This book I’m reading right now is both thought-provoking and very frustrating. It is “On the Spectrum: Autism, Faith, and the Gifts of Neurodiversity”, by a Christian man–you guessed it–on the autism spectrum. I don’t agree from a theological perspective with everything that he writes.
Have some understanding
In one of his chapters, “Service and the Spectrum,” he talks about how, before his autism diagnosis (which was in his adulthood), he felt pressured to serve in his church in ways that were very, very difficult for him. The reason for that is that he would experience sensory overload while serving. He also had difficulty being flexible with changes that would often happen. He says:
Many neurotypical Christians don’t need to claim deeply personal ownership over their service decisions* – they can often be “plugged in” to a ministry, per church parlance. They can fill in at the Lunch Box [his church’s soup kitchen] without thinking a whole lot about what it will cost them emotionally, without rearranging their entire week. Or they can do something a bit more time-consuming: serve a term on the vestry or teach a Sunday school lesson… Those same decisions might well undo me. (pg. 122)
His goal of the chapter is to help neurotypical people understand how something that seems to be simple can be very challenging for someone with ASD (autism spectrum disorder).
Many gifts, one Spirit
I do agree with this in a way. However, I take issue with it as well. All I see in this paragraph is comparing various service opportunities to each other and ranking them in order of difficulty. That is just not helpful, true or good! To assume that serving in a soup kitchen is easy for most people is what all assumptions are: a bad one.
I will say that I can agree with him on the later portion of the chapter where he discusses 1 Corinthians 12.
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Cor 12:7-11)
In his book, the author says,
What if we substitute “neurotypicals and autistics” for “Jews or Gentiles” [v.13]? Or what if we substitute for “a message of wisdom” given through the Spirit (v.8), “miraculous powers” (v.10), and so forth for that which is carried out in my church (Lunch Box, altar guild, vestry, nursery, etc.)…? (pg. 128)
Denying yourself to serve
This is exactly how we need to think about service. Each person has been given different gifts, abilities, and capacities which God wants them to be faithful in using. If each person is standing before God and asking God to help him count the cost (Luke 14:28-30), deny himself and take up his cross (Luke 9:23), that is all that needs to happen. How a person decides to serve in his church and community is between himself and God.
🤔💭 Tell me what you think.
Have you ever thought that one way of serving is better than another? Have you ever aspired to serve in a way that you found you just were not able to?
*Don’t even get me started on how misleading this is. Yes, it may be true that people don’t need to claim deeply personal ownership over their service decisions, but they should. That’s for some other blog.