the gap between local churches and the disabled population
/I was planning to review the book, Why, O God?: Suffering and Disability in the Bible and Church, but I think it might be better to just let you judge for yourself based on quotes. I'll be sharing some throughout the coming weeks.
"I have worked as a physical therapist for twelve years. Approximately nine of those years have been in home health. Clearly a monumental gap exists between the local churches and the disabled population. All too often individuals and families go through the most difficult trials and circumstances of their lives in isolation from the Christian community. Available support is fleeting. Relationships are few. Stress is high. Caregiver burnout is frequent and inevitable. Marriages fall apart. Abuse sometimes settles in. Financial ruin draws nearer everyday. Who will help close this gap while helping to meet real needs? It is the prayer of the authors of this text that the current and future generations of pastors and Christian servant-leaders will lead their congregations to do just that. Typically if the shepherds do not lead, the flock will not follow."
~Daniel R. Thomson, his chapter "A Biblical Disability-Ministry Perspective" in Why, O God? Suffering and Disability in the Bible and Church, p. 24