Alt txt: Image of our guest, Dr. Sarah Jean Barton, and three of our co-hosts: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Stephanie Kate Judd, and Rev. Daniel Parham.
In this episode, which is the penultimate episode in our series on Disability & Theology, we’re talking about Becoming the Baptized Body with Dr. Sarah Jean Barton, who is Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy and Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School, and the author of Becoming the Baptized Body: Disability and the Practice of Christian Community (published by Baylor University Press). In our conversation, we talk about how baptism is often denied in Christian churches to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and Dr. Barton explains that baptismal denial is not strictly a Credobaptist issue, since Paedobaptists might also deny someone’s baptism, not by withholding an ordinance, but by failing to continue to uphold these individuals in their discipleship and participation in the community. The Christian ritual of baptism makes one an indispensable member of the Body of Christ, so neglecting to co-labor coalitionally alongside people with disabilities in our churches is an abdication of baptismal responsibility to the fullness of Christ’s Body. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Stephanie Kate Judd, and Rev. Daniel Parham.
Series Disclaimer: We know that this space is fraught, and we don’t speak for every PWD. We may inevitably get some things wrong in this series, but we ask for your patience in advance since we think it’s more important to have the conversation than shy away from it out of fear of saying the wrong thing. At the same time, this is a learning process for all of us, and we want to maintain a posture of learning throughout the series and beyond. Thanks for listening!
You can find this new episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Breaker, Anchor, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check it out, subscribe for weekly episodes every Wednesday, and please give us a rating and review!
Leave a Reply