Disability Theology in a Missional Context (original) (raw)

On the borderline – representations of disability in the Old Testament

Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 2014

This article explores disability in the Old Testament. The discussion takes its starting point in a number of domains and arenas where disability was visualized and investigates the significance and meaning that can be attached to these domains in relation to the problem of inclusion and exclusion. The analysis highlights complex and contradictory phenomena, where the interpretation was not given but rather dependent on the cultural context and different mechanisms at work.

Jesus and the Portrayal of People With Disabilities in the Scriptures

2013

This article explores the role of Christian scripture as a ba sis for understanding the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland. Historically, Ir ish services for people with intellectual disabilities were provided by Roman Catholic religious orders and congregations and it is posited that scriptural perspectives provided a context for, not just the service response but also, the societal response in a largely Christian State. By examining the Old and New Testaments and, in particular, the suffering, death and wounding of Jesus, it is proposed that there was, from the origins of Christianity, a fundamental misunderstanding of Christian community and that this facilitated t he development of a faith-based approach, akin to eugenics, which was unwittingly grounded in inj ustice and dehumanisation. This is discussed within the context of the Spiritan mission related to the work of justice.

Jesus and the Portrayal of People with Disabilities in the Scriptures (2013)

2013

This article explores the role of Christian scripture as a basis for understanding the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland. Historically, Irish services for people with intellectual disabilities were provided by Roman Catholic religious orders and congregations and it is posited that scriptural perspectives provided a context for, not just the service response but also, the societal response in a largely Christian State. By examining the Old and New Testaments and, in particular, the suffering, death and wounding of Jesus, it is proposed that there was, from the origins of Christianity, a fundamental misunderstanding of Christian community and that this facilitated the development of a faith-based approach, akin to eugenics, which was unwittingly grounded in injustice and dehumanisation. This is discussed within the context of the Spiritan mission related to the work of justice.

Title: Jesus and the Portrayal of People with Disabilities in the Scriptures*

2016

This article explores the role of Christian scripture as a basis for understanding the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities in Ireland. Historically, Irish services for people with intellectual disabilities were provided by Roman Catholic religious orders and congregations and it is posited that scriptural perspectives provided a context for, not just the service response but also, the societal response in a largely Christian State. By examining the Old and New Testaments and, in particular, the suffering, death and wounding of Jesus, it is proposed that there was, from the origins of Christianity, a fundamental misunderstanding of Christian community and that this facilitated the development of a faith-based approach, akin to eugenics, which was unwittingly grounded in injustice and dehumanisation. This is discussed within the context of the Spiritan mission related to the work of justice.

Disability, Theology, and the Church (Lecture Series, Delaware Valley Summer Institute, 2015)

Disability is a reality that touches all of our lives, whether in our personal experience, or in the experiences of our family and friends. How do we make theological sense of a world that includes disabilities? This four-part lecture series (held Aug. 2-5, 2015) aimed to offer resources for thinking biblically about disabilities, while allowing the experience of disabilities to shape our thinking about the Bible, theology, and the mission of the church.

What Does the Bible Say about Disability

Journal of the Colombo Theological Seminary , 2015

The Bible adds to this by appearing to give mixed messages when it comes to disability. Like other minority groups, disabled people are not given great attention in the Bible. Weiss Block argues that the way the disability passages are often interpreted in the Bible actually contributes to the oppression of people with impairments in the church. Although there is an argument for the exclusion and stigmatization of people with disabilities in the Bible, there are also plenty of examples for the acceptance and inclusion of people with disabilities as will be briefly highlighted here

THEOLOGY OF DISABILITY: The Spirit and Disabled Empowerment

The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal theology, 2020

Disability plays a significant role in the history of Pentecostalism, even if that role is implicit rather than explicit, as the silent partner to its emphasis on divine healing. This chapter provides an overview of the meanings of disability, as embodied impairment and sociocultural construction, and summarises the disabled critique of some biblical and Pentecostal theologies and practices of healing. It then outlines a pneumatological theology of disability, one that understands disability not as an aberration or a consequence of the fall, but as inherent to the nature of the evolving world as created by God and filled with the Spirit. It utilises a Pentecostal hermeneutic to reread the gospel narratives as empowering for people with disabilities, and sets out a theology of flourishing as fulfilling the trajectory of the Pentecostal emphasis on healing and prosperity.