9 MINUTE READ

From Luke’s Journal March 2026  |  Vol. 31  No. 1  |  God at the Bedside

In his book, Disability: Living into the Diversity of Christ’s Body, Brian Brock offers creative insights into the changes our churches need to make in engaging people with disabilities, drawing on biblical threads and theological claims about disability.

Brock draws on his own authentic, lived experience with a temporary ‘acquired’ disability to help the reader understand what it feels like to be referred to as ‘disabled’ or as someone who ‘has’ a disability and how that impacted his daily life.

The question is posed: Is a person limited by a condition or a disability? (The latter is a wide and more diverse term).

The five chapters of the book present both theology and academia which can lead to the churches’ rediscovery of the power of the Gospel and how it applies to people with disability.

In Chapter 1, some of the contributors to Brock’s work address the fact that most churches are not prepared to welcome people living with disabilities. It opens with the theme of friendship, proposed by John Swinton in his book Becoming Friends of Time. Eric Carter’s contribution to Chapter 1 includes a review of research literature and other publications, which are balanced with lived experience from people with disability; for example, the blind theologian John Hull is cited in nearly every chapter. The work of  Bethany Fox is worthy of note. Her book Disability and the Way of Jesus is drawn on extensively.

“Brock leads the reader to an understanding that our neighbours’ disabilities are theologically and pastorally significant…”

Twenty-eight books of the Bible are quoted, with a wide sweep from Genesis to the four Gospels and the letters of Paul.  Brock leads the reader to an understanding that our neighbours’ disabilities are theologically and pastorally significant (1 Corinthians 12:22-26), as they provide a way of following Jesus that gives true life.

Brock cites Jean Vanier of L’Arche, who states we cannot live without the weakest parts of the body, even if we feel uncomfortable around people with a disability such as cerebral palsy. Moreover, the stance where deaf people, or those with autism, do not consider themselves disabled can also be challenging.

There are robust discussions about why Jesus did not heal everyone he met, and if living with a disability was what God chose for them as he knew they could meet the challenge.

Whether the Fall has caused disability is discussed, but it is made clear that Jesus was concerned with healing relationships, for example, the leper who begged to be ‘made clean’ so he could return to his religious community. Jesus understood his suffering.

“In Australia, as in the US, many people with disability feel they are not welcome in church. This poses the question: aren’t we supposed to bear each other’s burdens?”

Brock advocates for a theological framework for disability ministry and/or disability theology that is structured around learning to listen to those who speak of experiences with disability, because the majority of people do not even think about it. Pastors are often unaware that they need to take time to meet the challenge and rectify the incorrect interpretation of the Christian gospel that affects more than themselves. In Australia, as in the US, many people with disability feel they are not welcome in church. This poses the question: aren’t we supposed to bear each other’s burdens? 

The theology is that God has allowed disability, which makes people different, but that does not necessarily mean they require healing or need to be changed, as Damon Rose explains.  This invokes a couple of questions: Who is Jesus to those people whose lack of success in life is caused by either physical or intellectual disability?  Who is Jesus to those who are not healed of their disability?

The central spiritual challenge facing us Christians is whether these ‘unsuccessful’ people are a problem. The presence of a child with severe autism in a church congregation is not seen as a blessing nor an answer to prayer. The child is loved by Christ, not for what they do, but because they are made in the image of God –  Christ died for all. Christian theology developed from the earliest times since the first Christians were faced with disfigured lepers and other outcasts. The apostle Paul wrote that despite many thinking they are weaker, they were clothed with greater honour (1 Corinthians 12:23-26, NIV).

“We are all one accident away from being disabled…”

To think Christianly about the language of  ‘disability’ leads us to breaking down what is ‘normal’.  Disability defines a shifting set of human experiences, as Brock says, “We are all one accident away from being disabled” (p.37). We should not make assumptions about what is ‘normal,’ which in modern-day thinking means ‘typical people.’ 

The ageing process leads many of us to acquire some disabilities, such as hearing loss. Many of us slow down; we need more time to do things, to formulate our thoughts, recall words, and maybe remember hymns.  Here, mercy, not healing, is needed. Our theological thinking has to adjust to respond to those we meet who live with ‘disability’, welcoming them into our communities as members of the body of Christ.

John Swinton (on p.46 of Brock’s book) tells Monica’s story, who lived a shalomic life with Jesus despite having cerebral palsy that affected her speech. It illustrates how the Bible can be misused and become embarrassing to some, even a threat. Both segregation and stigma stem from the suppression of Biblical truths. Pastors living with a disability, such as Jason Forbes (who lives with cerebral palsy) and Lamar Hardwick (who lives with autism), provide examples of God’s love healing more than just human bodies.

“We can learn from disabled readers, as they may see things in Scripture that we do not.”

If a church is unable come to grips with illness and disability, it is not serving Jesus Christ. We can learn from disabled readers, as they may see things in Scripture that we do not. John Hull asks us to stop and think Christianly about a blind man walking into a church; how awkward does he, or other members of the congregation, feel? 

Brock explains that many people with disabilities are non-verbal. Hull, who is blind but accepting of his disability, states he is attuned to non-verbal communications. Deaf and blind people will tell you that they know when others are lying.

Readers with a disability can teach us about subtleties in the Bible, such as non-verbal messages (e.g., Proverbs 16:30,  messages sent by winking or pursing one’s lips). We also have the example in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, who record Jesus stopping in a crowd because a bleeding woman simply touched his garment.  She was cured by her faith, without using words. 

Finally, a reminder of the story of Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) who asks Jesus for mercy. Jesus does not assume he wants to be healed of his blindness, but restores his sight and thus his place in society; we are aware that modern medical science would view it very differently. The current biomedical model of curing and healing does not lead to holistic care. A modern interpretation of the Gospels could lead to the assumption that Jesus should heal everyone he met.

“Has it ever occurred to you that when Jesus refers to some people as ‘blind,’ some non-sighted people may take offence?”

Has it ever occurred to you that when Jesus refers to some people as ‘blind,’ some non-sighted people may take offence? Jesus was blindfolded during his passion; in his last moments, he would not have been able to see as the world went dark. Jesus also underwent mockery and derision, as many still do today.

To be a Christian entails embodying the truths and narratives of Scripture through lived experience, which includes support for people with disabilities, particularly within the Church. This book provides a constructive framework for both disability theology and disability ministry, which Brock articulates with clarity and supports with practical entry points for churches.

Disability: Living into the Diversity of Christ’s Body
by Brian Brock
ISBN: ‎ 1540962970
Baker Academic, May 2021

---

---