When Thom and Blanca Siebels’ third child, James, was diagnosed with autism, they found it increasingly difficult to maintain normal family life. How did their church respond to them? In this interview, the Siebels pour out their heart and recount their experiences.

Video taken from Beyond Suffering: A Christian View on Disability Ministry Related Links To find out more about disability ministry or to get involved, visit the Joni and Friends website.

The Christian Institute on Disability at Joni and Friends aggressively promotes life, human dignity and the value of all individuals – despite their disabling condition–from a biblical perspective through the Beyond Suffering course.

Beyond Suffering: A Christian View on Disability Ministry is a groundbreaking course of study created to transform the way Christians view God’s plan for disability and suffering. The textbook is the Word of God accompanied by a comprehensive collection of professional articles written by over 35 experts in ministry, education, sciences and disability advocacy. This course contains 16 lessons, which are supported by video case studies and organized in to four modules:

• An Overview of Disability Ministry
• The Theology of Suffering and Disability
• The Church and Disability Ministry
• An Introduction to Bioethics