You may be familiar with David Hume’s famous puzzle about the problem of evil that appears in his Dialogues. A variation of it goes something like: If God is all good, all-knowing and all-powerful, where does evil come from?[1] While such questions as this one certainly have their place in any philosophical discussion on the topic, it is worth pointing out that neither Christian Scripture nor the Church Fathers generally tended to frame the conversation in this way. For Scripture... Read more

One of my favorite lines in Les Misérables—in fact, in all of literature—is when the police return Jean Valjean to the Catholic Bishop from whose household Valjean had stolen precious silver items. Valjean had even struck the Bishop before fleeing. And what had the Bishop done to deserve such thanks? He had only provided a warm meal and shelter to the former convict, Valjean. So, now that the police had seized him and brought him back to the Bishop’s home, the... Read more

How often do we approach people with disabilities with a disabled imagination? Regarding disabilities, Jackie Leach Scully writes, Increasing dissatisfaction with the limitations of a purely medical perspective for comprehending the whole experience of disability has generated several alternatives based on the social model (Oliver, 1996; Shakespeare & Watson, 2002). The social model’s fundamental criticism of the medical model is that it wrongly locates “the problem” of disability in biological constraints, considering it only from the point of view of... Read more

We all need encouragement to gain courage to take risks in life. Thus, it is no wonder that people with disabilities need encouragement and support, just like the rest of us. Gratefully, there are places and people who provide support for people with disabilities to flourish. The key for us is to move from isolation to invitation and inclusion so that the only place that is truly disabled is where people with disabilities are not welcome. Stephen’s Place in Vancouver,... Read more

Rick McKinley is the founder and lead pastor of Imago Dei Community. His most recent book is Faith for This Moment: Navigating a Polarized World as the People of God (Baker, 2018). It presents the church as a community in exile that moves missionally between divisive extremes. I reached out to Rick to be interviewed on his latest work. The book overview at Baker’s website reads: Today, many Christians in America feel like exiles within their own country. Some yearn to return to the Christendom... Read more

For too long, people with disabilities have been isolated in communities in the church and our culture at large. An upcoming conference in Portland, Oregon will provide a venue to help inform people who are unaware of the many issues involved, and to give a platform and venue for those already involved to move from isolation to invitation within the church and broader culture. Join The Institute for Cultural Engagement: New Wine, New Wineskins for our upcoming conference “From Isolation to Invitation: A... Read more

Some people’s apparent handicaps are real keys to their success. Why do I say “apparent”? It’s because for some people with disabilities, what others see as handicaps, they see as opportunities to gain an advantage in life. They reconfigure their seeming disadvantages as benefits. I believe this unique perspective reflects key elements of Vail Horton’s outlook on life. Vail was born with a severe physical disability: he has no legs. But don’t think for a minute Vail goes about living... Read more

I come across the language “significant church” or “significant churches” in different conversations. What comes to your mind when you hear such expressions? It could be intended to convey all sorts of things. Often, it conveys a large church, perhaps a multi-site church that is well-known and deemed influential, a church with a variety of well-funded programs intended to benefit the community of faith, as well as vast amounts of outreach to the community at large. The merits of these... Read more

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights movement do not reside in the past. King’s life and legacy live on in people’s hearts, imaginations, and just and loving actions today. As poet and performer Emmett Wheatfall reminds us here in “Miles to Go,” the race is not over. We have “miles to go before we sleep.” Other voices join in the refrain below. I have asked several friends and colleagues in various settings to share about the import... Read more