All articles by Ros Bayes
Ros is training resources developer at Through the Roof.
For many years now my go-to author in times of difficulty has been Samuel Rutherford. My thoughts have been turning to him again recently because almost 400 years ago he experienced exile under house arrest – confined indoors and allowed no contact with his loved ones. This was all long before the days of…
Read moreBaron Shinkwin, a disabled member of the House of Lords, has introduced a private member’s bill, The Abortion (Disability Equality) Bill. This proposes that the time limit for abortion of foetuses, where there is a ‘substantial risk’ of ‘serious handicap’, should be brought into line with the time limit for non-disabled foetuses. The bill…
Read moreThere’s a story in the Gospels, recounted by both Mark and Luke, about a paralysed man who can’t get to Jesus without some assistance. So four of his friends pick up the mat on which he lies and carry him through the streets to the house where Jesus is teaching and preaching. But on…
Read moreThe nation was shocked in 2011 when the BBC’s Panorama programme exposed the scandalous, everyday abuse of people with learning disabilities at Winterbourne View. There was much hand-wringing from the authorities, and promises that people who were inappropriately housed in private care homes and NHS units away from their families would be found more…
Read moreThe Enabling Church Conference, organised by the Churches for All network of Christian disability charities, took place at Bethel Convention Centre, West Bromwich, in June. It was truly inspiring to be in the company of 400 enthusiastic people, all committed to church as God planned it, a church with no one, regardless of physical,…
Read moreHow shocked would you be if a local minister said to you, ‘Oh, we don’t really bother about women in our church; they’re too complicated, we don’t really understand them’? Or: ‘To be honest, we’re not interested in engaging with non-white people. The cultural differences are so great, we don’t see how we…
Read moreGrace and glory John was arguably the person closest to Jesus during his three years of incarnate ministry. He described himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved; it was he who sat closest to Jesus, in deep friendship, at the Last Supper. And it was John who said of Jesus, ‘We beheld his glory,…
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