Is Disability a Spirit of Oppression?

Health and healing are truly a blessing from the Lord. You might be familiar with the John chapter 9 text where Jesus heals a blind man. It says, “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” When the disciples asked Jesus this question, they were under the assumption that the man, or his family, had likely done something in opposition the Lord and deserved to be blind. Even today, there are Christian leaders who believe and teach that people who endure suffering have done something to deserve the punishments. Some leaders even take this concept one step further and believe that people who do not experience good health, healing or “blessings” are actually under a spirit of demonic oppression. The unfortunate part of this is that individuals and families who are affected by disability have likely been confronted by these teachings within the Church. I know plenty of people who have experienced this firsthand, including myself. 

If you follow any accounts related to disability and the Church, you may have seen the recent video from Pastor Greg Locke. It has shown up several times on my social media feed as friends have texted and tagged me on Facebook. Each time I see it I feel the same pain in my stomach. The sermon is titled, “Desperate for Deliverance.” I’ve watched the entire message from start to finish to ensure that nothing I read was twisted out of context. The following are some quotes I pulled from his message: 

“Are you telling me my kid is possessed? No! I’m telling you that your kid could be demonized and attacked, but your doctor calls it autism.”  

“Don't get mad at me, I'm talking. We say things like this 'well, I just got OCD.' You know why you do things that are out of the ordinary over and over and over, and it ticks you off if it's not done? Because you have a spirit of oppression, that's why. You ain't got OCD." 

"I don't care if you leave or not, I'm telling you there's deliverance in the name of Jesus Christ for your children and their children's children." 
“Did you know on three occasions kids were brought to Jesus—not of their own will or of their own volition but by their parents—that had epileptic fits. Anger issues. Outburst of emotion. And because we’ve called it possession, parents refuse deal with it.” He continued, “Jesus cast out that oppressing spirit and the child was made whole that very hour in the Bible.” 

When I heard his message, I was angry, really angry. I could not help but think of my son and of the many people I know and love who have autism or special needs. I’ve wondered if this man ever befriended someone with autism or sat with a struggling family who is impacted by disability. 

Desperate for Deliverance 

While there were several points in the sermon that evoked strong feelings, one simple phrase kept sticking out to me, “Desperate for Deliverance.” Every time my eyes glanced at the YouTube video sermon title I recalled my moments, days, months, and years of desperation. I’ve been desperate for deliverance. I’ve given my entire life to supporting and helping my child and I would volunteer to do it again and again for the rest of my life. But in the times where I’ve spent hours in a day restraining my son and fighting for professional support only to be told repeatedly, “we see you need help, but we can’t help you.” I’ve felt helplessness, defeat, fatigue, and desperation. At one-point things were so bad in my home that I couldn’t drink water because I didn’t want to use the bathroom and leave my son unattended. We’ve fasted, prayed, begged, screamed, and cried out to the Lord. I know what it’s like to be desperate for deliverance. If I lacked anything during this time it was sleep and ounces of a personal life, yes. But faith I had, Pastor Locke.  

Ain’t no such diagnosis in the Bible 

“Ain’t no such diagnosis in the Bible,” he said referring to a child who has autism. 

I have type one diabetes. There is no diagnosis of type one diabetes in the Bible, but I will testify that my disability is every bit of real, and I am not demonized. Just because something isn’t mentioned in the Bible doesn’t mean it's of demonic influence. I think one of the (many) reasons this sermon bothered me so much was because I’ve personally encountered Christian leaders like Pastor Locke. Shepherds who have told me that I simply didn’t have enough faith to be healed. I’ve been told my faith and belief in healing was not “serious enough.” I so desperately wanted the deliverance Pastor Locke speaks of, to the point that I had stopped taking my medication. I trusted leaders like him and have willingly submitted to their teaching so much that I could have caused serious physical harm to myself. If anything appears to be of demonic influence it’s leading a new believer into thinking her sin caused her ailments and the only way to be healed could possibly kill her. The damage caused by this type of teaching cannot only lead to physical problems, it further outcasts an already marginalized group of people. 

Outcasting the Marginalized 

I will continue to pray for my son and for myself to be healed but at what point does my desire to be relieved of suffering become greater than my desire to trust the Lord? I cannot make an idol of my desire to be healed. Without my personal health struggles and my son’s diagnosis I wouldn’t have gotten to be a part of The Banquet Network. I would not have met amazing families whose diagnosis has drawn them closer to the Lord. I fully believe that I would not be a follower of Christ without me and my son’s disabilities. They are the very thing that led me to God, and they are the very thing that keeps me on my knees in submission to Him. 

While I was saddened and even angered to hear Pastor Locke’s sermon, I’m thankful this video was brought to light because it’s a reminder to us all that this type of teaching exists in our churches. The stigma that families impacted by disability lack faith or did something to deserve a life full of trials is incredibly damaging. The oversimplification that their struggles can be prayed away is wrong. It isolates families like mine who already feel like such a burden to the church. 

The Works of God Displayed 

While I fully believe God can heal, I also encourage you to view disability in a different light. When the disciples asked what the blind man in John 9 did to be born blind, Jesus responds, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Jesus proceeds by healing the blind man in an out of the box kind of way. One where my Sunday school students always break into a chorus of, “Gross!” However, note that Jesus didn’t cast any demons out. He didn’t rebuke a spirit of oppression. He healed the man and said the reason for his blindness was for God’s glory to be displayed through him. What if we too opened our eyes to the idea of disability being a blessing, a way that God might be glorified?  

At The Banquet Network we fully believe that individuals impacted by disability are created in the image of God on purpose and for a purpose. If you or your church would like more information about how the Church can welcome individuals and families affected by disability, we would be honored to help! Fill out our Coaching Interest Form here!

Katie Matthews is the Executive Director for The Banquet Network. For more stories like this one, go to our blog page, or click to connect, learn or donate to the mission of The Banquet Network.