Disabling Hope: Healing Imagery in the Wesleyan Hymn Tradition

Disability theory challenges a number of practices, emphases, and doctrines in Wesleyan theology. This article uses two key insights in recent disability theory to analyse Charles Wesley's use of healing and disability imagery in his hymns. Legitimate criticisms of the Methodist Church's flippancy in using such imagery notwithstanding, Wesley's hymns could offer a vital resource for reconsidering contemporary Methodists' assumptions about health and well-being.