Belonging Without Cure: Resurrection, Disability, and the Church's Present Obligations

Christian communities can affirm the dignity of people with disabilities while organising their participation around the expectation of eventual recovery. This article examines the theological problem created when cure becomes an unstated condition of full ecclesial belonging. Through a constructive reading of John 20:19–29 and 1 Corinthians 12:12–27, it argues that the church’s recognition of its members cannot depend upon the removal of impairment, the demonstration of independence, or conformity to conventional measures of usefulness. The argument engages disability theology alongside classical and contemporary interpretations of Christ’s resurrection body. It distinguishes the persistence of bodily marks from the continuation of suffering and therefore avoids treating the risen Christ as straightforward proof that every present impairment must remain eternally unchanged. Its central proposal is that uncertainty about the precise form of resurrected embodiment does not justify uncertainty about present obligations of care, participation and shared authority. The article develops a practical test of this claim: whether a congregation’s arrangements would still sustain meaningful belonging if a member’s condition never improved. Christian hope should enlarge the church’s capacity to live faithfully with enduring disability, rather than postpone that responsibility.