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This video explores what it might look like to think that some disabilities might have a place in heaven.
The Church has a long history of suggesting that disability has no place in God’s coming kingdom. Theologian Amos Yong, in his The Bible, Disability, and the Church, writes “if there are no disabilities in the life to come, then that implicitly suggests that our present task is to rid the world of such unfortunate and unwarranted realities.” Perhaps this is one reason that, in the US, individuals with disabilities are significantly less likely to attend church than are those who are non-disabled. This short documentary begins to explore what it might look like to think that at least some disabilities might have a place in heaven. It’s my hope that this can help the Church recognize the value that people with disabilities can have in our communities now.
-Kevin Timpe, PhD, William H. Jellema Chair in Christian Philosophy, Calvin College
This documentary was produced by the Center for Philosophy of Religion at the University of Notre Dame.
See a related academic paper by Kevin Timpe: Defiant Afterlife–Disability and Uniting Ourselves to God
Jared Ortiz, professor at Hope College, Holland, Michigan, describes the Nicene Creed as a dramatic and powerful statement where every word is like a declaration of war, saying yes to the truth and no to many falsehoods.
Jane Williams, professor of theology at St. Mellitus College in London, England, sees the Nicene Creed, crafted 1700 years ago, as an extraordinary creative and exciting description of who God is and therefore what we trust in as Christians in God's world.
Maria Eugenia Cornou and Mikie Roberts serve on a planning team for an October worship event in Egypt to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the ecumenical creed that emerged in the year 325 and remains firmly embedded in the worship practices of the church today.
Jared Ortiz, professor at Hope College, Holland, Michigan, describes the Nicene Creed as a dramatic and powerful statement where every word is like a declaration of war, saying yes to the truth and no to many falsehoods.
Jane Williams, professor of theology at St. Mellitus College in London, England, sees the Nicene Creed, crafted 1700 years ago, as an extraordinary creative and exciting description of who God is and therefore what we trust in as Christians in God's world.
Maria Eugenia Cornou and Mikie Roberts serve on a planning team for an October worship event in Egypt to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea and the ecumenical creed that emerged in the year 325 and remains firmly embedded in the worship practices of the church today.
This expression of Psalm 148 was submitted by Ed Willmington, who wrote it with Clayton J. Schmit. The nature of Psalm 148 is total exuberance as all of nature offers praise to God.
