Faith & Light Experience

Alan Lowe, Evangelism and Learning Disability

Grove Book on the work of the Faith and Light Communities - an international ecumenical initiative seeking to make space within the church (& world) for people with learning disabilities, and their parents, carers (with a small ‘c’) and friends. These small communities follow the threefold structure of Welcome, Prayer and Celebration (p 7).

Alan Lowe undertakes a brief theological exploration about belonging. He cites McFaddyen’s work on personhood and relationships. Based on this he makes a significant suggestion that, ‘God communicates via Spirit, not just grey matter, and those with even the severest learning disabilities are as capable of this vertical relationship... But the horizontal side of relating, person to person, is closely linked to this... Any communication between people promotes creative relationship and a sense of belonging’ (pp 10-1). The act of communal intrafacing is fundamental for Lowe as he then extrapolates how a community that embraces diversity should operate evangelistically, or in ‘discovering God together’ (p 16ff). He proposes an ‘incarnational’ [maybe?], simple, relevant, intimate, holistic, creative, experiential and prayerful approach [embracing all learning styles]. Again, the Trinity appears as the reference point (though in retrospect),

Creating community is at the heart of Christian theological tradition in the doctrine of the Trinity [yes, but how exactly?]. Individualism, separateness, and fragmentation give way to individuality, mutuality and belonging... Community is where the learning disabled, and others, become true people, in that they give and receive (p 15).

Making a World of Difference

Morris, McCloughry, Making a World of Difference - Christian Reflections on Disability

Prologomenon (and Appendix 2) about the appropriate use of language when exploring disability issues (p ix).

• Chapter 1 Disability World Wide - Statistics; link between disability and development ‘People with disabilities are the poorest of the poor...’ (p 1); a critique of charity and Western ethos (p 3); towards inclusion and relationships/reforming societal values; UN resolutions and the Christian challenge.

• Chapter 2 Perspectives on Disability - Historical perspectives; the medical model and a critique of a teleology of normalcy (p 9ff); the social model and a critique on the emphasis on injustice that doesn’t fully accommodate individual’s pain (p 14ff); a new model that combines the two and sets a level playing field (all individuals are unique with limitations and to an extent struggle to participate in a holistic human society).

• Chapter 3 Created, not Made - Disability and the Doctrine of Creation; the Imago Dei (see Barth, Hall et al.) ‘each person is worthy of respect and dignity because each person has been made by God to convey something unique about God to the world’ (pp 25-6); relationship (see, again, Barth’s exegesis on male/female and Martin Buber ‘I and Thou’); ‘Disabled people are no more a distortion of the divine image than anyone else’ (p 27, see above); the ‘mystery of being’ (p 32); work and Sabbath; Fall and the distortion of power; theodicy - goodness and the presence of sin (and redemption?).

• Chapter 4 Disability and Covenant - An Old Testament view. Perfect priests - not about exclusion, but a proleptic glimpse of the God/human relationship (p 38); Jacob’s wound - a transforming gift (p 46), antithesis (Barth) and symmetry (the ‘suffering servant’ - Moltmann); Mephibosheth - power and powerlessness (p 48ff).

• Chapter 5 Jesus and the Kingdom - Jesus: crosses social boundaries; breaks the link between sin and sickness by offering forgiveness; heals (an eschatalogical sign of Christ’s reign and rule); places the poor and disabled at the heart of an inclusive kingdom community; and, gives everyone a sense of purpose (pp 59-60).

• Chapter 6 Disabled Christ - MM explore the metaphor of kenotic incarnation posited by Amanda Shao Tan. Which sounds like a development of Moltmann’s ‘suffering God’. There are huge questions about whether such a view is theologically legitimate within a trinitarian framework (again Barth). The jump to ecclessiology seems artificial (p 70ff).

• Chapter 7 Body of Christ - A popular metaphor; ‘God is thus present in brokeness but, more than this, Christ’s body bears the marks of impairment, which the body of the Church must also bear for it to be whole and complete in a broken world’ (p 82). This and the previous metaphor are powerful, but can we equate Christ’s ‘wounds’, with disability?

• Chapter 8 From Care to Friendship - a ‘helping activity’ towards ‘total well-being’, undertaken by many (not just non-disabled), motivated by vocation and love, tailored to individuals. Carers also need care (p 90). The Body of Christ, as a healing community, is not about top-down pastoral relationships, but mutual pastoral friendships (p 93).

• Chapter 9 Healing and Wholeness - positive and negative approaches; positive - about wholeness, inclusion and salvation (p 107); negative - an emphasis on cure to the detriment of the person; healing not about function, but well-being (p 102); impairments intrinsically good (p 102-5)? A critique of prayer with reference to Moltmann, MM suggest that Christ heals through his humanity rather than his divinity (p 109).

• Chapter 10 A Public Commitment - MM’s theological ‘Charter for Healing and Intercession’ (p 111ff).

• Chapter 11 From Deficit to Diversity - Conclusion: to accommodate disability in society we need a correct theology of personhood (‘Disabled people are not a distortion of [God’s] image or lesser images than non-disabled people, but are equal, whole and complete images’ (p 116)); relationship (see, again Buber/McFadyen); community; and, a structures and institutions. MM assert that the Church should lead the way.

'A world of diversity and not deficit, in which personal value, relationships, community, and fair structures and institutions are its defining features, is a world that reflects the image of the Trinitarian God. (p 123-4)'

This is a wonderful throw-away remark which I was anticipating as I read the concluding chapter of the book. However, it begs the question: in exactly what ways do these relational values reflect the Triune God and how, by reflecting upon the issues using this particular structure, did MM arrive at this conclusion. The book provides a good overview. Using language of liberation is an interesting idea. But, it seems to me that there are many theological assumptions here that need to be explored further. If I am going to explore disability seriously I certainly need to take Trinitarian theology to the question.

Confidentiality

Due to the Nottingham County Council confidentiality agreement, I am unable to continue this blog as a placement diary on the basis of direct experiences. I will however use it to record theological learning, notes on background reading etc., that will contribute towards the final report.