A podcast that looks at the intersection of faith and disabilities. The church can do better at welcoming and including people with disabilities and I want to help.
Have you ever heard of Didymus the Blind? Probably not and yet he was an important Alexandrian theologian in the second half of the fourth century.
In this crossover episode from The History of Christianity Podcast, I share his story.
Support me through Patreon https://www.patreon.com/hopesreason (https://www.patreon.com/hopesreason)
Visit me at https://www.stephenjbedard.com/disability (https://www.stephenjbedard.com/disability)
5 Jul 2025
Autism: Tragedy or Superpower
Recent statements in the media remind us that not everyone agrees on how to look at autism. Is autism the worst thing ever? Is autism the best thing ever? It depends on who you ask. In this episode, I share my reflections, including the three different perspectives that are most common.
Please visit me at Disability Comes to Church (http://www.disabilityandchurch.com).
Get my book How to Make Your Church Autism Friendly (https://amzn.to/46ttLCa) (Amazon affiliate link).
Download my ebook What Churches Need to Know About Disabilities (https://disabilityandchurch.com/product/what-churches-need-to-know-about-disabilities/).
6 Mar 2025
Praying for People with Disabilities: A Compassionate Approach
In this episode of Disability Comes to Church, we explore the sensitive and often misunderstood topic of praying for people with disabilities. While some churches automatically pray for healing, many disabled individuals find such prayers intrusive and even harmful. Drawing from personal experience and research, we discuss how prayer should be guided by the needs and wishes of the individual rather than assumptions. Instead of making healing the default prayer, we should engage in meaningful conversations and respect the person’s spiritual journey. Prayer should be a source of comfort, not discomfort.
Visit me at http://www.disabilityandchurch.com (http://www.disabilityandchurch.com)
Get the Autism T-shirt at https://www.stephenjbedard.com/product/short-sleeve-unisex-t-shirt-autism-is-not-a-tragedy-ignorance-is/ (https://www.stephenjbedard.com/product/short-sleeve-unisex-t-shirt-autism-is-not-a-tragedy-ignorance-is/)
Get My Body is Not a Prayer Request at this Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3DtHxbO (https://amzn.to/3DtHxbO)
Support me at Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/hopesreason (http://www.patreon.com/hopesreason)
8 Feb 2025
The Sudden Appearance of Disabilities and the Church
One of the things that churches need to know is that disabilities can appear at anytime... to anyone. In this episode, I share the personal story of how our family has been recently impacted by disabilities. I offer this as a lesson to the church to be ready to support at any time.
The ebook,What Churches Need to Know About Disabilities, can be found here:https://www.stephenjbedard.com/what-churches-need-to-know-about-disabilities/ (https://www.stephenjbedard.com/what-churches-need-to-know-about-disabilities/)
Support me throughhttps://www.patreon.com/hopesreason (https://www.patreon.com/hopesreason)
Visit me athttps://disabilityandchurch.com/ (https://disabilityandchurch.com/)
19 Jun 2024
The Experience of Autistic Clergy
This is a new recording of a paper that was presented at the Institute of Theology and Disability (https://faithanddisability.org). It looks at the experience of autistic clergy.
Please visit me at my website (http://www.disabilityandchurch.com).
Consider supporting me through Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/hopesreason).
19 Apr 2024
A Conversation on Adult Autism and Christian Faith.
In this episode, I speak with William O'Flaherty and Connor Salter on adult autism, how that intersects with Christian faith, and our mutual love of C.S. Lewis.
Links mentioned by William:
Essential C.S. Lewis (https://essentialcslewis.com)
Knowing and Understanding C.S. Lewis (https://www.youtube.com/@KnowingCSL)
Adult Autism in 60 Seconds (https://www.youtube.com/@AdultAutismin60Seconds)
Links mentioned by Connor:
Crosswalk (https://www.crosswalk.com/author/connor-salter/#google_vignette)
Fellowship & Fairydust (https://fellowshipandfairydust.com)
G. Connor Salter (https://gcsalter.wordpress.com)
Visit me at Disability Comes to Church (http://www.disabilityandchurch.com)
Support me at Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/hopesreason)
15 Feb 2024
Disabilities and the Image of God
It is common to hear Christians speak of the "image of God" but what do we mean by that? Are we including or excluding disabled people? In this episode, I share from my Doctor of Ministry thesis some reflections on this topic.
Support me at Patreon (www.patreon.com/hopesreason).
Visit me at my website (www.disabilityandchurch.com).
17 Dec 2023
Christmas and a Disabled God
Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, specifically the incarnation. God took on human flesh. Is there something in incarnational theology that gives us a clue as to how God sees disabilities.
Support me through Patreon (www.patreon.com/hopesreason).
Visit my website (www.disabilityandchurch.com).
Recommend book: The Disabled God (https://amzn.to/4817LN5) (Amazon affiliate link)
7 Oct 2023
Disability and the Problem of Evil
There is a place for theodicies, even within conversations about disabilities, where we can discuss why a good God allows suffering. While not every disabled person considers their experience to be suffering, it is something that some people wrestle with. In this episode, I talk to Dr. Zachary Schmoll, author of Disability and The Problem of Evil (https://amzn.to/3LQSANe) about these issues.
Make sure to visit Zach's website (https://www.zacharydschmoll.com) and my website (www.disabilityandchurch.com).
You can support this podcast through Patreon (www.patreon.com/hopesreason).
12 Sept 2023
Models of Disability
What makes a disability a disability? This leads us into conversations about models of disabilities. In this episode, we look at the Moral Model, the Medical Model, and the Social Model.
I mention in this episode an article from the APA website (https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psychology-teacher-network/introductory-psychology/disability-models).
For a transcript of this episode, support me at Patreon (www.patreon.com/hopesreason).
Visit me at Disability Comes to Church (www.disabilityandchurch.com).
11 Jul 2023
What Language Do We Use About Disabilities?
If we are going to talk about disabilities, we need to have some idea about the kind of language we use. Do we talk about handicaps? Special needs? Exceptionalities? And if we use 'disabilities', is it person with a disability or a disabled person? This is what we discuss in this episode of Disability Comes to Church.
Please support this podcast through Patreon (www.patreon.com/hopesreason).
Visit me at Disability Comes to Church (www.disabilityandchurch.com).
Discover my other podcasts (www.stephenjbedard.com/podcasts).
7 Jun 2023
Welcome to the Disability Comes to Church Podcast
My name is Stephen Bedard and I would like to welcome you to the Disability Comes to Church Podcast. This is an attempt to make meaningful connections between the disability community and churches. In this episode, I explain a bit of my background and why I want to create this podcast. I hope you will join me on this journey.
Please visit me at the Disability Comes to Church website (www.disabilityandchurch.com).
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