Is the God Life for whoever can get there?

Last updated on: December 15, 2015 at 4:48 pm by Theresa Soto

Is the God Life for whoever can get there? 2015-12-15T16:48:50-06:00 Theresa Soto

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What barriers are blocking the people in your community?

Chelsea Jay is a 24-year old model in the United Kingdom. She is the Director of Disability for Models of Diversity, a campaign to include a wide variety of bodies in the media people see every day. Jay had been in conversation with The Clothes Show, a live fashion and beauty event, for a year, pressing the issue of lack of diversity in the event. The Clothes Show invited Jay to speak at a panel, so she took a four-hour journey on three trains to get to the show. When she got there Jay discovered that the show had started ten minutes early and the stage was inaccessible to her in her wheelchair.

It would be one thing if I could say that this kind of ableism and exclusion was rare, or even occasional. It’s not. People who work the hardest on concerns of disability justice are often excluded from recognition. One person I know was told that the stage wouldn’t be accessible to them in their wheelchair. The organizer offered that they could come down to the floor to give my friend their award. They chose, instead, to skip the ceremony entirely. (Pro tip: if you are in this situation, move the entire ceremony to a place where everyone can participate. This is how you do better.)

This struggle reminds me of a story in the Christian Scripture of the pool at Bethesda. It had five porches where people with a wide range of disabilities would sit and wait. They were waiting for a specific thing to happen: once in a while, a spirit would come and stir up the water. Whoever stepped in first could be healed. That day, Jesus stopped and talked to a paralyzed man.

“Do you want to be healed?” Jesus asked.

The man didn’t say yes or no. Instead, he explained that whenever the water was stirred up, he could never make it in first. He had no one to take him to the pool. As a consequence, he had been waiting for thirty-eight years. And, boy howdy, was he ready to tell Jesus that story.

He was saying, “Jesus, I’ve been waiting. I can’t get to where I need to go by myself.”

And it’s still true. People with disabilities experience all kinds of challenges, structural, social, financial, and it is fair to say that while they work on the challenges they face, they are waiting for justice and equity.

Some of the problems that we face, whether disabled or not, are meant to be faced in community. You, the person reading this right now, can find the person you are meant to bring with you to the source of healing and wholeness. All of us need all of us to make it. This is just one more way you live into that future. Does it mean you need to build a ramp? Does it mean you make sure that speakers in your sanctuary can be clearly heard? You can do these things and many others. None of us can get there by ourselves.

Uncategorized

disability justice

John 5

Previous Post

December 13, 2015

Kingdom vs Empire

Next Post

December 16, 2015 A Little Christmas Hope

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Addiction Advent Atheism Authority Bible Cartoons Christian Year Christmas church church planting Civil Rights Community Contemplative Spirituality Culture emerging church Empire Eschatology Evangelism Events Gender Healing Humanism Islam Justice Kingdom Lent Movement Building Multi-Faith Music mysticism New Wave Emergence origins Personal Poetry politics Prayer Preaching Privilege Racism Religious naturalism Resurrection salvation SKEPTIMERGENT Theology Trauma Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2017 November 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Paul taught the Galatians that circumcision is necessary for salvation.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE