The Images of God research has been published in the Journal of Psychology and Theology — a peer-reviewed scholarly journal that brings together psychology and theological perspectives. The article, "Imaging God Together: Exploring God and Self-Representation Through Art and Intellectual Disability," presents the full research findings from our work with eleven Ontario-based Christian adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Research Design: Over the course of a year, participants engaged in photovoice (taking and reflecting on photographs), guided interviews, and collaborative art-making. We used the LAMBI God representation scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale alongside these creative, accessible methods to understand how participants perceive God and themselves.
Key Finding: The research demonstrates that rich theological reflection is not contingent upon heightened cognitive capacity. Participants expressed profound conceptions of divine reality through accessible, creative methods — and their insights challenge assumptions that exclude disabled voices from theological discourse.
Six Themes Emerged: God Reaches Down (encountering God in everyday life), You Need a Magnifying Glass (barriers to understanding), Best Friends for Life (relational belonging), It Still Hurts (grief and loss), I Could Conquer the World (self-worth), and I Was Helping the People (active faith expression). Notably, participants strongly associated God with nature and tangible imagery, with one participant reflecting, "He can be an artist. Every day he's an artist."
This publication represents the culmination of years of collaborative work with participants, partners, and supporters. It stands as both a scholarly contribution to the fields of disability studies, theology, and psychology, and as a testament to the theological depth and insight of the people who participated in this project.