The substance of the latest issue of Theology in Scotland is devoted to autism and faith. The articles are available as pdfs from here.
Editorial
Lina Toth
Autism and Faith
As the title suggests, this issue is devoted to a theme that has become much more prominent in the general public discourse over recent years, yet still lacks sustained attention or an in-depth, creative consideration in the life of the Church as well as in theological thought.
Articles
Rob Lawson
One Autism Story, Two Autism Theories, Many Autism Gifts
This article reflects on how autism interacts with the Christian faith and the Church. From considerations of the lived experience of the author’s son, who has autism, tensions are noted between the two main theoretical stances which are commonly applied to autism and how this has a bearing on a ‘theology of autism’. Of these two stances, it is suggested that ‘Intense World’ theory is more useful because it treats autistic people with greater empathy; ironically, an aspect that an ‘impaired’ Theory of Mind suggests they lack. This has implications for how the Church can learn from and be enriched by neurodiverse people.
Harry Gibbins
Rolling with Advantage: Why Dungeons & Dragons Provides New Insight into the Christian Concept of the imago Dei for Autistic Christians
What is clear through an exploration of disability theology is that the imago Dei is a crucial component of a proper understanding of disability and creation. Whilst the imago Dei provides excellent utility in terms of the spiritual engagement of autistic Christians, there is much to be discovered concerning new pioneering methods of approaching dialogue between autistic and non-autistic Christians. As I shall explore through an autoethnographic study drawing from my own experiences, Dungeons & Dragons is one of these pioneering methods that is a creative tool for autistic Christians. Thus, new methods emerge regarding what the imago Dei means for those on the autism spectrum.
Edward Caney
‘Though the Earth Gives Way’: An autoethnographic Account of Autistic Grief
Through an autoethnographic account of my mother’s death, I reveal how grief and the desolation it brings the autistic person is vastly different to neurotypical models of grief (such as the Kübler-Ross model) determining when, where and how I was permitted to feel my emotions. Grief takes those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) a greater amount of time to work through, often resulting in periods of meltdown and shutdown (heightened anger and fear) as well as an unawareness of the emotion they are feeling. However, I will also show how parental death can also be transformative, providing a powerful reason to persevere.
Krysia Emily Waldock and Precious Nonye Sango
Autism, Faith and Churches: The Research Landscape and Where We Go Next
Although there is a growing field exploring Autistic people, faith and churches, negative attitudes remain towards Autistic people within some faith spaces. Our paper aims to unpick the theological and sociological issues behind negative attitudes, beliefs and practices. We will then tentatively suggest how this projects a neuronormative and able-bodied image of God, and hinders the flourishing of all church members, notably Autistic people. We will then reflect on the current research landscape and knowledge-to-practice pipeline in churches. Finally, we will provide some recommendations for future directions, and practical recommendations for research and practice.
Arts and Culture
Martin Donaghey
Poem: The Band & the Promise
In a fascinating commentary on his approach to making sense – of texts, of art, and of life itself – the author describes the process whereby this poem came into being: ‘In my classically Autistic sensory experience, I encounter texts (trends, places, people) as a collage of individual pieces, which are then assembled together, mutually transforming each other into the pre-constructed whole that Neurotypical people are commonly gifted to see straight-off.’ He asserts that for autistic people, ‘our gifted advantage is an innate ability to construct that world-of-the-text for ourselves; to go on our own journey of meaning just to arrive at a “basic” definition.’
Review Essay
Armand Léon van Ommen, Ian Lasch, Bryan Fowler, Henna Cundill, Chris Barber
Autism Theology: Discussions from an emerging field
This multi-authored book review explores the current state of the field of Autism Theology through a discussion of four recent publications. A concluding section reflects on several key themes in the individual reviews, drawing particular attention to: Autism Theology's focus on the ideas and practices which enable autistic people’s thriving; the importance of the inclusion of different voices in the conversation (including those who are non- or minimally speaking); and the richness which autistic people’s presence and contributions bring to theology and to the Church as a whole.
Reviews
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