Diakoni i et funksjonshemmingsperspektiv: Tilværelsens gave og Liv i mangfoldig fellesskap

In this chapter, the documents The Gift of Being from WCC (2016) and Seeking Conviviality from the Lutheran World Federation (2014) are presented and discussed from a diaconal perspective. Conviviality is described as “the art and practice of living together in solidarity”, and the document underlines that this is a learning process. Diakonia is understood as the gospel in action that recognizes and demonstrates the dignity and equality of all human beings. Inclusive communities demonstrate that the contributions of persons living with impairments are valued, that they are respected as participants and co-workers. Conviviality presupposes that all people need to cross borders and overcome their own anxiety when they are confronted with inequalities. The church should be in the forefront to acknowledge and practice the equality and dignity of all human beings as the central task of living the gospel and give witness of its message in all her work.

Sårbarhet, mangfold og menneskerettigheter

The article examines recent understandings of vulnerability and exposedness, and studies proving that people with disabilities are more exposed to violence, discrimination, and various forms of exclusion. Diversity has been elevated as a value, both in societies and in churches. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is the only human rights treaty that names specific human rights principles, and one of these principles is diversity. There are also opposing trends to the enhanced recognition of diversity, summarized in three points: preservation of status quo; highlighting majority normality; and budgetary efficiency are given priority over empowering solutions. The Church of Norway, inspired by the World Council of Churches, wants to promote inclusion and empowerment, but is itself lagging behind, for instance in providing access to enabling technology.

Taktil teologi: Om kirkerom og mangfoldige estetiske uttrykk

Thresholdless churches can improve accessibility, but how can churches express that variations in abilities are fundamental to human life? In this article, theological aesthetics and disability aesthetics are used to explore this question through an investigation of a church designed especially for deaf and deafblind persons, Tomaskirken in Andebu, Norway. Based on the observation that the interior of the church lacks references to disability art and disability aesthetics, it is argued that this is problematic. Altough the lack of disability aesthetics and disability art can be understood as a sign of inclusion, Tomaskirken remain a missed opportunity to explore how the theological acknowledgement of human diversity can be expressed through aesthetic expressions in churches.

Å fortelje eller bli fortalt: Ein analyse av Olaug Nilssens Tung tids tale (2017)

This article focuses on the Norwegian author Olaug Nilssens’ novel, Tung tids tale (2017). The novel is based on her experiences with her son who gradually grew autistic from the age of three. Until then he was an active communicating young boy, but gradually his ability to speak and communicate diminished. On a background of theories concerning the use of literature, and vulnerability theory, the literary close reading focuses on the narrative as well as the ethical dilemmas Nilssen and the first-person narrator find herself in. In this moment of crisis, she is crying out to the healthcare system and institutions for more help for herself, her son and the rest of the family. By focusing on both the affective, intimate and structural side of their situation, Nilssen’s novel is highly political.

Den desentrerte kirke: Et bidrag til disability-ekklesiologien

The chapter addresses the relationship between church/ecclesial practices and disability. Traditionally, disability ecclesiology focuses on how and in what way ecclesial practices contribute to the exclusion or inclusion of people living with various kinds of disability. The chapter takes as its starting point new trends in ecclesiological research by asking in what way non-ecclesial practice can be understood to be of relevance to ecclesiology. The example is Marte Wexelsen Goksøyr’s performance of the poem “Voggesang for ein bytting” at the National Theatre in Oslo. This performance can be understood as the embodiment of a physical altar piece depicting Mary and Jesus with Down syndrome. I argue that this expression can be understood as a disability-sensitive decentred church.

