by Hank Kuntz
A recent book called Disability Advocacy Among Religious Organizations (edited by Albert A. Herzog, Jr., Haworth Press, 2006) featured an article about the work of the Christian Reformed Church with people with disabilities.
In the article by Eric Pridmore, “The Christian Reformed Church as a Model for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities,” Pridmore makes repeated reference to the CRC’s proactive approach to inclusion, “rather than waiting for the disabled community to plead for assistance or acknowledgement.” He writes, “The Christian Reformed Church (CRC) has shown tremendous leadership and character in complying with the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] and seeking full inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of CRC life. To date, few denominations have made such efforts to be inclusive of disabled persons. . . . While the CRC is far from being perfect, its inclusion of disabled individuals can be viewed as a model for religious organizations to follow in its efforts to answer God’s call and seek God’s justice in this world.”
The essay makes good reading, not only because it gives the CRC high marks for what it does but also because its characterizations serve as reminders of what we stand for. To quote again: “People with disabilities have been created in the image of God and, therefore, must be welcomed into the church and valued as crucial (emphasis added) constituents . . . The accessible congregation begins when people of that congregation recognize how meaningful people with disabilities are to the life of the church. . . . Indeed, to really know God, congregations must see all of God’s people, including those who have disabilities, as God sees them.” The writer also makes repeated reference to the CRC’s proactive approach to inclusion, “rather than waiting for the disabled community to plead for assistance or acknowledgement.”
Eric Pridmore finds the grounding for the CRC’s position in something that applies throughout our bi-national denomination. This, he says, “is to be located in its theology and its position with respect to social location as an immigrant church with Calvinist leanings.” To order a copy of the article, send your request to docdelivery@haworthpress.com, or call 800-429-6784, press 1, then ask for document delivery service.
