From Divinity [the magazine of the Duke University Divinity School], The Independent Weekly [Durham, NC], and the Charlotte News & Observer:

Jean Vanier (far left) is the founder of L’Arche communities, in which people with developmental disabilities live alongside nondisabled people. Stanley Hauerwas (left) is a Duke Divinity School Professor of Theological Ethics.

Together, they have written a book arguing that the inclusive model of the L’Arche communities offers a message of hope for peace in a violent world.

Vanier founded the first L’Arche community in 1964 after touring an institution for people with intellectual disabilities and being horrified by the conditions. The faith-based L’Arche communities have spread to 135 locations in 36 countries, including 16 in the United States.

Vanier writes that people are usually afraid of weakness but that life in a community among people with disabilities can lead to genuine transformation. “We cannot really enter into relationship with people who are broken unless somehow we deal with our own brokenness,” writes Vanier. “The heart of L’Arche is to say to people, I am glad you exist.”

“Living Gently in a Violent World” is published by IVP books.

See related post.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 5th, 2008 at 2:54 pm and is filed under books, community participation, group homes, intellectual/developmental disabilities, religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.