Enabled Life, The

Description

Disability activist, Roy McCloughry, explores a Christian perspective on disability issues and tells the story of his own experience of epilepsy.

Roy faced discrimination as a young man because of his epilepsy, being rejected from both ordination and a place at Cambridge University on ‘medical grounds’. “Epilepsy is not something I wanted,” he says, “but God has given it to me to use for his purpose to be used redemptively.”

He calls for a change in attitudes to disability, both inside and outside the church but shows that there is a long way to go before disabled people are included in the community as equals. What God wants of us is not that we should measure everybody up against some standard of what is normal but that we should liberate one another to celebrate who we are in our diversity.

McCloughry shows that if we want a society where all are included on equal terms then we must all change. He shows that disability theology provides the greatest challenge for the church today, especially where middle class churches do not always want the ‘inconvenience’ of addressing the additional needs that disabled people sometimes have. Increased participation by disabled people is essential if the church is truly to be the church that Jesus Christ died for.

Roy reveals how people’s chances of integration are being undermined by unfounded and sometimes prejudicial attitudes; though there is also much progress to celebrate. His book aims to encourage everyone to become involved in breaking down the barriers that lead to stereotyping, exclusion and fear as Jesus did.

‘Disability theology is coming of age.” insists Roy. “The Spirit is moving on this issue. What kind of Church do we want to be?”