I will with God's Help: A Pastoral Response to Modern Baptismal and Formation Challenges through a Lens of Disablitity Theology in the Anglican Church of Canada.
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Authors
Evetts, Christopher A.
Issue Date
2026-05
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
School of Theology Thesis 2026 , University of the South, Canada, Anglican Church, Community
Alternative Title
Abstract
The purpose of this project is to prevent a hopeless future in the Anglican Church of Canada, where we focus on pity and defeat rather than the hope and glory found in God within our present, local community. The Anglican Church of Canada is changing; some might say it is at a tipping point, where the growing secular nature of Canadian culture is arguably influencing some of the most fundamental aspects of our faith. While this may look like a difficult spot to be in, it's certainly not an impossible place to be, and the lens through which we should view this challenge is baptism. However, as we will discover, we have deficiencies in our understanding of baptismal theology across various contexts, including our history of colonization. As a result, these gaps found in baptismal theology can be resolved through the theologies of the marginalized, specifically for this project, disability theology. The use of disability theology to examine both baptism and community formation is crucial because it reveals a shift in understanding Christian identity from an ableist perspective on the normal embodiment of a person to a more holistic approach based on relationships with one another and with God. The hope is that, to help the church navigate future challenges, we can recover our baptismal identity as we learn from those who have been doing this work from the margins.
Description
Citation
Publisher
University of the South