Differences in brain structure and function are at the root of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental disability. Those diagnosed with ASD often do so because of a genetic or other inherited condition that stands out from the norm.
Autistic adults could use more support in their spiritual walk, and they aren’t getting it. Those in need of help don’t often come to groups, churches, or other places where they could get the help they need. Bible studies for autistic adults are a way to reach them on their own level and provide an environment where people can heal and grow spiritually. Bible Study for Autistic Adults is a free resource that assists people with high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in discovering and deepening their faith in Jesus Christ.
You may find it hard to access the right information on the internet, so we are here to help you in the following article, providing the best and most updated information on Bible study for autistic adults. Read on to learn more about Christian autism support. We at Churchgists have all the information that you need about finding god in autism..
Church For Autistic Adults
This Bible study is designed for autistic adults. It is intended to help you develop a better understanding of God and the Bible, as well as provide tools for using scripture in your daily life. The study will be broken into three sessions:
Session 1: Getting Started with the Bible
In this session, we will talk about what the Bible is and how it came to be, as well as some common misconceptions about it. We’ll also talk about what the Bible isn’t (such as an instruction manual), and why knowing these things is important.
Session 2: Learning from the Bible
In this session, we’ll look at some basic principles that are important when reading the Bible—things like context and genre—and then get into how those principles apply specifically to different types of scripture (for example, how we should interpret prophecy differently than history). We’ll also discuss some more advanced concepts such as textual criticism and textual variants that can help us understand better what a particular passage means.
Session 3: Putting It All Together
In this final session, we’ll apply what we’ve learned about interpretation and translation to see how it affects our lives today.
This is a bible study for adults with autism. We will be reading the book of Mark and discussing it together in a safe, supportive environment.
You will find that it is different than most bible studies you have been involved in because:
1) It will be taught by an autistic adult who has been successful in life and wants to share their knowledge with others.
2) It will be focused on practical skills and strategies rather than just information.
3) You can ask questions at any time and we will answer them as best as possible.
4) You may need to take breaks during the class if your body needs it, but we will try to make it work for everyone so that no one gets left behind or feels left out.
This is a Bible study for adults with autism and related disorders.
The goal of this study is to help you learn the Bible in a way that works for you.
Here’s how it works: You’ll be given a passage of scripture, and then asked a series of questions about it. You can choose to answer any or all of the questions; if you don’t feel like answering one, skip ahead to the next one! You don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.
We’re going to go through this passage together, and talk about what it means for us today.
The Bible is a great resource for autistic adults. It contains stories, lessons, and life advice that can help you make sense of your world.
Here are some ways to get started:
- Read the scripture passage each day. This can be done in a few different ways: You could read it out loud, or you could read it silently (if reading aloud is too overwhelming). If you don’t know how to read yet, you can have someone else read it for you through an app like Audible.com or Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet.
- Take notes about the passage and how it made you feel if it was meaningful to you—this might include things like drawing pictures or writing down words or phrases that stood out to you, as well as any questions that came up for you while reading the scripture passage.
- Reflect on how this passage relates to your life today—this could mean thinking about how your past experiences relate to what God wants from us today, or how this scripture passage can apply in other areas of your life (for example: family relationships).
Hello! I am [name]. I am a Bible study teacher and the author of several books on the topic of autism. I have been teaching Bible studies for over 20 years and have found that it is a great way for autistic people to learn about God’s love.
I have created this study for you to use with your group. It will take approximately 60 minutes to complete. Please feel free to make copies of any pages that need to be filled out for each member of your group, or simply have them fill them out individually.
The goal of this study is to help you get to know God better by helping you understand what the Bible says about him. We will look at three aspects of his character: his power (Romans 1:20), his wisdom (Isaiah 11:2-3), and his goodness (Psalm 119:68).
Autism Bible Study
John 9:1-3 ESV / 353 helpful votes
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.
Exodus 4:11 ESV / 170 helpful votes
Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?
Isaiah 54:13 ESV / 135 helpful votes
All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children.