Innledning: Religiøst medborgerskap

The introductory chapter gives an introduction to various aspects of religious citizenship. Drawing on an understanding of citizenship based on human rights, we present the UN documents and conventions that promote rights for persons with disabilities. We also present the most basic models of disability theorized within Disability Studies. Turning to the religious aspects of citizenship, we discuss important contributions from disability theology such as diversity as a gift given by God in creation, and images of God as a vulnerable, even disabled God through Christ’s incarnation. The World Council of Churches has contributed to a rights-based theological understanding of disability through the documents A Church of All and for All and The Gift of Being. These documents are introduced. The chapter also discusses diaconal perspectives on disability. We argue that the former diaconal practice of segregation, and the distinction between ‘able-bodied’ helper and disabled recipients of diakonia is gradually being replaced. Instead we see the emergence of a disability diakonia where vulnerability is reconfigured as something that affects all of humanity, and where communities of mutual support and generosity become the norm. Finally we discuss the ethical aspects of religious citizenship, arguing that the various professions involved in securing religious citizenship for all (e.g. health workers, social workers, ministers, deacons and religious educators), need to reflect on their professional praxis in order to have a human rights based approach that secures equality.

Funksjonshemming, bioteknologi og menneskesyn: Utfordringer for kristen etikk

The article discusses public attitudes to disabled people in view of recent developments within modern biotechnology, including the new technology called non-invasive prenatal diagnostics (NIPT) that makes it possible to test human fetuses for different genetic disorders. In the critical evaluation of this practice, feminist ethics is utilized. The article discusses the issue of human rights for disabled people and the specific challenges for disability ethics in this context, including the issue of “selective” abortion.

Imago Dei og kroppsliggjort væren: En funksjonshemmingsteologi i lys av Thomas Aquinas

Theologians and philosophers have historically privileged the faculty of rationality in their exegesis of what it means to be created in the image of God. They have argued that we were made in God’s image when we were endowed with a rational soul. This argument is contested by contemporary disability theologians. They argue that by equating the imago Dei with the faculty of rationality Christian theology effectively strips people with cognitive disabilities of their human rights. It justifies elevating the cognitively able over the cognitively disabled in the same way that it justifies elevating the human species over other species. In this article, I will first show that the contemporary Western conviction that ability and independence are normal while disability and dependence are deviant owes much to definitions of the human first proposed by Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, and Immanuel Kant. I will then propose that Aquinas himself offers us a way out of these destructive binarisms. He defines the imago Dei as an embodied soul, an imperfectly intelligent substance that can fulfill its destiny only if it receives the support of society and the intervention of God’s grace. Aquinas’s theology of embodiment does not merely expose false assumptions about ability and disability; it compels us to appreciate the radical dependency and vulnerability of human nature.

Inkludering og tilrettelegging i Den norske kirkes trosopplæring

This article presents results from a project that studies inclusion and accommodation in Norwegian faith education as organized under the Plan for Faith Education by the Church of Norway. Norwegian faith education aims at educating children and young persons from 0 to 18 years. All children and young persons who wish to take part in this should be included and accommodated. However, there are barriers experienced by persons with disabilities hampering participation on an equal basis. Based on qualitative interviews in four congregations, the article discusses how inclusion and accommodation is practiced in the confirmation program, and what barriers hamper participation. The results indicate that the congregations wish to include all, but need more knowledge on how to reach the aim of inclusion and accommodation. The barriers are conceptual, attitudinal and material. The practice in faith education thus is to some extent segregational.

Helbredelsesforkynnelse og kristen tro

From the second half of the 19th century, some Christians have maintained that by adeptly manipulating the relevant spiritual laws, one may liberate oneself entirely from physical illness. This article is an investigation of the doctrinal context and anthropological implications of this way of understanding the Christian message. The method of the investigation is textual analyses of the writings of some of the main representatives of this movement, like Essek Kenyon and Kenneth Hagin. The context is found to be an anti-elitist kind of modernity interpreted by means of the Wesleyan understanding of Christian perfection, and the implication is a kind of ableism with a one-sided emphasis on the well-being of the strong and physically healthy. The worldview is a type of mind–matter duality, where liberation from the limits of materiality is an important goal. One rejects the idea of the spiritual value of trials and tribulations and does not seem to have a message of hope for those who struggle with chronic illness.