Here is a sample of a book I have been working on.

Emily was in a hurry. She was late for her meeting with Sam because a customer in the store had been complaining about the government. Just as she was about to get in her car she saw an older lady struggling to get a lamp in the back of her car.

“Great, I have no time for this. Uggg,” thought Emily.

“Can I help you ma’am?”

“I just can’t seem to get this in my trunk.”

“Let me help.”

Emily hurried over, got the backseats down and quickly wrestled the lamp into the vehicle. 

“Thank you so much. You are an angel.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. Have a great day.”

Emily rushed back to her car and quickly headed to the church. Sam was waiting for her when she arrived and she quickly took a seat in the pastor’s office.

“I am so sorry I am late. I got held up.”

“I hope it wasn’t at gun point,” said Sam grinning.

Emily laughed and instantly felt better. She always enjoyed talking with Sam, but today was going to be a difficult conversation.

“How can I help you Emily?”

“I hate to be one of those people that complain all the time, but I felt I just had to let you know I was offended by the last sermon you did. Your enlightened and progressive presentation of love has always encouraged me, but you missed the mark.”

“Tell me more.”

“What was the sermon title again?

“We are all disabled.”

“Right, that is just wrong. For too long the able-bodied have created a world specifically for themselves and have designed it to harm disabled people.  Ableism needs to be called out and your sermon excused able-bodied people for the harm they have caused and placed burdens on the disabled that will damage them.” 

 “You seem very passionate about this.”

“I am, I just want us to do better.”

“Can you share any experiences you have had where you have seen Ableism at work?”

“Yes, my cousin is in a wheel chair and last summer when he travelled to the island he was not able to go see the famous lighthouse on point Prim because no wheelchair accessible ramp had been built over the rocks.”

“Oh, I know that lighthouse. I visited it myself three summers ago. It has been abandoned for many years.”

“Our failure to build access demonstrates the hidden hatred that lurks in the hearts of all able-bodied people.”

“Including yours?”

“I do my best to be an ally and fight for the rights of the oppressed.”

“I know you have a heart of compassion and I really appreciate you and what you contribute to our fellowship.”

“I do try.”

“Did you know that the path to the light house is over slippy wet rocks and that practically every year someone falls into the ocean there and drowns.

“I knew it was dangerous.”

“What do you think should be done?”

“A walkway should be built that would allow everyone safe access to the site.”

“Do you think that when the light house was built it was specifically designed and placed there to harm disabled people?”

Emily paused for a second and thought, “that’s a good  question,” before responding, “No, it was built to prevent ships from running aground and pointing to where the harbor is.”

“Right so no Ableism then, but what about today? Are the people who own the property not building a walkway out of hate or could it be they just don’t have the money?”

 “I think it is hate.”

“I read that someone estimated that it would cost over a million dollars to build that walkway.”

“It still should be built.”

“The article also indicated the owners don’t have much money.”

“Then the government should build it.”

“What if the government believes it needs to fund other priorities like health care. Is the lack of a walkway still the result of Ableist hate?”

“Well … Humm. I guess I would say we already know there is Ableism, we just have to find it.”

“I hear your concern for the disabled and I share it. I wonder, though, if we have wandered from the faith.”

“What do you mean?”

“If we have replaced Christ with critical theory. If we have drifted from the message of grace and mercy to one that is seeking fault and revenge?”

“Jesus, was always on the side of the oppressed,”

“Yes, but I fear we have joined the side of the Pharisees. Judging if the actions of others are good enough while neglecting the state of our own souls.”

Emily paused for a second and began to think about what Sam had said, “Maybe I have become like a Pharisee. Maybe I do think more about the failures of others than I do my own.” The thought troubled her.

“I have a disabled friend,” started Sam, “That has a nervous condition. She was hired to do a high stress job as a diversity hire. She had to quit after just a month because she couldn’t do the job safely and effectively. I don’t think we should be promoting the critical theory of Ableism. It is harming the disabled.”

“I don’t think that is true. I don’t think the theory of Ableism is the problem.”

“How would we know if you are right?”

“What do you mean?”

“How do we know if the oppressors are harming the oppressed?”

“Everybody knows that the able-bodied oppress the disabled.”

“The question is: Is that true? What if the critical theories themselves are harming the disabled? What if this new gospel is actually harmful to the oppressed?”

Emily didn’t respond

“Recently I have been struggling with these issues. Would you be willing to meet with me each week and we can talk these things through.”

“I could do that,” said Emily with a friendly grin.

“Wonderful I will set up a meeting for next week.”

“This will give me the opportunity to help Sam see that he is wrong,” thought Emily as she headed out the door.