Following the disability conference, I’ve had a few people ask how to move forward. They loved the Bible studies, the closing talk, and the honesty about ableism, Scripture, and lived experience. They left encouraged, but unsure how to move forward while honouring disability theology and the spiritual belief in healing, wholeness, and sin. They want to support disabled people without falling into the traps we named. It’s a valid question.
My studies sit comfortably within disability theology, yet they conflict with typical Christian practice that have existed for several millennia, are recorded in Scripture, and were undertaken by Jesus and the disciples. Many churches still push healing as correction. It’s a familiar narrative and, when it happens, a powerful message of God’s love and Scriptural authority. Some churches still frame disability as spiritual warfare. I’ve even experienced exorcism attempts, cleansing prayers, and ableist theology.
It’s easy for those without faith to dismiss these things. For Christians, they exist in Scripture and were undertaken with confidence as acts of faith. People want to know how to balance this belief and disability theology without causing harm and repeating the mistakes disabled people face in inaccessible spaces, unequal processes, and inherited assumptions.
The question becomes simple. How do we balance disability theology and Christian spirituality together without hurting people.
My answer sits in the same place as my posts on equality and equity, accessibility and usability, independence and autonomy, presence and participation, and the Image of God. The balance is found in how we see disabled people before we decide what to do.
Take sin. Many Christians treat sin as a spiritual force. Various areas of theology and doctrine see sin differently. Creatio ex nihilo teaches that God creates freely. Nothing existed before God. No flawed material. Everything created was good. Volcanoes are a good example. They create fertile soil, regulate the planet, and release essential gases. They also destroy and hurt. Some see destruction as divine punishment. I disagree. Sin is the separated state from God. In this case, it is human separation from God’s wisdom. We build close to volcanoes, interfere with their purpose, and ignore their danger. If we honoured their creation and purpose, we would not sin. Sin is separation, not a force that impacts us.
This matters because when we see sin as a force that affects disabled people, we find reasons to believe the healing narratives that go with it, like removing sin, demons, or dark spirits. If sin is considered as the separation from God’s intent, healing becomes the restoration of God’s intent. With all ideas of sin‑based disability removed, healing becomes less about fighting spiritual magic or bodily correction and more about realignment. Healing becomes a movement back toward the life God intended.
Some things can be healed. An injury, environmentally impacted illness, or harm caused by human action. These are disruptions to God’s creative intent. They can be restored. Healing exists.
Healing is not the correction of disabled bodies. It can benefit disabled people, but through the restoration of relationships, community, dignity, and belonging. Healing is the removal of barriers, not disabled people.
Disabled and neurodivergent embodiment is different. These bodies and minds were formed intentionally. They bear God’s image fully. They are not deviations or mistakes but part of creation’s diversity. Healing doesn’t apply in the same way. God’s will matters, and sometimes healing doesn’t happen even when it fits the criteria above. That’s not failure. It’s simply the truth that God works differently in different lives.
This should change how we offer prayer. People often assume disabled people want healing from disability. Some do. Some don’t. The balance is found in asking what the person wants prayer for. Ask clearly. Listen carefully. Offer prayer that aligns with disability theology. Pray for strength, comfort, courage, peace, community, accessibility, usability, equity, justice, or the removal of ableism. Pray for healing that restores life, not bodies. If healing doesn’t happen, explain why through disability theology. Stay positive, grounded, and honouring.
We must change how we talk about spiritual harm. Disabled people are not evidence of demons, curses, or divine judgement. They are indispensable members of the church who bring joy, wisdom, leadership, resilience, humour, and perspective that shows God’s creativity. They widen welcome and teach the church how to love.
The conference gave people a foundation. They saw the distortions, harm, and truth. They want to move forward without slipping back into old habits. The answer is found in how we see, treat, and respond to disabled people. If we see them as gifts, image bearers, and indispensable members of the church body, everything else follows. Prayer, healing, theology, and church life changes. The balance becomes natural.
Disability theology and Christian spirituality can be held together but it takes a shift in understanding, faith and theology. Able bodied people need to read, learn, and listen more to disability theology and experience. The more you read, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more inclusive you can be. Communities that honour disabled people through equity, usability, autonomy, participation, and accessible worship become places where healing happens in the way Scripture intends. Barriers fall, belonging grows, and God’s kingdom draws closer.
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