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...A human being. I am a human, made in the image of God, a child of God... Thus one asks, what is my purpose? Slowly, God reveals it slowly, as we walk together through life. How do all people find their purpose in life, in their church?
God Saw It, It Was Very Good: Theology of People with Disabilities addresses the question of whether there is a need for a theology of people with disabilities. God Saw It is a new English translation of the Japanese original, published in 1992 by the National Christian Council in Japan (NCCJ). How do people with disabilities find their purpose in the Japanese church? In a framework of presentations given at annual seminars addressing the theme, Toward the Formulation of a Theology of People with Disabilities, the book searches for definitions of theology and disability and their larger implications in the church. The UN International Year of Disabled Persons (1981) is mentioned as a stimulant for the founding of the Committee on Disabled Persons and the Church by the NCCJ in March, 1979, which sponsored the seminars mentioned above.
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National Christian Council in Japan, Room 24, 2-3-18 Nishi Waseda, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo 169 JAPAN Tel. +81 3 3203-0372 Fax +81 3 3204-9495 Cost outside of Japan US $10.00, inside Japan 1000 yen plus postage. Bank transfer account #0000029, Tokyo Mitsubishi Bank, Nishi Waseda Branch. |
With respect to discussions on "persons with disabilities", the issue of separation seems to rush forward. For, when referring to a person as blind, deaf, differently-abled, special, a person with x, y, or z disability, aren't we only referring to a part of a person rather than the whole? This can be a heart-felt and painful question. As Christian individuals, we are asked to examine ourselves and change, to seek God's guidance to follow Jesus' example. If we recognize each member of our Christian family as whole, perhaps we wouldn't need to discuss such a theology of persons with disabilities. Moving from separation to wholeness is a great task for the church.
However, the church cannot be separated from the society in which it grows. It cannot be separated from its history, education system, family life, economic structure, values, political thought and expression of art, music and beauty. Taking the whole history and society of Japan into consideration, discussion of a Theology of People with Disabilities is needed at this time in all parts of Japanese society to move from separation to inclusion. The presentations translated from Japanese to English represent the individual's thoughts on this theology. Five out of the six are male pastors with varying experiences related to disabilities and some with "disabilities". The sixth is a male poet. Two of the presenters are faculty members of the Japan Lutheran Seminary. A meditation, a visual interpretation of Christ, introductions, an afterward and appendix are also included in the 128 page text.
Experience lends itself to change. If, through experience as children of God, we can find the eyes of acceptance, we may begin to identify the "new role" of not only lay people with disabilities in the mission of the Japanese church, but for all people Living in Christ. And as many of the presenters discuss, we can expand the meaning of disabled to include all members of society, to in fact eliminate the concept of disabled.
The book shows strength in its presenter's ability to truthfully examine the Japanese church values and their desire to move forward. Please contact the NCCJ for a copy of God Saw It, It Was Very Good: Theology of People with Disabilities. 
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