Romans 7:18 ESV / 116 helpful votes
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
1 Peter 2:24 ESV / 77 helpful votes
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
John 12:47 ESV / 77 helpful votes
If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
Exodus 6:12 ESV / 77 helpful votes
But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”
2 Timothy 1:7 ESV / 66 helpful votes
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Jeremiah 29:11 ESV / 62 helpful votes
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Matthew 18:2-5 ESV / 56 helpful votes
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,
Matthew 19:14 ESV / 44 helpful votes
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
1 Corinthians 1:26-30 ESV / 34 helpful votes
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
Romans 14:13-23 ESV / 34 helpful votes
Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. …
Exodus 4:10-17 ESV / 34 helpful votes
But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. …
1 John 5:1-21 ESV / 32 helpful votes
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? …
1 Timothy 5:8 ESV / 32 helpful votes
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Mark 9:1-50 ESV / 32 helpful votes
And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.” And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” …
Isaiah 49:25-51:7 ESV / 25 helpful votes
For thus says the Lord: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued, for I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children. I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine. Then all flesh shall know that I am the Lord your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” Thus says the Lord: “Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce, with which I sent her away? Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities you were sold, and for your transgressions your mother was sent away. Why, when I came, was there no man; why, when I called, was there no one to answer? Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, by my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a desert; their fish stink for lack of water and die of thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness and make sackcloth their covering.” …
Isaiah 39:7-42:5 ESV / 25 helpful votes
And some of your own sons, who will come from you, whom you will father, shall be taken away, and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the Lord that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my days.” Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. …
Isaiah 9:19-20 ESV / 25 helpful votes
Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts the land is scorched, and the people are like fuel for the fire; no one spares another. They slice meat on the right, but are still hungry, and they devour on the left, but are not satisfied; each devours the flesh of his own arm,
Luke 14:11-33 ESV / 23 helpful votes
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” …
Luke 10:18-20 ESV / 23 helpful votes
And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Colossians 3:21-4:6 ESV / 18 helpful votes
Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. …
1 Corinthians 2:9-11 ESV / 18 helpful votes
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
Romans 12:1-21 ESV / 18 helpful votes
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. …
Nahum 1:7-9 ESV / 18 helpful votes
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness. What do you plot against the Lord? He will make a complete end; trouble will not rise up a second time.
James 1:1-27 ESV / 16 helpful votes
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings. Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. …
1 Timothy 6:10-19 ESV / 16 helpful votes
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, …
Jeremiah 32:17-33:7 ESV / 16 helpful votes
‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts, great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds. You have shown signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and to this day in Israel and among all mankind, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day. You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror. …
Proverbs 26:11-23 ESV / 16 helpful votes
Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!” As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth. …
Leviticus 19:14-18 ESV / 16 helpful votes
You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
Exodus 6:5-13 ESV / 16 helpful votes
Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’” Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. …
Revelation 6:1-17 ESV / 14 helpful votes
Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse! And its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. …
James 3:2-5:20 ESV / 14 helpful votes
For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. …
Hebrews 10:1-11:40 ESV / 14 helpful votes
For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; …
Hebrews 3:13-5:14 ESV / 14 helpful votes
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? …
2 Timothy 2:7-3:3 ESV / 14 helpful votes
Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; …
1 Timothy 1:9-15 ESV / 14 helpful votes
Understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, …
Philippians 2:12-4:19 ESV / 14 helpful votes
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. …
Ephesians 2:2-6:24 ESV / 14 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
In which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, …
Autism And Faith
Seven years ago, Christian singer-songwriter Lori Sealy experienced what she describes as a fierce battle against the “old vestiges of atheistic doubt.” It went back to her torturous teenage years and her even more difficult beginnings.
Conceived as a result of an adulterous affair, Sealy was almost aborted. Thankfully, her mother decided to walk out of the abortion clinic at the last minute. Sealy was soon adopted, but her adoptive mother struggled with mental illness. Consequently, their relationship was stormy and didn’t do much to help Sealy wrestle through her spiritual questions. She grew up in a church, but it didn’t help much either.
“From my earliest years I had longed to know and understand God, but my questions were either met with petty pat answers, calls to blind belief, or hypocritical hubris.” Fed up, Sealy “turned the page on God.” And while still in high school she began a new chapter of “theistic disdain.”
In college, six fellow students shared the Gospel with her, prayed for her, and eventually led her to faith in Christ. Still, her conversion didn’t come without a fair amount of “kicking against the goads,” and even afterward, Sealy says her doubts didn’t completely vanish.
