Single Parenting, Disability, and the Church's Blind Spot
- Esau McCaulley
- May 22
- 1 min read
Author and mother of six, Katie Blackburn joins Esau for a conversation around single parenting, disability, and faith. Katie shares her experience raising a son with severe autism, the grief and grace that come with it, and how the church has responded, sometimes with welcome, other times with unintentional exclusion. Together, they explore why single parents and families affected by disability often feel unseen in church spaces, and what communities can do to change that. They also talk about Katie’s new children’s book The Very Best Baseball Game, inspired by a local disability league, and how stories can help us better understand diversity, empathy, and belonging.
0:00 - Show Starts
2:15 - Mount Rushmore of Family Films
7:55 - Single Motherhood
10:42 - Writing as Therapy
18:09 - Sponsor - No Small Endeavor - Award-winning podcast where theologians, philosophers, and best-selling authors talk about faith with Lee C. Camp. Start listening today: https://pod.link/1513178238
19:21 - Church with Single People
24:28 - The Very Best Baseball Game
33:20 - What Can Churches Do for Disabled Children?
42:38 - End Credits
Thank you for this interview! Both my sons were diagnosed with high functioning autism. One is now finishing college and the other one is in a day program and will probably always live with us. Our church experiences were mixed. at a mega church they had so many volunteers that every single week I had to talk to whoever was going to be with my son that day and explain that he may melt down and what to do and just some tips on how to deal with him. Neither one of them seem to make friends all the years we attended that church. I wished they could’ve been more integrated into the church body. I guess that’s hard with…
Let Mike cook! Great to hear him on the podcast!