Welcome to Atlanta!
This week I am attending the Summer Institute on Theology
and Disability #STID15. This annual
conference brings together an international array of theologians, educators,
thinkers, writers, activists, and advocates from around the world. Every habitable continent is represented. The
attendees range from many diverse denomination, religious, and secular
traditions. One goal of the week is to
find out our where interests overlap so we can advance change in our society.
This year, the first day was set aside for local area clergy
and other representatives to get a taste of the upcoming week and attend
practical workshops. It fascinates me
that the many of the local people I interacted with were from conservative evangelical
traditions, seeking to further their knowledge of disability ministry; yet notably
absent this year were the voices of many of the conservative evangelical
American leaders and writers. I know
they had been invited, but many opt not to have their seat at this table, to our mutual detriment.
Several intriguing discussions arose during the day. As theologians are prone to do, words are
re-purposed to fit a category of thought.
Catchy phrases, which I live tweeted through the event, do not
necessarily have the same weight in different parts of the country. I’m finding that our uncommon language among
regions and disciplines make for great journal articles but have little impact
on local ministries. At the heart of
this issue is that no matter how we term it, before full inclusion, belonging,
or becoming can ever take fully hold (past mere access and integration), mutual
relationships must be formed with the other.
This is the true hospitality – which by definition should pull even the
most progressive one of us into uncomfortable situations.
As a Christian, I desire to be challenged in my faith
formation – it furthers my development towards the full image of Christ. As an outgrowth of my personal faith, I am
unable to comprehend disability ministry as anything but originating from the
heart of Christ – that is what drives me.
As a Classical Pentecostal who acknowledges that occasional
abuses occur by mortal humans attempting to find their place within the economy
of faith, I am not quite as willing to throw away the doctrine of healing. I will confess, however, that my doctrine of
healing does not begin nor end with it being defined solely as a cure – yet I am
willing to allow the gap in time and space (Reinders) to have a place for the miraculous. Furthermore, as a Pentecostal who hears the critiques of others, I fully
understand the cry to pray for the gift of ears for JUST listening, over that of tongues. But I have never found them mutually exclusive. In fact, in my Pentecostal tradition, the
gift of the Holy Spirit and the often accompanying glossolalia allows me to
be even more attune to the lament of God’s people.
I look forward to another day of stretching, growing, and
thinking!
I invite you to help me grow!
Rev. Marvin J. Miller, D.Min (cand)
mjmiller@abilityed.com
T: @MarvinMiller
#STID15
