many other discussions that need to be had on how to invite people in who may have difficulties incorporating into a church community, and this is an excellent start.

Most Helpful for Families with Autism

I received a review copy of the audiobook for "Of Such Is the Kingdom: A Practical Theology of Disability" by Summer Kinard.

What I enjoyed most in this book was the early sections discussing how the Orthodox Church understands disability and the fact that God allows disabilities for the purpose of cultivating virtue. I found this part really encouraging to listen to. I felt like it even applied to my experience of infertility, which of course is the inability to do something that others can do and that a healthy body can do.

I had some concerns about the author's suggestions for accessible Church School curricula. I talked with my husband about it, because he has a type of muscular dystrophy that affects all his motor neurons and causes all his voluntary muscles to be weaker. Kinard's suggestions heavily emphasize hands-on activities for all students in order to accommodate students with brain-based disabilities. This is something that would actually exclude my husband. He said that, if he were a kid, he would try to avoid going to class because he would think, "Ugh, I get really tired from doing the physical activities they do in class!" and it would feel like another place where he doesn't really belong and can't do what other people are doing.

The book seems primarily geared toward families dealing with autism or other similar conditions. Kinard makes an effort to mention suggestions related to other disabilities, and she has some "spotlight" sections on particular issues, such as blindness. However, much of the book feels specifically applicable to those who have autism themselves or in their family or among their church community members. From the way the book was advertised, I expected it to be more generally applicable to people with all kinds of disabilities.

Overall, I enjoyed this book the most in the earlier sections, and as it went on, I felt less and less engaged. In the beginning I expected to be giving it a 5-star review, but by the end it had fallen to a 3-star review for me.

A mixed experience

I had high hopes for reading (or rather listening to) this book. The sisterhood at my parish read it last year and discussed it via Zoom. I heard really good things, and expected to get a lot out of it as someone with a long-term disability that keeps me from working--and often attending church services!

I thought the author was spot on in calling our attention to disabilities in the church. I would guess my parish has more people with diabilities than average, and I've heard from many fellow parishoners about how hard it is to feel welcome at some churches. The author offers insight into the struggle these people face and gives practical suggestions for how to make worship more accessible. I also like how the author talks about people with disabilities as adding to the worship, not detracting.

I also really liked how the audiobook included all the endnotes! This made the listening experience much richer, and is something I haven't seen many publishers do with audiobooks. It worked really well for this book.

That said, I kept getting irked whenever the author said that disabilities are a gift from God for our salvation. The author talked briefly about privation theory to explain the existence of evil, but she didn't delve deeply into it or tie it back to the topic in a clear way. Instead, she repeated her view that disabilities are a gift, which I found an impossible view to reconcile with my own disability. To me, it's almost as bad as Calvinists saying that God created some people for eternal damnation for his glory.

I think maybe some of the trouble comes down to the nature of disabilities. The author shares that she personally has autism. Even though society might put us both in the "disabled" category, there's a big difference between physical, emotional, and developmental disabilities, and I could see how a book trying to speak to all of them would invariably end up offending someone!

Anyway, like I said, it was a mixed experience reading this book. If you are interested in this topic, either personally or because you want to be a better friend to those with disabilities, it's definitely a worthwhile read. I would just question some of the statements about where disabilities come from and what their purpose is.