Worship through the Lens of Autism course

Details to book here https://www.sarum.ac.uk/short-courses/autism-and-worship/

Autistic and non-autistic people often experience the world around them differently. For example, there may be differences in how they seek or respond to sensory input, in how they communicate or how they think. One is not necessarily better than the other, but our society – and the church – are usually constructed around non-autistic preferences and needs. This leaves autistic people often feel excluded.

Churches aim to be welcoming and inclusive, but many autistic people do not experience churches as such. In this short course, we will explore some autistic and non-autistic differences and what causes autistic (and other neurodivergent) people to feel excluded. We will discuss what a theological response may look like, and we will end with some practical tips and tools for ministers and autistic people to have conversations around worship, theology, and neurodiversity.

The delivery of the course will alternate between input from the course instructor and ample space for input from participants. While the focus is on autism, examples from other neurodivergences such as dyslexia and ADHD will be included and discussed.

With Dr Léon van Ommen, Senior Lecturer in Practical Theology at the University of Aberdeen and Co-Director of the Centre for Autism and Theology. Through practical-theological research, he aims to support individuals and faith communities in their spiritual and religious lives. Léon’s research centres on autism, with a particular interest in listening to the perspectives of those who are most excluded, e.g., non-speaking autistic people or autistic people in ethnically minoritised communities.

You may also like the following events from Sarum College:

• This Friday, 3rd October, 02:00 pm, George Herbert Poetry Weekend in Salisbury
• Next Monday, 6th October, 06:30 pm, Modern Mystics: Dorothee Sölle in Salisbury, Wiltshire
• Next Tuesday, 7th October, 10:00 am, Celebrating Black Spiritual Poetry in Salisbury

Also check out other Workshops in Bethany.