The next presentation on the second day of the Answers for Women Conference was given by Stacia McKeever and was entitled, Made in His Image? Understanding Disabilities from a Biblical Perspective. Much like Dr. Purdom's presentation on the biblical answer to racism, Mrs. McKeever's presentation was a personal one, born out of her experience as a mother of a disabled child.
Mrs. McKeever began her presentation by asking an intriguing question: Do imperfections cast doubt on our Creator? There are some who would say that God is not involved in genetic mutations but this line of thought ends up in a bad place. She then went to the scriptures to help us see the answer to her question.
God says in Jeremiah 1:5 that He formed Jeremiah in the womb. In Psalm 139:13 David says that God formed him. Isaiah 43:7 says that God has formed and created all who are called by His name for His glory. In Isaiah 49:5, Isaiah says that God formed him in the womb to be His servant. God told Moses in Exodus 4:11 that it is He who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing and the blind. So God forms babies in the womb just as they are--including those who are disabled.
Mrs. McKeever made it abundantly clear that man's sin in Adam is responsible for all disabilities. That being true, God is still in control of all things and He is the ultimate author of life, even though we are responsible for all of our actions and our actions have consequences. So how do the consequences of our sin and the sovereignty of God intersect?
She stated it like this: Genetic mutations and disabilities are part of God's handiwork--they are providential mutations/disabilities. A clear example of this from the Bible is the man who was blind from birth in John 9:1-3. Jesus' disciples asked whose sin caused the man's blindness--his or his parents. Jesus replied that it was neither. The man was born blind so that the glory of God might be revealed in him. A providential disability. God creates people just as they are for His glory and for our good.
So why do we say that God creates the healthy babies but deny His involvement in disabled babies? Why do we talk about God's goodness only when things go well? God defines "good" in terms of what makes us more like Jesus, not what makes us happy!
Those who deny that God creates people with disabilities often do so because they don't see how God can be good AND create some people with disabilities. But if God has not created those with disabilities, then they are "mistakes" or "errors" in humanity--just as evolution says they are. And as "mistakes/errors" they can be deleted--just as the eugenics movement says they should be. Mrs. McKeever explained that when we deny the sovereignty of God in disabilities, this is the reasoning we end up with. They are either random/accidental/erroneous results of sin, or they are the intentional and providential creation of God, who uses our sin sinlessly and to His own glory.
Mrs. McKeever ended her session with these thoughts:
- God creates some to live with disabilities for His glory and our good.
- EVERY child is a gift from God (Psalm 147:17).
- God is good AND He creates some with disabilities.
In Part 6 I'll post Mary Mohler's encouraging session on memorizing scripture.
Resources:
Did God Create Williams Syndrome?
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