Enabling the Whole Church

From Tolerance to Belonging on Disability

Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash

I had the pleasure of speaking at the Jesus Club conference, a ministry to people with intellectual disabilities. Below is a transcript of my talk.

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What many of you know and yet what is rarely appreciated is the fact that our churches are filled with people who are either born with a disability, acquire a disability by illness or accident, or else who age into disability. According to the World Health Organization, 20% of the world’s population, that’s 1 in 5 people, have a disability of some variety. And yet I have never heard a sermon about the topic of disability in my life and it never came up in my theological and pastoral training.

Regard for disability is all the more urgent precisely because our culture is sending mixed messages about disability. On the one hand, we have the National Disability Insurance Scheme which aims to address the many needs of disabled persons in our community, and their carers, a very good thing indeed. On the other hand, there are other aspects of our culture that sound like mid-twentieth-century eugenicists with their intention to eradicate people with genetic disabilities in utero. Or else, the pathway for disabled people to end their lives with euthanasia is becoming increasingly supported and even legal in some jurisdictions. So it is a time of both hope and despair for the welfare of people living with disabilities.

I am sad to say that a similar ambiguity exists within the church. On the one hand, the sick, vulnerable, and disabled have traditionally been in the care of the church as the church considered the welfare of such people as one of their primary areas of concern taking their cue from Jesus. As it was, Jesus who showed concern for people with infirmities and disabilities as well as teaching about the necessity of caring for the least of these. The church’s care has often been the only healthcare people with disabilities ever received. But on the other hand, much of this work is now relegated to the charities sector, even to faith-based charities, and partitioned away from the work and worship of most Christians. No one would deny that such institutions are not necessary and do good work, but it meant the disabled became a domain of the charities sector rather than the church community life. It meant that the disabled were in effect quarantined from the regular life of the church in many instances. Instead of being included, the disabled have become invisible, and this made it more comfortable to be in our auditoriums, foyers, and pews without them.  Tragically many disabled people feel more tolerated than loved, and object of charity rather than belonging, and such things must change if we are to embody the ethic of Jesus and ecclesiology rooted in the Christian tradition.

I wish to explore, not the needs of the disabled, but why the disabled truly belong within the household of faith, why that gives us some urgent tasks, and what we might do to be a more authentic and holistic community of faith. I’m going to explore that under the topics of identity, community, vulnerability, and hospitality with hope.

Identity

It is fair to say that “identity” is one of the buzz words today. In the social-sciences, media, sexuality, and elsewhere, “identity” is a shiny new thing.

But what should determine the Christian’s identity I would argue is not gender, sexual desire, or ableness, but two things. The image of God and Baptism.

First, the image of God.

“So God created humanity in his own image, in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27).

What is the image of God? There have been different views of the course of church history:

(a)  Rationality

(b)  Relationality

(c)  Dominion

(d)  Identity

In other words, the image of God might have the consequence of dominion over creation, but it is fundamentally a royal status, a sense of belonging and representing God, irrespective of ableness. All people, irrespective of ableness, share in the image of God.

Second, Baptism.

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:28-29)

“Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.  But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” (Gal 4:8-9).

Our identity is forged in our baptism, which negates and nullifies the differences between us as a means to status and worth. A white, abled, Anglo, woman is equal in Christ to a black, disabled, African, man. We are equal, we are one, we are united in Christ.

John Swinton argues that the image of God in humanity is not a matter of relational or rational capacity, emotional intelligence, nor bodily autonomy, neither knowing nor acting, but being known by God as a royal child of God (see John 1:12-13; 1 Cor 8:3; Gal 4:9). We are God’s children by birth and new birth, not by ability or capacity.

The words of John Kilner are particularly apt: “[P]eople with special needs … have an image-based dignity that does not waver, regardless of their ability or potential ability. Christ, God’s image, models God’s embrace of disability on the cross … through a resurrected but wounded body. All humanity shares in such woundedness and vulnerability in a variety of forms – physical, mental, moral, and spiritual – without losing the dignity of being created in the image of God. Whoever would treat those with disabilities as God does must view them in terms of their destiny as well as their dignity – in terms of God’s intention for them to be a divine reflection as well as their special connection with God. Their glorious renewal according to God’s image in Christ is sure if they are believers and still offered them if they are not (yet).”

If we remember that everyone, irrespective of ableness, shares in God’s image, and is one with us in Christ, then that primes us to think of the disabled in light of our commonalities not our differences, to see them as part of our body, not as a wound within it.

Vulnerability

People with disabilities are often vulnerable in the face of societal views that advocate for their elimination. These views can have profound and detrimental effects on the lives of people with disabilities, as well as on the broader societal attitudes towards disability.

Advocating for the abortion of an infant in utero diagnosed with genetic aberration perpetuates the notion that life with a disability is not worth living. This sends a damaging message to individuals with disabilities, suggesting that their existence is somehow less valuable or desirable. It also reinforces harmful stereotypes and stigmas surrounding disability, further marginalizing an already vulnerable population.

