This article was written by the Rev. Silas Engstrom.
On Saturday, February 22, I had the privilege of attending the Disability and the Gospels Forum hosted by the Access for All God’s Children Committee. The forum, held at St. Anne’s in Lee’s Summit and Christ Church in Springfield, offered a hybrid/online discussion that profoundly impacted me. The special guest speakers, Rev. Robyn King and Rev. Stephanie Shockley, hosts of The Accessible Altar podcast, led a powerful exploration of how the Bible is often taught and preached from an ableist perspective. They highlighted how a more nuanced interpretation of scripture—particularly the gospel stories—can deepen our understanding of theology and enrich our Christian journey.
During their presentation, Robyn and Stephanie offered fresh theological reflections on three key gospel stories. They discussed the story of Bartimaeus (Mark 10), the story of the woman with the hemorrhage (Mark 5) and the resurrected/wounded Christ (Luke 24:36-47) with a focus on Jesus’ respect for autonomy and how his own scars after the resurrection reflect an embrace of the entire human condition and the celebration of bodily wholeness.
These explorations of scripture sparked rich conversations about ableism, barriers in our churches, and the importance of respecting self-identification and agency, essential conversation for the ministry of the church. We were also given valuable strategies for reading scripture in a way that recognizes the lived experiences of disabled individuals—acknowledging our learned ableism, addressing assumptions, respecting our foundational beliefs, and listening to the larger relationship with God. As preachers and leaders, we must challenge the ableist assumptions often embedded in our scriptural interpretations.
I found that this gathering brought to the forefront many theological and social issues that are not discussed near enough in our church life. It was a call to all preachers, ministers, and church leaders to consider how we can more faithfully share the Good News, embracing all people, their stories, and the sacred variety of ways in which we exist in the world.
I encourage the reader to explore the resources provided by the Access for All God’s Children committee as they seek ways to make worship and gatherings as accessible as possible for all sorts and conditions of people. More information at: https://diowestmo.org/committees-and-ministries/access-for-all-gods-children-committee.
