Embodied-Souls and Neurodiversity 

If you follow my blogging ministry at all, then you know that I write a lot about what the Bible says about our being embodied-souls—a complex unity of body/soul. For a summary of my writings, here’s a link to 48 Resources for Counseling the Whole Person (42 of these resources are free). The Bible clearly and consistently teaches that our brain/body influences and interacts with our soul/mind/heart in complex, interelated ways. (See 112 Biblical Passages on Being Embodied-Souls.)

What you likely do not know is that I have a strong personal interest in neurodiversity and especially in autism. One of our precious granddaughters is on the autism spectrum. In fact, six years ago we moved to Seattle specifically to provide grandparenting help to our granddaughter(s).

Recently Tim Challies alerted me (and many, many others) to an excellent article posted at the Gospel-Centered Discipleship site authored by Allyson Reid. You can access her post here: The Neurodivergent Believer.

In today’s post I want to introduce you to the concept of neurodiversity, outline reasons why all Christians would be wise to learn more about neurodiversity, then briefly connect neurodiversity to my biblical-theological studies of how God designed us as embodied-souls, and finally ask some important personal and ministry application questions.

What Is Neurodiversity (Neurodivergence, Neurodivergent, Neurotypical)? 

For many of my readers, it likely will be helpful to begin with a brief introduction to terms. I’ll use the description from the Cleveland Clinic article quoted by Allyson Reid in her post: Neurodivergent.

“Neurodivergent” is a modern label used to describe individuals whose brains function differently from the majority of people. The label includes a variety of diagnoses, such as autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Down syndrome, dyscalculia, dyslexia, dysgraphia, and more (Cleveland Clinic, 2022).

“Neurotypical” describes those with conventional brain development whose behavior follows societal “norms” in relation to social interaction, learning, and perception.

The term “neurodivergent” came from the related term “neurodiversity” which recognizes that everyone’s brain develops in a unique way. Like a person’s fingerprints, no two brains—even those of identical twins—are exactly the same. Describing a person as neurodivergent acknowledges that they’re “differently abled.” Neurodiversity means it’s naturel for adults and children to develop differently and have their own abilities and struggles.

If you are unfamiliar with these terms, then I would encourage you to read the Cleveland Clinic article and to read Allyson Reid’s post.

Why Is Neurodiversity (Neurodivergence, Neurodivergent, Neurotypical) Important? 

If you do any Christian ministry, then you would be wise to familiarize yourself with current thinking on neurodiversity.

• Are you a biblical counselor? Do you counsel every person in an identical way without considering how each individual is differently processing your words, your body language, your relationship with them, your homework assignments, their relationships, their emotions, their world, etc., etc., etc.?

• Are you a children’s minister, children’s teacher, children’s pastor? Do you consider the effectiveness (or lack of effectiveness) of your teaching and curriculum based upon the different ways children in your ministry are digesting the teaching environment, the lesson, the structure, their relationship with other children in the class, etc., etc., etc.?

• Are you a preaching pastor? Do you consider how the different people in your congregation are experiencing the worship environment, the “meet-and-greet time,” and assimilating your sermon methodology and delivery, your applications, your illustrations, etc., etc., etc.?

• Are you neurodivergent…and perhaps do not even know it? For instance, have you often wondered why social situations that seem “easy” for others are quite awkward for you? Or, another for instance, do perceiving emotions in others or processing your own emotions seem more difficult for you than for others? Or, for example, have you often wondered why chaotic, noisy environments easily overwhelm you while they seem to be enjoyed by others? Or, another example, have you often struggled with math, or reading, or writing, or other learning “comprehensions,” where others seem to zip through those situations?

• Are you neurotypical…and perhaps never, ever thought about how easily you handle some situations that other folks really struggle with? Maybe you are a church elder and you insist on meet-and-greet times during Sunday morning worship services, never realizing that for some people this “chit-chat” time is excruciatingly painful, while for others it is deeply shallow. Perhaps you handle stressful, chaotic situations easily, and just don’t “get it” when some other folks seem “so easily overwhelmed.” Maybe you assume everyone handles emotions just like you, and you (secretly) perceive others who are “more emotional” as “weaker” than you; or perceive others who are “less emotive” as not as “caring” as you…

Neurodiversity (Neurodivergence, Neurodivergent, Neurotypical) and Our Embodied-Souls 

Of course, the modern terminology of neurodiversity, neurodivergence, neurodivergent, and neurotypical are man-made. Jay Adams often talked about how secular psychology research and theory can be a catalyst motivating us to devour scriptural teaching about a given topic/issue.

As I ponder neurodiversity, I recognize that the Bible consistently declares:

• That God created and designed us each uniquely, including our neurodiverse physical brains,
• That our fall into sin impacts us each holistically, including our neurodiverse physical brain,
• That God’s redemption and sanctification involves our whole person, including our neurodiverse physical brain, and,
• That our final glorification involves our whole being—our embodied-souls—including our neurodiverse physical brain.

