The God of Order I don’t think God is autistic or neurotypical. He is God, which means he is different
Miscellaneous
Is Autism an Identity? There’s a big difference between saying “an autistic person” and “a person with autism”. By and
Unclear Dietary Advice TV doctor Michael Mosley always used to say that one square of dark chocolate a day was
Autism, Music, and Emotion There’s a strong connection between emotion and music. I’m not usually very emotional, but music in
Justification and inclusion Another angle that it’s worth using to think about inclusion is the angle of the classic Reformation
Embracing disability Let’s think about the question of disability through the lens of Luke 14:1-24. It is the account of
Overwhelm Overwhelm is a common experience for many autistic people. Neurotypical people experience it too from time to time, but
An Analogy from Acts Some people would say that the problems experienced by autistic people in society and in the
The TRee of Life In the Genesis story, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God, the effect wasn’t just on
The Tower of Babel The story of the Fall doesn’t end in Genesis 3. It continues to echo onwards in
The heavens declare… The Bible Project’s suggested translation of the Lord’s Prayer uses “skies” where
Neurodiversity in scripture The IMAGE OF GOD What is the best way of understanding autism? There are several common models
Culture Fit and Discrimination The idea of “culture fit” is an important one. It’s originally from the world of
Neurodiversity in scripture The Genesis of Autism One of the great things about autism is that it should force us
Free Parking! Shops aren’t obliged to follow through on badly-worded offers. But apparently, car parks are! (This does not count
Misconceptions about autism H.L. Mencken wrote these words, which seem particularly true when it comes to autism: There is
Book Review – Autism and Worship This is an academic book about how autism interacts with liturgy. The author
Metaphors I recently wrote a piece about Autistic Focus which was basically an extended metaphor written by an autistic person
Why We Need Autistic People One of the consequences of reflecting on passages like 1 Corinthians 12 and 1
Pillars of the church This is part of a short series about some of the key features of Christian tradition
Focus, Windows and UNIX Focus is another one of those things that works differently between autistic people and neurotypical
MI5 and Neurodiversity There’s a great article on the BBC News website about an autistic MI5 (British secret service) officer,
SeeJesus What About Non-Verbal Autism? 1 Corinthians 12 learning from autism This isn’t a book review, but it is about
Also on 1 Corinthians 12 Part of the Body of Christ What About Non-Verbal Autism? 1 Corinthians 12 Further Reading
1 Corinthians 12 Shepherds of the Body of Christ What About Non-Verbal Autism? 1 Corinthians 12 Further Reading What About
Can Autistic People do Empathy? At one level, the answer is easy. Of course autistic people are capable of empathy!
Pillars of the church This is part of a short series about some of the key features of Christian tradition
Pillars of the church This is part of a short series about some of the key features of Christian tradition
“If anyone loudly blesses their neighbour early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.” Proverbs 17:24
Inclusion or Burnout? A fascinating study (see links) has just been published, which found a strong correlation between burnout and
The fundamental question that makes all the difference when it comes to inclusion is what we do with Jesus.
Bricks and Stone Temples This is a continuation of Bricks and Stones. Last time we used the metaphor of building
Treating people like bricks is objectifying them. Treating people like stones gives them the space to be who they
The world treats a lot of the things I find easy as unusual or difficult. And it treats a lot
If we want a diverse church then we need to be connecting with the community, and helping them connect with
The AutisM spectrum Autism is usually talked about as a spectrum disorder. That’s because it isn’t a simple condition that
Saint Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was a monk and scholar who is generally regarded as perhaps the most important
God is Neurodivergent Just a quick random thought… “ Neurodivergence refers to the natural variation in how our brains function.
Tips for Inclusion Here’s a helpful summary video from the Centre for Autism and Theology at Aberdeen. Their five top
Different groups of people have different cultures. My autism effectively shifts my culture so that I’m like a foreigner in
Alarming Statistics The statistics around autism and mental health are shocking. For example, this BBC article “Young autistic people still
What About Non-Verbal Autism? We used to have a kid called Isaiah at church. He was non-verbal autistic – he
What is Neurodivergence? It’s sometimes unkind to assume that everyone is like us. Here’s an example. How many legs do people
“He was one of my heroes when I was a boy, and I know that I’m far from alone in
We Aren’t a Church Neurodiverse Church is not a church. “Neurodiverse” is a word that should describe all healthy churches,