Trauma-Informed Pastoral Care: How to Respond When Things Fall Apart by Karen A. McClintock (review)

Abstract

SPIRITUS | 22.2 Rafferty argues that the church and theologians have moved too quickly toward solutions, rushing ahead before grasping the problems that lie in the churches and other systems that marginalize people with disabilities. As a corrective, Rafferty introduces an anti-ableist paradigm. This work makes visible the ways ableism works in society and in church leadership and seeks to challenge and correct it. Using ethnography as method, Rafferty’s book offers a practical theology for an anti-ableist ministry in the church. This study offers an invitation for both theological and educational reform. By including experiences and data from real people with disabilities in the church, this book takes steps toward greater representation of the diversity of the Body, exposes the inhospitable paradigm of the current ecclesial body politic, and makes those who have experienced ableism feel less alone in their struggles with participation in the community of God. Finally, Rafferty demonstrates the need for deeper theological conversation and assessment of how the church is responding to DEI initiatives. Her research demands that leaders and theologians go beyond inclusivity and justice to focus on concrete ways to improve the acceptance of differently abled members and to redesign ministry in order to nurture the gifts of those who have been left out of leadership. Rafferty acknowledges that her work offers only a vision of hope and not a step-by-step plan. However, she seeks to provide an exemplar in her text of the types of conversation needed to create real change, the posture of openness required for real inclusion, and the participative approach to which she believes the church is called. Her research includes new imaginations articulated by those with disabilities and shows the value and necessity of their leadership in reimagining an anti-ableist church.