The Works of God

The World Council of Churches interim statement on disability, written in 2003, might be the longest I’ve seen so far from a religious group. 

There is much here that is commendable.  There is much that is troublesome.

So, to help me when I read things like this, I look for how they deal with sin. 

Generally, the World Council of Churches doesn’t deal with sin very well in their statement.  Here is an example:

Forgiving sins here (healing of the paralytic in Mark 2) means removing the stigma imposed on him by a culture in which disabilities were associated with sin. Hence this man was ostracised as sinful and unworthy of his society’s acceptance. In these healing stories Jesus is primarily removing societal barriers in order to create accessible and accepting communities.

Ummm, no.

First, the man in Mark 2 was already in community.  Four men brought him to Jesus, and nothing was going to stop them from bringing him to Jesus, even if that meant vandalizing somebody else’s roof.  They were quite interested in his welfare, more than they were interested in what people thought of them.  

Second, he may or may not have been ostracized; we simply don’t know from Mark 2.  Even if it were probably true, we should be careful about making it a statement of fact.

Third, Jesus is dealing with the man’s primary problem, which was the man’s own sin.  And Jesus does so based solely on his own authority.  When the scribes questioned ‘in their hearts,’ Jesus makes this extraordinary statement:

“Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” Mark 2:8b-11

There isn’t even a hint that societal barriers are the main issue.  That should not be taken as a statement that societal barriers weren’t real and cruel; obviously they were.  But those things end eventually; the consequences of sin are eternal.  Jesus kindly deals with the greater problem first.

Fourth, Jesus himself points out that following him means you will be ostracized and condemned.

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. John 15:18

And we know from the account of the man born blind in John 9 that he was literally cast out of the temple.  His social standing became even WORSE than when he was blind.  Jesus demonstrated his sovereign authority over creation through healing this man of his blindness, and the man gets punished severely for it by his community.  Clearly, acceptance by God is of greater consequence, and of greater interest to Jesus, than acceptance in a human community.

There are other examples, but in the end the World Council of Churches does exactly what they say others have done to people with disabilities for centuries:  apply an incomplete understanding tainted by personal prejudices.  In this case, however, the prejudice is in how the Word of God is used and applied.  

And ultimately that provides no benefit to anyone, including people with disabilities.