Keywords
Disability, History, Religion, Christianity, RCA
Disciplines
Disability Studies | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Mentor
David Zwart
Abstract
This is a paper detailing the history of the RCA and the disability community. It attempts to make a broader claim about what the Christian Church as a whole could do better and has historically fallen behind at. Since 1978, the evolution of the RCAs relationship with people with disabilities has followed a distinctive pattern, as despite a theological mandate to care for the marginalized, the RCA has rarely pioneered social or legal inclusion. Instead, it has largely mirrored the pace of the United States government, often waiting for secular civil rights milestones to provide the framework and pressure for its own internal shifts. This paper examines the period from 1978 to the early 21st century, demonstrating that while the RCA eventually arrives at a posture of radical hospitality, it does so by following a ramp already built by the state.
ScholarWorks Citation
Haveman, Jett, "State Ramps and Church Stairs: The History of Disability in the Reformed Church in America" (2026). Honors Projects. 980.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/honorsprojects/980
