CHRIST, REALITY, ENCOUNTER, & THE LIVED COMMUNITY

THE CHRISTOLOGICAL SHAPE OF BONHOEFFER’S ETHICS AS AN APPROACH TO DISABILITY

Abstract

This essay is an exploration of the  doctrine of Christology and its effect upon the Christian life as particularly formulated by twentieth century theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  I hope to show how the use of Christology provides vital resources for approaching the topic of disability; specifically, in understanding the role of the responsible community in living with those with disabilities. I begin this approach by exploring Bonhoeffer’s understanding reality as Christ’s reality, looking at the ontic consequences of this method. I emphasize Bonhoeffer’s understanding of Christ’s unique embrace of humanity and the world in order to provide the trajectory for lived engagement with disability. Second, I discuss the impact of this reality upon Bonhoeffer’s theological anthropology. I show how Bonhoeffer counters idealistic understandings of the human by pointing to the lived reality of Christ. Featured heavily in this section is the dynamic of modern attempts at forcing these ideal types upon the lives of people with disabilities, in which I hope to clarify how Bonhoeffer’s Christology allows for the preservation of unique and diverse bodies/lives.