Some of the passages that help develop theses concepts include the following (also see 112 Biblical Passages on Being Embodied-Souls):

• Biblically, we know that God designed us as a complex, interactive, holistic, unified combination of body/soul, mind/neurodiverse brain (Genesis 2:7; Psalm 8:3-6; Psalm 104:27-30; Psalm 139:13-18; Jeremiah 1:4-5; Acts 17:24-28; 1 Corinthians 15:45-49; Hebrews 2:5-8). Biblical we know that God created every one of us to be different and unique—we are each fearfully and wonderfully and uniquely handcrafted by God (Psalm 139:13-18; Jeremiah 1:4-5). God rejoices in our differences, and commands us to understand and minister to one another in our unity in diversity—including our neurodiversity (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31).

• Biblically we know that our fall into sin impacted us holistically as embodied-souls, affecting our brain, body, soul, spirit, mind, will, emotions—all of us—including our neurodiverse physical brains (Genesis 3:17-19; Romans 7:4-25; Romans 8:19-27; 1 Corinthians 15:35-58).

• Biblically we know that in our redemption and sanctification, our brains impact our minds and our inner person impacts our outer person—including our neurodiverse brains (Psalm 73:26; Proverbs 16:24; Proverbs 17:22; Matthew 26:40-46; Luke 2:40, 52; Luke 22:45-46; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 2 Corinthians 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24; James 3:2; 3 John 1:2).

• Biblically we know that our final glorification includes our entire embodied-soul—spirit, soul, and body—including our neurodiverse brains—kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:28; 1 Corinthians 15:20-58; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Philippians 3:21; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).

A Testimony from a Neurodivergent Believer 

Allyson Reid’s personal testimony as a neurodivergent believer helps us to see how practical all of this is to daily Christian living and ministry. Here are a few examples from her blog post.

“As believers, we acknowledge that God created each brain uniquely. The Apostle Paul describes this diversity within the body of Christ, emphasizing that each member has a distinct role (1 Cor. 12:12–27). Despite this diversity, being neurodivergent in a predominately neurotypical world can present unique challenges. Even within the church setting, I question how much eye contact I give or whether I’m accurately picking up on unspoken social cues. I miss opportunities to discuss my favorite theological concepts when I’m distracted by how loud the fluorescent lights are, adjusting the scratchy tag in my shirt, and feeling a deep anger while listening to the person smacking gum next to me.”

“In 2 Corinthians, Paul speaks much about the body, sanctification, and our hope of glorification. “So we do not lose heart,” writes Paul. “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Cor. 4:16). Intended for the Corinthian believer experiencing adversity, this verse also shows the distinction between body and soul. Church history affirms this bipartite view of body and soul, though some have wrongly devalued the importance of our physical bodies. Our bodies have worth because God made them in his image and declared them good (Gen. 1:26–31). Additionally, Christ’s redemptive work extends beyond our spirits and encompasses our entire being, including our bodies (Rom. 8:23; Phil. 3:20–21). Because of this new identity in Christ, we are compelled to pursue obedience and Christlikeness with our body and soul, but we pursue it while taking into consideration our physical needs and challenges.”

“Neurodivergent believers know well that there is a struggle or tension in this pursuit. During a period of increased panic attacks, I told a pastor that despite continually focusing on the truth, it felt like my body was betraying me. I did not know that research shows anxiety is frequently comorbid with autism, with some 40% of autistic adults also having a diagnosed anxiety disorder. Instead, I had grown up hearing that Jesus’s commands to not be anxious meant all anxiety was sinful, stemming from a lack of faith. I remain thankful for my pastor and his wife’s presence and support during this time as they regularly met with me and my husband. They wisely recognized that these panic attacks were not due to a lack of faith but my body’s struggles to cope with the increased demands of a stressful season. My struggles then and my current struggles now are a combination of body and soul.”

Our present challenges as neurodivergent believers seeking to glorify God in an overwhelming world, are a “light momentary affliction” compared to the “eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17). We find comfort in knowing sanctification is a progressive work that God will faithfully see to completion (2 Cor. 5:5). One day, we will “put on our heavenly dwelling” (2 Cor. 5:2) where our transformed bodies will contribute to the magnificence of God’s creation without any hindrances (2 Peter 3:13). I will still be uniquely made in his image, hopefully even keeping some of my neurodivergent traits. But praise God that anxiety, lack of focus, struggles to communicate with others, and overwhelm by the world will no longer restrict my worship and service to him! “Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4b).

Questions for Personal and Ministry Application 

1. Is our biblical counseling model “one-size-fits-all,” or do we build our model of counseling on how God fearfully and wonderfully made each counselor and each counselee to be different-by-design?

2. In our church-based children’s ministry, are we ignorant of or aware of the different ways that children process content, lessons, materials, interactions, relationships, emotions?

3. In our pulpit ministry of the Word, are we ignorant of or aware of the different ways that members of our congregation process our preaching, our words, our methods, our illustrations?

4. In our models of sanctification, do we falsely assume that Christlikeness looks like me and how I am wired, instead of biblically knowing that Christlikeness looks like each person uniquely reflecting Christ?

5. In our view of emotional maturity, do we falsely assume that emotional maturity looks like how I handle and express emotions, or do we realize that emotional maturity may well look different from person to person?

6. In our view of Christlike relationships, do we falsely assume that relational maturity looks like the “consensus Type-A, extrovert, Western, neurotypical” way of relating, or do we realize that relational maturity may well look different than our culturally-perceived concepts?