Biola First to Offer Theology of Disability and Suffering Course
October 18, 2007
LA MIRADA, CALIF. — Discovering the theology of suffering and disability in the midst of following a “good” God is a difficult thing for many Christians. Biola University will be the first university to offer a course at the undergraduate level, not only answering this hard question, but also exploring the theology behind suffering and disability.
The course will be offered through Biola’s undergraduate Bible department Spring 2008 and was officially announced during a chapel service led by leading Christian speaker and writer, Joni Eareckson Tada. The issue is close to the heart of Tada, who became a quadriplegic in 1967 after a diving accident. Her mission since that time has been to reach out to the disabled community and equip churches to evangelize and disciple those who suffer from disabilities. Eareckson-Tada emphasized to the Biola community her excitement for the new class and looks forward to see the impact it will make on students lives.
Disability is growing at a rapid rate, with over 650 million people in the world suffering. 51 million of those are Americans, and the numbers continue to increase each year. Not only is the world unequipped to solve the problem of disability, the church is unprepared to minister to the increase of disabled – a growing question that only 12% of churches seem to be able to answer. Biola University seeks to equip the future generations that will be impacted by this phenomenon, offering a course to help students gain a deeper understanding of the disabled community and gain practical knowledge of how to engage in ministry through the Church.
It is Eareckson-Tada’s belief that initiating a class at Biola will equip and empower students to continue to grow the ministry that she has labored over during the past 20 years.
The course will be taught at Biola by Kathy McReynolds, a bio-ethicist and managing director of the Christian Institute of Disability, who developed the syllabus training all students to understand the reality of disability in the world and train them to answer the tough questions of why. Guest speakers including Eareckson-Tada and others who have suffered from disability will guest teach the class during the semester and students will also spend a weekend with the Joni & Friends International Disability Center for hands-on experience.
As the numbers grow, the preparation and resources for disabled people remains low and underrepresented in education and even in the church. McReynolds believes that the course is important because “there won’t be an American that isn’t affected by disability. We need to prepare them.”
Following in Biola’s footsteps, other universities have taken interest in offering the course in like institutions because they realize the impact it can have on students.
For more information on the new course offering, call 562.777.4061####
Biola University, founded in 1908, will celebrate 100 years of biblically centered Christian education on February 24. Located in La Mirada, Calif., on the border of LA and Orange Counties, Biola is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “National University,” which they consider the “major leagues” of higher education. Biola offers 145 academic programs through its seven schools, ranging from the B.A. to the Ph.D. For more information, visit www.biola.edu.
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