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This article delves into the topics of food allergies, disability theology, and liturgical differences. The author shares their personal experience of raising a child with severe food allergies and the challenges they face in social and public gatherings. They argue for a communal response to food allergies, emphasizing the need for a liturgical culture that values differences and prioritizes safety and justice within a community. The article also explores the concept of access intimacy, which involves understanding and meeting the access needs of disabled individuals. It connects this concept to the theological idea of the body of Christ and highlights the risks of failing to accommodate the needs of others. The text advocates for inclusive practices and justice for marginalized individuals, promoting a transformative and reflective approach to liturgical practices. It encourages a liturgical imagination that embraces spontaneity and fosters relationships within the Christian community. [Extracted from the article]

Until recently Christian worship has emphasised people coming together to participate as a community. The COVID pandemic has presented a challenge to this primary activity. It was no longer possible to attend church, receive the sacraments or to share faith in small groups. New means of sustaining faith communities had to be put in place in unprecedented ways. Researchers and authors have been swift to begin an analysis of the ways in which churches have responded. In particular the acceleration of the use of digital technology has been charted. We are fortunate that publishers have made research known more widely with books and research articles. Two of these, Ecclesiology for a digital Church: Theological reflections on the new normal edited by Heidi A. Campbell and John Dyer (SCM, 2022) and Holy Communion in contagious times: Celebrating the eucharist in the everyday and online worlds by Richard A. Burridge (Cascade Books, 2022) are discussed and analysed alongside others in this review article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the inception of the field of disability theology, questions have been raised about the place of disabilities in the resurrection. Some scholars contend that disability is a direct consequence of the fall of humanity and thus consider disability as incongruous with life in a perfect and redeemed creation. Other scholars, however, see disability as part of the natural diversity of humanity and allow for the retention of at least some disabilities in the future kingdom. In his 2019 volume Woundrously Wounded, Brian Brock attempts to redirect discussions about disability to the present kingdom encouraging believers to consider anew the place of people with disabilities in church communities. Brock proposes that using Paul's Body of Christ imagery serves as a useful model for church communities with its emphasis on valuing, including, and celebrating all members. The challenge of the Body of Christ is to recognize that all members are dependent and interconnected and that human abilities and disabilities do not hinder God's work in and through the Body to bring about his purposes. This paper will give a brief overview of both the elimination and retention models of disability as well as outlining Brock's challenge to refocus attention on the Body of Christ as the inclusive model for living for churches in the today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper engages David Fitch's idea of faithful presence with the lived experiences of autism to explore how the church can embody the concept of unity in diversity. To belong as God's family with people considered the least among us begins with seeing them as persons, not projects. Next, the power differential in a giver-receiver relationship needs to be addressed. Then, following the lead of the Spirit into Christ's presence, church members submit to one another mutually and equally, receiving each other as gifts of God. Finally, as the body of Christ, we tend to Christ in our shared life inside and outside the church. In the process, all in the body encounter Christ, who transforms our hearts towards loving one another, desiring to share each other's burdens and joy, thus becoming one in Christ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experience and reflections of people on the autism spectrum act as a "context of discovery" about human communication and agency, in conversation with a robust theological account drawn from Paul's depiction of personhood in relationship to sin and salvation. I claim that autism is not an exception to understanding the self as a self-in-relation; it is a unique and therefore illuminating instantiation of self-in-relation. The testimonies of autistic people render visible two key aspects of human personhood that are shared by both so-called "neurotypical" and "non-neurotypical" people: the priority of embodied interpersonal connection for the development of human communication and agency, and the risk and vulnerability of such connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Virtual; body of Christ; real presence; Holy Communion; Covid-19 pandemic EN Virtual body of Christ real presence Holy Communion Covid-19 pandemic 18 24 7 12/05/20 20201001 NES 201001 I used to be a digital skeptic, dubious that virtual connectedness could foster any meaningful relating among us. In worship, Christians are "called in so that we can be the called-out ones" to serve the neighbor in need.[7] In this time of pandemic, members of the body of Christ are being "called in" to worship via Zoom and other platforms. Even though it will be tempting to return to exclusively in-person worship, especially for churches that are really struggling to adapt to online worship, if congregations want to provide access to all their members, it is likely that some form of online worship will be necessary for the foreseeable future. [Extracted from the article]

The focus of this article is on moving beyond the first step or stage of welcoming people with disabilities into congregations in general—particularly through segregated programs and activities or “mainstreaming approaches” for people with intellectual disabilities—toward the full inclusion of people with disabilities into the rich, active life of a church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This chapter seeks to address some of the challenges of aging and suggests some ways that pastoral care can nurture spiritual formation in older adults as they age. There are social, psychological, and physical tasks facing older adults that have spiritual implications. First, older adults need to reframe their sense of self apart from work roles. The challenge is to accept oneself, others, and God for who one is rather than for what one does. A second issue is finitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disabled body of Christ has a critical potential as a metaphor in our time. It reveals the frailty of the body and speaks of the presence of God in our world. As a metaphor for the human body, it serves as an effective contrast to the idealized and commercialized images of the body. It provides an alternative image of communal life for social bodies, a transformable context that is given to us, not created or controlled by us. In addition, it gives us a vision of God's future as already present in human life. The body of Christ is a relevant metaphor for christological, ecclesiological and anthropological reflection. It is important to examine the actual appearance of the metaphorical referent, that is the body of Jesus. If we define it as a disabled and bruised body, the metaphorical potential is increased, and the connection between the three theological areas may appear more clearly. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An examination of the nature of disability is followed by the author's apologia for the development of an inclusive theology rather than a liberation theology. Inclusion of persons with disabilities in communities of faith raises the questions: Who is the person to be included? Who is the community in which the person would be included? Two overarching theological themesx, the imago dei and the body of Christ, are developed. Other issues briefly discussed include hospitality (as both guest and host) and hesed, relationships to God and among the Christian community, limitations and perfection, theodicy and unity in diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]