
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.
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 5 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% |