Charlotte Fien said at a UN meeting, “You can try to kill off everyone with Down syndrome by using abortion, but you won’t be any closer to a perfect society. You will just be closer to a cruel, heartless one.”

Similarly, making euthanasia available to people with disabilities raises serious ethical concerns. It undermines the inherent value and dignity of every human life, regardless of ability or perceived quality of life. It also opens the door to potential abuse and coercion, as individuals with disabilities may feel pressured to end their lives due to societal attitudes or a lack of adequate support and resources.

Peter Singer is an Australian ethicist who had advocated for infanticide with infants with disabilities. I have some good news and bad news for Peter Singer. The good news is that many European leaders and intellectuals have advocated the exact same views. The bad news is that most of them were executed shortly after the Nuremberg trials.

The secular paradox is that one cannot say that disabled lives are worth living but seek to end their lives at the first opportunity.

This is where Christianity has an eminent advantage over secular and humanist ethics: moral clarity and coherence. Yes, I know abortion and euthanasia are complicated issues in many of the precise details, but I would add that a general principle that supports life as an inherent right and something to be intrinsically valued is uncomplicated and very clear in Christian beliefs. We do not experience the same level of ambiguity as others do because we do not place a value on life contingent upon autonomy and agency, but on the principle that life itself is a God-given good thing.

All that means that Christians, somewhat alone, are equipped with the intellectual and moral tools to affirm what others cannot: the inherent worth and dignity of every individual, regardless of their abilities or perceived quality of life. Instead of advocating for the elimination of people with disabilities, we advocate for creating a more inclusive and equitable society that values and supports all its members.

This includes ensuring access to comprehensive healthcare, education, employment opportunities, and social support services for people with disabilities. It also involves challenging ableist attitudes and promoting positive representation of people with disabilities in the media, public discourse, and of course in our own churches.

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Community

Christian community is one where the disabled should be loved, valued, equipped, and involved.

I don’t like homogeneous churches where everyone is the same. A true church is one of differences: age, gender, ethnicity, language, and abilities. That is an inclusive church, but that is not enough I’d argue.

Following John Swinton again, I would contend that the disabled need more than inclusion in the church (i.e., their presence be tolerated), rather, they need to belong to the church (i.e., be valued when present, recognized for contribution, and missed when absent). We need to ensure that the church is friendly and welcoming to those with disabilities and their carers and works to see them flourish in their humanity and exercise their spiritual gifts. We need to minister to the disabled and find ways in which they too can minister if so called.

Christians must be prepared to love the disabled as image bearers and co-heirs in Christ, know how the gospel speaks a word of grace to the disabled and their carers, and pursue ways for the church to care for the most vulnerable in their midst, and enable the disabled to contribute to the life of the church in the way that they are best suited.

Thankfully some good things are happening in this space. The topics of Bible, Theology, Mission, Ministry and Disability are a growing area of theological discourse so the topic is getting more oxygen. Plus, a few years ago, the Archbishop of Canterbury commissioned some short films about disability and the church and held a conference with the organization Livability about how disabled people can participate fully in the life of the church. The challenge for us is to be part of the good things that are happening with our own ideas, initiatives, ministries, and commitments to be truly inclusive churches for those with disabilities and their carers. To enable the disabled to believe and belong more authentically and more effectively.

We need a whole vision of ministry, life and love together, for the whole church.

Hospitality and Hope

The final area we can look at is hospitality and hope.

This is where mission and compassion mix.

Our churches and their respective ministries can be places where people with disabilities and their carers can find community, friendship, and hope not available in the outside world.

Now, that of course is premised on the notion that the church is convinced to see people with disabilities as image bearers, as people not projects, as friends not a drain on our time and energy, as worthy of their time and adding value to their community.

There are many NDIS providers, but the church is far more than a provider of care, it is a family built upon the gospel with the promise of forgiveness, redemption, eternal life, and everlasting hope which is true for everyone.

While people with disabilities need a place to rest, some activities to join in on, new friends to make, they need just as much as the rest of us to experience the grace of God that meets us in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We need to welcome all people with disabilities and show how there is a word of hope for them given in the gospel. That there is an experience of God’s love that is available to them just as it is available to everyone else. Maybe they will experience that grace and love differently based on who they are, but it is the same love, the same grace, and the same goodness of God that meets us wherever we are.

Remember to keep the Jesus in Jesus Club!

Conclusion

Many of you are probably already convinced of what I’ve just said, maybe it’s not new, maybe I’ve been able to package in a way that you’ve never heard before. But let me remind of what I’ve argued we need to remember.

• Our identity comes from the image of God and our baptism.

• The disabled face threats to their very existence and your Christian advocacy is the last line of defence.

• Community means more than inclusion, we need belonging.

• Hospitality with hope means the church should be places where outsiders can experience the grace of God in all its fullness.