Enabling Grace

This is no ordinary book. Grounded in biblical expertise and drawing from her long experience of and deep commitment to children with special needs, Dr. Susan Mathew develops a fresh approach to disability out of Paul's astounding theology of grace in weakness. The result is profound, moving, and truly extraordinary. John M. G. Barclay, PhD Lightfoot Professor of Divinity, Durham University, UK Having in her prior scholarship given voice to women as a South Asian Pentecostal New Testament/Pauline scholar, Susan Mathew now bears witness in the power of the Holy Spirit to the redemptive power of God in and through bodily impairment and disability, also out of the experience of being a mother to a son with cerebral palsy. Here we find exegesis, theological reflection, testimony, and practical ministerial exhortation brought together to show how the God of the Bible is on the side of those who are weaker and more vulnerable in society. Amos Yong, PhD Professor of Theology and Mission, Fuller Theological Seminary, California, USA I was delighted to peruse this scholarly work entitled Enabling Grace: Towards Pauline Perspectives on Disability written by Dr. Susan Mathew. This unique scholarly work is an in-depth study on issues related to disability from a Pauline perspective based on Corinthian correspondences. The author proposes some basic principles for how to take care of a person with certain disability needs, a traumatic issue for some families today. It is with immense joy and pleasure that I endorse this volume for the glory of God. This work will be a great resource to theological seminaries and churches as an eye-opening treatise on how to minister to those who are mainly neglected and marginalized in our communities. B. Varghese, DTh Principal Emeritus and Professor of New Testament Studies, Faith Theological Seminary, Adoor, India Dr. Susan Mathew's book is replete with biblical exegesis, theological insights, social realities, contextual implications, and personal reflections. She has traversed the otherwise intransigent strictures of traditional biblical hermeneutics to explore the area of disability in Judaism, the Greco-Roman world, Pauline framework, contemporary living, and her own first hand experiences. It is a work that deals with the subtleties of God's enabling grace in human weaknesses and disabilities. I highly recommend this unique, eye-opening, and helpful work. Johnson Thomaskutty, PhD Professor of New Testament, United Theological College, Bengaluru, India