[Photo above: Dr. Daniel Rempel (right) and Dr. Ryan Turnbull discuss Rempel’s new book, A Disruptive Witness: Intellectual Disability & the Christian Life, during a conversation with the Providence community.]
OTTERBURNE, MB — On a cool autumn afternoon, more than 35 people gathered in Providence’s outdoor courtyard on October 14 to celebrate the launch of A Disruptive Witness: Intellectual Disability & the Christian Life, a new book by Dr. Daniel Rempel, Assistant Professor of Biblical & Theological Studies at Providence University College and Theological Seminary.
The book explores a compelling question: What can the lives and experiences of people with intellectual disabilities teach the Church about God, Christian witness and what it means to live faithfully?
From Community Living to Disability Theology
For Rempel, the questions behind the book began long before his doctoral studies. After completing his undergraduate degree in Biblical and Theological Studies at Providence, he spent time working with adults with intellectual disabilities at enVision Community Living, a non-profit organization in Steinbach, Manitoba. The experience proved formative, introducing him to the field of disability theology and prompting him to consider how his practical experience and theological interests might inform one another.
“I learned to love working with and being with adults with intellectual disabilities,” Rempel shared during the launch.
That experience also raised deeper questions about transformation, Christian witness and the role of human relationships in understanding God. His book, which began as part of his PhD research, grew out of a desire to explore these questions through the work of Swiss Reformed theologian Karl Barth.
Rethinking Who Bears Witness to God
Rempel was first introduced to Barth’s theology by Dr. Randy Holm, a (former) Providence professor who encouraged his undergraduate theological interests. Barth’s emphasis on the person of Jesus Christ became an important foundation for Rempel’s exploration of Christian witness. But A Disruptive Witness is not simply an academic study of theology. Rempel focuses on how the lives of people with intellectual disabilities challenge familiar assumptions about faith, discipleship and who is understood to participate in God’s work.
He described this disruption as something that gets “under the skin” of our accustomed ways of seeing the world. Rather than treating disability only as a matter of improving access to existing structures, he invites readers to consider how the presence and perspectives of people with intellectual disabilities can reshape the way we understand the Church and the Christian life.
Throughout the book, Rempel begins chapters with vignettes drawn from people’s lives, grounding theological reflection in concrete human experience. As he explained during the discussion, Christian witness is never merely theoretical; it takes place through tangible acts in the world.
A Witness That Challenges the Church
The book launch concluded with Rempel reading aloud an excerpt from his book’s conclusion, returning to its central message: people with intellectual disabilities do not need to meet additional expectations to qualify as witnesses to God. They, too, encounter God and participate in the life and witness of the Church, offering insights into Christ that the wider Christian community needs to hear.
The theme echoes 1 Corinthians 1:27: “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.”
For Rempel, this passage points toward the importance of listening to perspectives that are too often overlooked. People with intellectual disabilities are not simply recipients of the Church’s care; they are present members of its community whose lives can offer glimpses of God and deepen the Church’s understanding of faith. Through A Disruptive Witness, Rempel invites readers to approach these relationships with patience, curiosity and a willingness to see the Christian life differently.
A special thanks goes to Dr. Heather Macumber, the Chair of Providence University College’s Biblical and Theological Studies department, who hosted the book launch event, and to Dr. Ryan Turnbull, who moderated the discussion. Turnbull is a 2013 Providence graduate and now works as a Discipleship Developer for the Diocese of Rupert’s Land and is a Visiting Fellow at St John’s College.
