Disabilities

Authored by Corey Scott & Dr George Wieland
(Edited by Evan Clulee & Dr Murray Rae)

Background
In New Zealand, people with disabilities make up 20% of the population (New Zealand Census, 2001). The challenge for the church is that this group of people is generally not represented within its population. An overview of the Old and New Testaments demonstrates that this lack of inclusion of people with disabilities is not in line with the teachings and practices of Jesus. Read the full paper by clicking on the attachment below.

   some ideas you might find helpful for disability awareness sunday  

FINAL DRAFT VERSION
(This paper is currently being approved by Vision Network leaders) Background
In New Zealand, people with disabilities make up 20% of the population. (New Zealand Census, 2001). The challenge for the church is that this group of people is generally not represented within its population. An overview of the Old and New Testaments demonstrates that this lack of inclusion of people with disabilities is not in line with the teachings and practices of Jesus. Introduction
In a strong statement on the interface between the Bible and disability, Lausanne has published three key points on which the church should focus on, which we endorse.[1] These state :- 1. Kingdom Inclusion: - We believe that the church must remove physical, emotional and spiritual barriers in order to bring in people with disabilities and charge them through discipleship and training to use their spiritual gifts. 2. The Glory of the Bride: - We believe that when the disabled, poor and marginalized are utilized in outreach of the Kingdom, the Bride of Christ more fully reflects the glory of the Bridegroom. 3.Kingdom Empowerment: - We believe that the church fulfils scriptural mandates through training and equipping people with disabilities in order to help them exercise their God-given gifts in building the Body of Christ. It is a comprehensive set of affirmations which...