Receiving the Gift of Laughter: How Joy Transforms the Life of an Inclusive Congregation

Abstract

In this article, the role of laughter in Christian communities is studied, specifically in its relation to the inclusion of people with disabilities in these communities. A case study is presented and reflected upon from a socio-philosophical framework. Subsequently, theological considerations on laughter are introduced and discussed. The concluding argument of the article is that laughter should be considered a charisma to adequately understand and value its role in (Christian) communities.

Keywords:

• Disability
• inclusion
• laughter
• church
• charismata

Notes

1 The field of Disability Studies has done much to show how disability can be conceptualized within different models. A concise overview of those models, including the social model which I refer to here, is given by Retief and Letšosa (2018).

2 Vathorst is an example of what is called a VINEX-location in Dutch. Neighborhoods like this were built as part of a national plan for providing addition housing. Churches struggle to find their place in these neighborhoods as there is generally no place for church buildings in the plans for these neighborhoods. Marten Van der Meulen (2006) studied how Dutch churches cope with this.

3 Remarkably, the discussion of this work within the context of HVV led to the publication of a Dutch translation of this book (Hauerwas & Vanier, 2016).

4 For example the work of Benjamin Wall, who wrote a practical theology of Jean Vaniers ideas about community (Wall, 2016).

5 First and foremost, as Jean Vanier himself stressed: L’Arche is not a church. Cf. for example how he writes about the necessary connection between communities like L’Arche and the institutional stability of the Roman Catholic Church (Vanier, 2007, pp. 8–10).

6 Fieldnotes 2016-04-17.

7 Interview with Ada, 2018-03-07; Fieldnotes 2016-04-17. Names in this article have been changed from the original to protect the privacy of participants.

8 Interview with Joost, 2018-03-12.

9 Interview with Henk, 2018-02-21.

10 Interview with Gerrit, 2018-02-26.

11 Fieldnotes 2017-04-16.

12 Interview with Niels, 2018-02-28.

13 Fieldnotes 2018-03-11.

14 Fieldnotes 2017-12-10.

15 Fieldnotes 2017-03-26.

16 Fieldnotes 2017-11-05.

17 Interview with Frederik, 208-03-02.

18 Interview with Mr. and Mrs. Wortman, 2018-05-01.

19 Column by Joost Smit, 2017-03-28.

20 A concise overview of these and other theories of laughter is provided by Berryman (1998).

21 It should be mentioned that it is not impossible to study laughter’s essence, but it does prove to be a complicated exercise that does not help our reflection in this article. Provine (2001) gives an example of an in-depth account of the ‘anatomy of laughter’.

22 It should be noted here that I explore the broad ecumenical theological tradition in its relation to laughter, rather than a more defined sub stream of this tradition. In this case, it could have been useful to investigate the Reformed tradition’s own understanding of laughter, as this is the ecclesial background of the case studied in this article. However, there is not a lot of literature available on this topic. In broad terms, within Reformed circles we can see a shift from a more reluctant posture towards laughter in the church’s life towards more appreciation for it. The reluctance is testified to, for example, by a former Kampen professor of Practical Theology C. Trimp (1991, p. 33) in the way he treats the Risus Paschalis that will be discussed below, which he describes as a ‘nonsensical tradition from the dark Middle Ages’. The appreciation might be explained by the broader societal trend of informalization and more specifically by charismatic renewal within Reformed churches, which leads to more informal styles of liturgy.

23 A fuller treatment of Eco’s novel and the role laughter plays in it is given by Kuschel (1994).

24 Interview with Joost Smit, 2018-03-12.

25 Column by Joost Smit, 2017-07-09.