Your
Input Sought!
Troublesome
Bible Passages?
Disability Education in Seminaries?
When
people with disabilities read the Bible, are there passages
that are particularly challenging or troublesome for them
especially because of their disability?
This
question was the focus of a discussion held at Luther
Northwestern Seminary in St. Paul, MN, last Spring.
Participating were members of both the NCC
Committee on Disabilities and the Old Testament faculty.
The
discussion intrigued John Schatzlein of Catholic
Charities in St. Paul and has led him to launch a study
to find more extensive answers to that question. A wheelchair
user himself, he would appreciate input from other individuals
with disabilities.
Responses
may be sent to him in care of Catholic Charities, 215 Old
Sixth St., St. Paul, MN 55102-1077. His E-mail: jhnshotzln@aol.com
Meanwhile
a subcommittee of the NCC group is continuing its efforts
to enhance disability ministry education for seminarians.
While
many more resources and models for ministry exist currently
than a decade ago, one of the ongoing needs, the subcommittee
believes, is for more widespread and consistent inclusion
of issues related to disability ministry in educational
programs for clergy and human service professionals.
As
Bill Gaventa, head of the AAMR
Religion Division and an NCC Committee member, notes,
"There have been some creative, but scattered, initiatives
to include issues related to pastoral care and theological
education in seminaries in many denominations."
A
regular column describing some of these courses and educational
events has appeared in recent issues of the Religion Division
newsletter.
While
there has been increasing attention in theological education
to issues related to ethnic diversity and gender, Gaventa
continues, that has not, for the most part, included people
with disabilities and their families.
How
to tackle this situation is a question the subcommittee
is now studying. Should there be a survey and assessment
of current initiatives in seminaries? Would a series of
cost-free summer institutes be helpful to provide training
in state-of-the-art strategies for including issues related
to pastoral and spiritual supports for people with disabilities
in theological education and professional training? Would
funding be available for such institutes? Would seminary
professors appreciate and use disability-related modules
in their courses if these were available? Do people in disability
ministry need to do more to stimulate thought by presenting
papers at professional conferences and submitting articles
for national religious and educational journals?
Here,
too, the input of others is sought. Responses to the above
questions may be sent to the CCPD
office.
