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On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
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
What basic models for worship planning are out there, and which patterns will work best in your context? Join a lively discussion of several worship planning models by the authors and pastors who use them. Bring your questions and suggestions as we learn together.
Join us after the University worship service (chapel) for a conversation with worship leader Kimberly Williams. We will explore topics related to worship leading and planning for diverse congregations, leading teams, songwriting and recording, and mentoring women in ministry.
In this session Terry Wildman will share the vision, process, and outcomes of the First Nations Version (FNV) New Testament. Why was this translation needed? Who was involved in the translation? What were some of the cultural challenges faced by the translation council? What does it say about the translations done in Native languages in the past? How did the translation council decide on more than 185 key words and terms? What are some of the unique qualities of the FNV versus other English versions? How has the FNV affected the worship expressions of some Native believers? What is the future of the FNV?
What basic models for worship planning are out there, and which patterns will work best in your context? Join a lively discussion of several worship planning models by the authors and pastors who use them. Bring your questions and suggestions as we learn together.
Join us after the University worship service (chapel) for a conversation with worship leader Kimberly Williams. We will explore topics related to worship leading and planning for diverse congregations, leading teams, songwriting and recording, and mentoring women in ministry.
In this session Terry Wildman will share the vision, process, and outcomes of the First Nations Version (FNV) New Testament. Why was this translation needed? Who was involved in the translation? What were some of the cultural challenges faced by the translation council? What does it say about the translations done in Native languages in the past? How did the translation council decide on more than 185 key words and terms? What are some of the unique qualities of the FNV versus other English versions? How has the FNV affected the worship expressions of some Native believers? What is the future of the FNV?
How does one think about diversity as a Christian or as the church? How might working with and among—or even just thinking about—migrant neighbors contribute to our ecclesial identity? The language of catholicity allows us to imagine the unity of the church not in a monocultural way, but rather as a community inclusive of people of all languages and ethnicities. Migration and migrants today especially remind the church of its own catholic identity. How does the church's identity as a migrant church foster a healthy catholicity in the church's worship? This session will include the use of salsa music to invite participation in a more catholic way of life, asking what multicultural, cross cultural, and intercultural ways of being a church on the move might look like in worship.
