Summarised by Tanya Marlow, with a few edits and additions from me

[The full article can be read here or at the journal here]

The paper is about the author’s own experience of being a neurodivergent Christian. (Neurodivergent means autism and other different ways of thinking and being. The author, Naomi, is autistic and dyspraxic and has ADHD.) Naomi also quotes from two other autistic people. They have all found church very difficult, mainly because church is set up to be better for non-autistic people. But also because non-autistic people can be very prejudiced against autistic people. 

This ties into theology when it comes to talking about the humanity of autistic people. Some non-autistic researchers are so prejudiced about autistic people that they think autistic people aren’t fully human. Or they treat autistic people like children. Or they make silly assumptions like ‘all autistic people can’t speak.’ Or they think autistic people aren’t as clever as non-autistic people. 

These attitudes affect our theology of sin and suffering. Many autistic and neurodivergent people see themselves as whole people, created by God, and a vital part of creation. God’s creation is diverse, and so are we. But many non-autistic people can only see being autistic as negative. Non-autistic people talk about autism like it’s a disease (e.g. they say ‘this person has autism but it will be cured in heaven’). This can make autistic people feel very unsafe, because theologians are writing about them without truly knowing what it’s like to be autistic. Churches often expect everyone to act in the same ways as non-autistic people, and they think that way is better than being autistic. 

Naomi explains that we need autistic people to be heard more in church and theology. Autistic people need to be included in church. That means we have to make space for people who socialise in different ways, or who prefer silence. 

An important point Naomi makes is that a lot of people think autistic people can’t empathise, and that this makes them less human. That, of course, is not true. Autistic people can empathise, but the people they understand the most are other autistic people. They do work hard to understand non-autistic people because they have to: the world is set up for non-autistic people to thrive. Non-autistic people think they are the best at empathising, but really they are only good at empathising with other non-autistic people. Because they are in the majority they don’t try as hard to empathise with autistic people. This means autistic people often feel silenced and left out. 

Naomi ends by talking about the stories that neurodivergent Christians tell about ourselves. These are joyful stories, about thriving as the people God created us to be. We are telling other people about the diversity of God’s creation, including us. Naomi is encouraged by a community of autistic and neurodivergent Christians, telling new stories about ourselves and about God.