Years later she found herself wracked again with fierce doubt, before and while helping her husband, Phillip, plant a church in North Carolina (Redeemer Church, Sylva). She says, “I found myself suddenly fainting in my faith and questioning if anything that I said I believed was truly believable.”
Sealy began consulting a counselor. In the midst of one session the counselor suggested that she be evaluated for autism. Sealy thought the idea was crazy. Nevertheless she conferred with several specialists, who confirmed the counselor’s suspicions: Sealy was indeed on the autism spectrum, albeit on the high-functioning end. The next day, Sealy’s 8-year-old son, Josh, was also diagnosed with autism.
In Sealy’s words, “God knew I needed a lightning bolt straight to the brain if I was going to pay any attention to what my counselor was suggesting.” Sealy was sure that her counselor was wrong. There was no way she was ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder] “with savant characteristics.”
Still, the more she thought about it, the more the evidence piled up. She remembered how as a young girl she taught herself how to smile by staring in the mirror and how she reminded herself to look people straight in the eye. She recalled all the times she felt overwhelmed in places with too much stimulation — a restaurant, a school cafeteria, places where multiple conversations and kitchen sounds all contributed to a sense of chaos and confusion.
The diagnosis helped her understand some of her social struggles, but it also helped cast light on her spiritual ones as well. In 2012, the journal PLoS ONE (now PLOS ONE) released a study that linked difficulties with belief in the supernatural to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism. The study suggested that people with autism are only 11 percent as likely to believe in God as those without autism, largely because people with autism have difficulty “mentalizing” — a sense of assessing what another is thinking, in this case, God. For Sealy, it was as if the missing piece to her puzzle of doubt had finally been identified. She explains:
“With autism there is a neurological ‘disconnect’ in the way that sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch filter through the body. That ‘disconnect’ influences how we view and interpret the world around us. … For the person with ASD, it is as if much of life is interpreted via the short-circuiting route of a neurologically frayed wire.”
She goes on:
“Take the frayed-wire scenario of autistic struggle to connect with the things of the physical world and insert it into the autistic struggle to connect with the things of the spiritual world. If that which is tangible is so hard to grasp, then how much harder that which is intangible?”
As Sealy worked with her son to help him adapt to a world that provided too much sensory overload, she began understanding her own battles as well, particularly her struggles with doubt. This not only brought some measure of relief; Sealy also began to realize that only Christianity has the spiritual answer to autism. We don’t have to “mentalize” what God is thinking, because He has already revealed it to us in His word.
“My doubt and my disability are related,” she says. “That gives me no excuse for sinful doubt. I must repent of that. But it surely helps me to understand why doubt is such an aggravating thorn in my flesh. Like Paul, the persistent prick of that thorn forces me to see that the grace of Jesus is sufficient for all that I face.”
This perspective began to free her to share her struggles with others — both through music and in person. As a musical artist, Sealy began working on an album titled “Begone Unbelief” that explored the experience of spiritual doubt. She also began talking openly about autism with those in her church and wider community. Many responded positively, especially those with children who struggle with autism, who often approached her with questions and for counsel. Others joined with her in prayer. This was a refreshing experience. In the past, members of a previous church had been confused; they didn’t know what to make of Sealy’s doubt. The experience was painful, but it provided a unique and better perspective on how the church can minister to those dealing with both the physical and spiritual struggles associated with autism.
“I am often asked, ‘So Lori, how does the church hold forth the Gospel and minister grace to people with autism in ways that are helpful and not hurtful?’ It’s a great question, because sadly the church has done much that has been hurtful rather than helpful to folks and families living with ASD. … In regard to holding forth the Gospel, we could talk about the ways that altar-call emotionalism and simplistic summons to blind faith can serve as pitfalls rather than pathways to grasping the Gospel. We could walk through the autistic struggle to understand an intangible God and discuss how the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as it is presented in God’s perfect word, builds a tangible bridge to that intangible God. We could look at the idea of rest and the fact that physical rest is unknown to so many who live with autism. And finally, we could take some time looking at the simple means of grace: proclaiming, praying, and practicing the presence of the Gospel when our stories intersect with the stories of a soul on the spectrum — just as six college students did when their stories intertwined with mine.”
But ultimately, the most important thing is to care.
“Care about that man, that woman, that child, that family who is struggling as they war their way through the angst of autism. Care enough to get to know them. Care enough to seek to understand them. Care about them as Christ has cared about you — with intentional compassion.”
