learning from autism
This isn’t a book review, but it is about some very good books.
Paul E Miller is the leader of SeeJesus ministries. He is also the author of several recent books about prayer. His book “A Praying Church” is one of the best books I have ever read on getting a church to pray, and won the prestigious 2023 Ministry Book of the Year award from the Gospel Coalition.
But what is particularly noteworthy here is the role that autism plays in his walk with God. The key story he tells about how he learned to pray is things he learned through caring for his non-verbal autistic daughter, Kim.
His wife, Jill, also learned a huge amount from caring for Kim, and now runs a ministry which provides Christian resources for disabled people.
His whole ministry, and the ministry of his wife, have grown out of the gifts that Kim has brought. It’s a wonderful illustration of what I wrote here about how the gifts that God gives his church in non-verbal autistic people, and how they are often best seen in the effect they have on those around them.
John Allister
John Allister is the vicar of St Jude’s Church in Nottingham, England.
He is autistic, and has degrees in Theology and Experimental & Theoretical Physics.