Disabled Christian Voices

Disabled Christian Voices is a platform that elevates the kingdom contributions of saints with disabilities and chronic challenges. It also serves the Church as a resource of Disabled Christian leaders.

The modern Church is inching towards accessibility but even further away from Disability acceptance, inclusion, and justice. Sadly, awareness often looks like this: “God can EVEN use Disabled people.” The use of the word ‘even’ betrays generational ableism shaping how people with disabilities (PWD) are viewed. We are still considered inadequate, defective, and accessories to Christianity, rarely in the spotlight unless we are beneficial for inspiration. Though many non-disabled people are unaware of this oppression, it does not change the deep compounded wounding upon PWD. If we were to speak about saints with disabilities in line with how God views us, we would say, “God works through Disabled people.” Period. 

People with chronic challenges or disabilities are not tragedies. We are living out our Creator’s providence. God himself tells Moses that he creates disability (Ex. 4:11). He says again through the prophet Isaiah that he not only creates light and prosperity but also darkness and calamity (Is. 45:7). In this context, the word ba translated as calamity means, not evil but, the opposite of shalom peace. Why would God create the opposite of shalom? In a broad sense Adonai-Tzva’ot, the Lord of Hosts answers, “Just as I thought it, it will occur; just as I planned it, so it will be” (Isaiah 14:24). Christ answers the question of why more specifically in John 9:3, “so that the works of God may be displayed” in them. Now, because Christ healed the blind man in John 9, we often wrongly assume that God only displays his work in PWD when we are miraculously healed or “overcome the disability.” However, his works are more often displayed in PWD overcoming bitterness from the daily ableism we face, or miracles of deep authentic worship through the tears of searing chronic pain, or his delivering us into heaven not physically/mentally healed but having not lost the faith, and more.

In God’s economy, it is not surprising that he would minister through PWD.  If we are reading the Scriptures closely we would not be surprised. Scripture says that God will use the weak and foolish things of the world to shame the strong and wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). But our thinking is upside-down. We are inclined to think of PWD as wholly weak and less worthy of honor. And yet, scripture speaks directly to this saying that those that we consider weak and less honorable are indispensable to the church and to be shown greater honor (1 Corinthians 12:23). God calls Disabled people not only to participate in his mission but also to lead. The major thing that limits Disabled saints from participating in kingdom work is Christian spaces made uninhabitable to Disabled and chronically ill image-bearers.

Disabled Christian Voices is dedicated to reimagining the Church as not only a safe place for PWD but also an environment of belonging where PWD and chronic illnesses are celebrated, honored, and able to thrive.