To Del Brown,

teacher and friend

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Acknowledgments

This book proposes that human limits are unsurprising and that they
are worthy of theological reflection. Writing a book is itself an experi-
ence in limits, where one faces unavoidable limits of time, sleep, and
chocolate—as well as limits of knowledge and ability. It is only fitting
that I preface this book by acknowledging and thanking those who
helped me understand and adapt to my own limits and who gave
generously of themselves. This project is much larger than anything
I would have been able to accomplish alone.
Thank you to Sallie McFague and Joretta Marshall, who encour-
aged me to pursue my interest in disability and religion as part of
my master’s work, and to Delwin Brown, Sheila Davaney, Albert
Hernández, and Frank Seeburger, who helped me develop these is-
sues into the dissertation “The Withered Hand of God: Disability and
Theological Reflection,” upon which this book is based. Each made
a substantial contribution not only to this project but also to my
growth as a scholar. Special thanks to Sheila, an advisor in the best
sense of the word, who helped map the way and who strengthened
both the structure and content of my dissertation project.
This work would not exist in its current form without the sup-
port of Kimberly Rae Connor, editor of the AAR Academy Series,
who guided me with care down the road from dissertation to book.
I also wish to thank Oxford University Press, particularly Cynthia
Read, Meechal Hoffman, and Jennifer Kowing, for their support of
this project and their labor to bring it into being. I am grateful for