Mike Holroyd

Email: mike.holroyd@abdn.ac.uk

Western society has made significant legislative progress in the last 10 to 15 years in the perceived inclusion of Disabled People into all areas of society. However, the Christian Church has not on the whole reflected this move to full inclusion. Moreover, there has been little theological engagement on issues of equal opportunity for Disabled People.

My work will attempt to explore the theological frameworks needed to ensure equal opportunity for all – with a particular emphasis on Disabled People. It will draw together experiences of a wide variety of Disabled People and seek to draw upon aspects of liberation theology in charting a way forward for the Church, and identifying a prophetic role that the Church has to play in the wider discourse in society.

Some key concerns are:

Drawing on existing theological frameworks which promote a radical re-interpretation of justice and equality e.g. liberation theology, feminist theology and queer theology.

Seeking to be informed by the life stories of Disabled People both within and outwith the Church.

Investigating current thought and practice in a number of Christian denominations on the inclusion of disabled People

Exploring interpretations of the Eucharist that signify brokenness and Wholeness in the Body of Christ.

Developing original thought and practical guidelines to assist in the Church’s movement from a re-active to pro-active voice on Disability.

Being aware of the role of the place of reflexivity in my research as a Disabled Person.

Whilst I continue to enthusiastically engage with theologians who have devoted much time to Disability Theology e.g. Stanley Hauerwas, Thomas Rennalds and Amos Yong, I am particularly interested in identifying theological contributions from people who have a personal embodied experience of Disability. In a recent lecture to theological students in Bristol I asked if anyone could tell me how many feminist theologians they could think of who are not women - there was no response, and a slightly uncomfortable silence because I asked the question in the context of the exploration of disability Theology.

Whilst there has been a considerable amount of extremely helpful material written about the relationship between Disability and Theology, much has been written by people who do not have a personal embodied experience of disability themselves. If the church is to be prophetic about the full inclusion of disabled People, then we must be able to find ways of not just including, but empowering Disabled people to take full control of the theological discourse that attempts to relate our experiences to the wider narrative of Christianity and spirituality.