Held in the Love of God: Discipleship and Disability

Throughout its history, evangelicalism has neglected to consider the spiritual lives of people with profound intellectual disabilities and how their experiences might contribute to a fuller understanding of what it means to follow Jesus. Both the historic and modern constructions of evangelical discipleship have led to particular ministry strategies and practices that rarely consider the presence of people with profound intellectual disabilities.

In Held in the Love of God, Phil Letizia attends to this oversight in the discipleship of the evangelical church by investigating the historical development of evangelicalism and its particular characteristics that, as he argues, make it difficult for the intellectually disabled to be perceived as followers of Jesus. Letizia draws upon a rich cross section of research, stories and firsthand accounts from families of disability, and works from evangelicalism and disability theologians to raise questions requiring reflection on the part of evangelicals. The methods used strive to uncover stories of disability and discipleship while also examining the most common context for evangelical discipleship, the local church.

Employing thoughtful theological reflection, Letizia argues for a broader theology of discipleship within popular evangelicalism that includes the spiritual lives of people with profound intellectual disabilities. This can only be achieved through embracing renewed emphasis on a theology of the cross to address hardship and suffering and the conviction that we are held in the trustful love of God that seals our eternal purpose in the divine kingdom. Held in the Love of God explores the contours of evangelical discipleship in a way that provokes deep theological inquiry, while also leading local congregations, pastors, and lay leaders to consider the implications for ministry within the body of Christ.

Phil Letizia is Associate Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Park Road Presbyterian Church in Hollywood, Florida and holds a Ph.D. from University of Aberdeen in Practical Theology.