As far as Sealy’s battles with unbelief, they still rear their ugly head from time to time, and perhaps more often than not. But in the middle of the storms, she says she is thankful for an omnipotent and compassionate God who “gave me autism ‘that the works of God might be displayed’ in my weakness.”
Autism Christianity
With World Autism Awareness Day, 2 April, approaching, churches need to consider how we accommodate Christians on the spectrum.
For Christians on the autism spectrum, attending church can be a challenge. The combination of socialising, and the sensory experience, along with social expectations of how people should act, can lead to a less than positive experience. Ensuring people on the spectrum have a better experience, and learning how to best utilise their gifts, is part of the church’s calling.
In a piece written for Premier Christianity, Katherine Bale, a Christian on the autism spectrum, says that the way that church buildings and services are designed plays a part in how she experiences things from her pew.
“Before the service, I’m sitting in my seat at church: one or more people are talking to me; the band is playing; the minister is walking in; there’s lots of moving visuals on the screens; several people are wearing strong perfume; there’s loud noise from the heating system; unpleasant coloured electric light. And I am sitting there unable to filter out sensory information that I don’t need, and feeling increasingly tense. By the time the minister starts, I’m not capable of paying attention and it takes a while to be able to calm down and focus. So, there is a lot of hard work for me to do before I can even start to join in with a worship service.”
Autism spectrum disorder is not itself dealt with explicitly in the Bible, as it has only become recognised in relatively recent years. As New Testament theologian Grant Macaskill points out, those who want to think biblically about ASD must look at wider theological principles.
Early research into the autism spectrum began in Germany in the 1930s through the work of Hans Asperger. Asperger understood that particular individuals fit a wider spectrum of attributes. Asperger’s work would become temporarily marginalised, however, as Leo Kanner’s work (which singularly identified people as being “autistic”) became more popular. This would change in the 1990s, however, when Asperger’s work was ‘rediscovered’ and the concept of the spectrum reasserted.
People along this ‘spectrum’, can have a variety of different characteristics. These can include processing stimulation differently, having high or low levels of empathy, and added difficulty in reading social cues.
Some aspects of church services themselves can be challenging for people on the Autism spectrum. Beyond the social aspect of church, and the attendant need to read social cues, the sounds, lights, and sensory experience in general may prove to be challenging.
In ‘Autism Spectrum Disorders and the New Testament: Preliminary Reflections’, Grant Macaskill argues that Christians’ belief in “a radically different account of human being or anthropology, one…derived from the incarnational narrative” means that the church should be a place that welcomes people on the autism spectrum, one that does not evaluate them with the same criteria as our wider society. Macaskill has called for further study and the development of more theology regarding the church and ASD, so that a considered pastoral theology can be developed.
While there is much work to be done in developing this, a few Christians on the spectrum have observed the church’s call to be an inclusive body, including taking up the challenge of making church services more accommodating.
Katherine Bale writes about her experience at Thoughts of an Autistic Christian. In a multifaceted piece on the blog, Ms Bale provides a number of observations about aspects of the service that the congregation should consider in order to better accommodate Christians on the spectrum.
In another piece of advice, she says that churches should train their leaders in understanding ASD and SLD.
This, she writes, includes encouraging people “not to assume someone is being awkward, unfriendly, or rude on purpose, and to give them a chance to be included.”
It should be noted that while the standard diagnostic term ‘disorder’ is widely used, this phrase is not altogether without controversy. It would be a mistake to negatively characterise people on the spectrum, as their neurotypical mindsets also provide them with certain key strengths. Some of those who have found this include ordained ministers who serve the church while also being on the spectrum.
In a piece for Christianity Today, American pastor Lamar Hardwick describes how his experience of being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder helped shape his ministry.
“When I received the news, I knew this was an opportunity to explore my faith in an entirely new way,” he writes.
“Autistic traits such as repetitive behaviour, the need for precision and routine, and even the way my brain processes language have—with practice, prayer, and patience—become assets. They have helped me develop into a visionary pastor and an excellent communicator. I practice, plan, and pray with more effectiveness now because I understand how God works through what some may consider weakness.”
“This journey has taught me to be more graceful and more authentic. It has taught me to share not only my hopes and my faith, but also my hurts and my frustrations. It has taught me to pastor out of my humanity.”