Exploring Disability Eschatology: A Constructive Conversation with Maja Whitaker

In her recent book Perfect in Weakness: Disability and Human Flourishing in the New Creation (Baylor University Press, 2023), Maja Whitaker lays out a vision for how to conceptualize disability within Christian eschatology. There is a longstanding debate in the history of Christian thought concerning whether or not embodied traits associated with disability will be eliminated in the eschaton as instances of divine healing. Whitaker champions her version of "the retention view," which maintains that at least some impairments will be retained in a redeemed creation. Panelists in this session will engage the arguments and implications of Whitaker's book from a variety of perspectives, including Christian theology, biblical studies, religious studies viewed more broadly, and South Asian religious traditions. Whitaker herself will be present to respond.