Nancy L. Eiesland (April 6, 1964 – March 10, 2009) was a professor at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta.[1][2][3]
Eiesland, born with a congenital bone defect, underwent numerous operations in her youth and experienced considerable pain as well as disability. These factors informed her theological perspective that God is disabled, culminating in her publication of The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability (1994). A German translation of this book was published in 2018: Nancy L. Eiesland, Der behinderte Gott. Anstöße zu einer Befreiungstheologie der Behinderung. Übersetzt und eingeleitet von Werner Schüßler, Würzburg: Echter Verlag, 2018, 2nd ed. 2020.
Eiesland died of lung cancer at age 44.
Legacy edit
In the Fall 2014 Centennial Commemorative Edition of the Candler Connection magazine, Eiesland is posthumously recognized as one of fifty-six Centennial Medalists, and The Disabled God is named among the most significant books written by Candler faculty in its first 100 years.[4]
In 2015, Candler established the Nancy Eiesland Endowment Lecture series. The Dr. Nancy Eiesland Endowment for Disability Studies funded the inaugural lecture on March 25.[5] Dr. Julia Watts Belser delivered the inaugural lecture titled, "Violence, Disability, and the Politics of Healing."[5]
In spring 2020, the Eiesland Endowment partnered with the Aquinas Center of Theology at Candler to host Miguel J. Romero, whose lecture was titled "Learning to See: Disability, Friendship, and the Christian Life."[6] Unfortunately,this lecture was cancelled as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19.[6][7]
In November 2020, the Eiesland Lecture was held jointly with the Manfred Hoffmann Lecture. Professors Emeritae Carol A. Newsom and Karen D. Scheib delivered the lecture, "The Resiliency of Job: Finding a Way Through Loss and Grief," and Professor Emeritus Luther E. Smith, Jr. served as moderator for the event.[8]
References edit
- ^ Martin, Douglas (March 21, 2009). "Nancy Eiesland Is Dead at 44; Wrote of a Disabled God". The New York Times. Retrieved March 22, 2009.
- ^ "Obituaries: Nancy Eiesland, Theologian and sociologist who wrote of a disabled God". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. April 10, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "Tribute: Courageous inquiry: Remembering Eiesland". www.emory.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
- ^ "Candler Connection Centennial by Candler School of Theology - Issuu". issuu.com. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
- ^ a b Hanna, Laurel (February 23, 2015). "Candler to Present Inaugural Eiesland Lecture on March 25". Candler School of Theology. Atlanta, GA. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
- ^ a b Hanna, Laurel (March 11, 2020). "Eiesland Lecture to Address Disability and the Christian Life". Candler School of Theology. Atlanta, GA. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
- ^ Hanna, Laurel (March 17, 2020). "Events Canceled, Moved Online Due to Coronavirus". Candler School of Theology. Atlanta, GA. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
- ^ Hanna, Laurel (October 28, 2020). "Newsom, Scheib and Smith to Explore Grief and Resiliency in Nov. 8 Lecture". Candler School of Theology. Atlanta, GA. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
Further reading edit
- Edgell Becker, Penny; Eiesland, Nancy L., eds. (1997). Contemporary American Religion: An Ethnographic Reader. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press. ISBN 978-0761991960.
- "Eiesland, Nancy L. 1964–". Contemporary Authors. Vol. 222. Thomson Gale. 2004. pp. 111–112. ISBN 978-0-7876-6702-3.[verification needed]
- Eiesland, Nancy L. (1993). The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press. ISBN 978-0687108015.
- Eiesland, Nancy L.; Saliers, Don E., eds. (1998). Human Disability and the Service of God: Reassessing Religious Practice. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press. ISBN 9780687273164.
- Eiesland, Nancy L. (1999). A Living Sculpture of Certain Truths: Reverencing Bodies in Church and Society. Margaret E. Pyne Memorial Lecture. Cambridge, MA: Weston Jesuit School of Theology.
- Eiesland, Nancy L. (2000). A Particular Place: Urban Restructuring and Religious Ecology in a Southern Exurb. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0813527383.
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