Neurodiversity and God

This section is in early development, so it's still a bit rough and sparse. Thanks for your patience.

Lovely, because God loves us...

Unfortunately, the church has at times done harm by referring to "demons" in the Bible as mental illness or neurological disorders. It's consistent with a narrative that uses people with disabilities as token characters to talk about good and bad, sin and redemption in ways that exclude people and relegates them to being "broken" or in need of salvation, rather than blessings in the church. We lament this use.

A better theology of neurodiversity views diversity as a good thing, even if it brings some challenges along with it. In Genesis, God looks at people and says, "they are good." In the Jesus Storybook Bible, God's words are described in this way: "And they were lovely. Because God loved them." This is how God calls us to see all people--as lovely.

All people are complicated. We can have challenges, struggles, and differences while also being blessed agents of God's work in the world. Recall Psalm 139:14:“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are your works that I know very well.”

Diversity is not a bad thing, or even a by-product of creation. Diversity is part of God's plan. Neurodiversity is thus a part of God's plan. Therefore, when we look at, talk about, and engage with people who are neurodivergent, we do so as partners.

A theology of disability:

It is society that disables people, not our births, our experiences, or God. We don't need ramps for people with wheelchairs because they are incomplete people, but because our society is geared toward people with two fully functional legs. We typically evaluate people based on what they "do," (often our first question for people we meet is, "What do you do for a living?"), not on who they are. A traditional definition of what is means to be human is to have a mastery of something or another. Then when someone lacks an ability (they have a "dis-ability"), we evaluate them as less than a full person. Rather than viewing people as flawed or incomplete, God calls us to view people as having diverse and different abilities.

Books that examine a theology of disability (links to Amazon):

Click the tabs above to explore more ways neurodiversity is evident in the Bible.

Neurodiversity in the Bible

The word "neurodiversity" is not in the Bible. However, the Bible reveals that God has a special love for people who don't fit in (check out the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12). Jesus frequently eats with outcasts, lifts up the overlooked, welcomes the marginalized, and blesses those who feel left out.

The Apostle Paul writes: "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses."

- 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 -

Although it's not helpful to attempt to diagnose people in the Bible with neurological conditions, we can see ways in which people in the Bible think and act in a wonderfully diverse number of ways. Here are some examples . . .

Noah - Being Left Out, Until Not
Noah walks with God, but no one else is. He doesn't fit in with people. And then he builds a boat in his backyard.

Walking a different path and building a giant boat are not easy tasks. It takes bravery to be different when other people think you are ridiculous. It takes very unique technical skills and intense focus to build an ark. It's almost as if Noah relates better to animals to people. God utilizes Noah's divergence and unique skills to bring redemption not just to people, but to all of creation.

Jacob - Wishing He Was Someone Else

Jacob is a master of masking. From the womb, he is constantly wishing he were someone else. He isn't the stereotypical boy, spending time in the home with his mother, rather than going out to hunt and fish. Yet he craves to be like his brother. He literally dresses up like Esau to fool his blind father to receive his blessing. Jacob utilizes his intellect to compensate and get "ahead" in the world, and is often surprised by the anger of others who can't see things from his perspective. Jacob is not fully at peace until is wrestles with God at the Jabbok River and becomes comfortable with who he really is. Through this man always trying to be someone else, God creates a people who will eventually come to define themselves by God.

Moses - When Words are Tough
Moses wasn't good with words. He gets into trouble when he lashes out in anger and violence. When God calls him to approach Pharaoh, Moses resists. He protests that he is slow of speech. Confident in Moses' gifts for leadership, God is undeterred by this disability, and surrounds him with a community of people who help him be the person God calls him to be. Through Moses, we see that someone who isn't confident or eloquent can be life-altering and liberating agents of God.

David - Left brain/right brains Collide

This king was a song-writer and a warrior. His strong emotions offer both beautiful gifts (the Psalms) and monumental challenges (inappropriate behavior). His artistic thought process is part of what makes him a great general. His emotions and honesty are inspiring and life-changing. God works through David to hone the identity of God's people and God's care for things that are beautiful.

Elijah - Depression and Despair

Like many of the prophets, Elijah speaks the truth without sugar-coating it. He names things as they are, and it makes people very uncomfortable. Their discomfort leads to Elijah's isolation. He often finds himself on the run, alone and depressed. At times, he yearns to just die. In one of these instances, God sends an angel to touch him, feed him, and send him on his way. God speaks to him in a still small voice, empowering Elijah to carry on his mission.

John the Baptist - When Looks Don’t Matter, But Justice Just Does
Along with Elijah, John the Baptist is very vocal. He doesn't mince words ("You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee the wrath to come?!?"). He doesn't know when to remain quiet (such as when talking about Herod). He doesn't care about what other people think of him. He doesn't care about his appearance, his smell, or what he eats. He is intensely focused on justice, to the exclusion of nearly everything else. Most people would think he is gross. And yet, this is the man God chooses to herald the coming of the Messiah.

Matthew - The Obsessive Writer
Biblical scholars theorize that Matthew the tax collector was actually the writer of the book of Q (Quelle--a listing of direct quotes of Jesus) that became the foundation for the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. He was likely detail-oriented, toting around a notebook, scribbling in it instead of talking with people (he wouldn't have been a very good tax collector if he wasn't detail oriented). We have his diligence and intelligence to thank for our ability to know exactly what Jesus said. The Chosen TV series offers a beautiful portrayal (imagined, but thought-provoking) of Matthew struggling with social interaction even as he offers essential gifts to the work of the disciples.

Peter - Thinking About Everything
The first leader of the church was constantly getting ahead of himself. He is always always moving and always talking. He struggles with not knowing the plan and feeling out of control. So he often says awkward and unhelpful things. He tries to tell Jesus what he should be doing. In spite of his anxiety, his compulsiveness, and his hyperactivity, Peter leads the church to grow.

Want to hear more about this?

We're working on videos that retell these 8 Biblical stories. Rather than describing these heroes of faith as perfectly faithful, lovable saints, these retellings will describe them as thinking and acting in atypical ways. These traits cause them all kinds of challenges, but they are also the very means by which God blesses the world--not in spite of their uniqueness, but because of it.

Videos coming by spring 2026 to this website and YouTube. Self-print books with these stories and accompanying resources will be made available here by summer 2026. If you'd like to be notified when these become available or to provide feedback on early drafts, please fill out our contact form.

All are Valuable

Neurodivergent folk have God-given talents and passions that are vital to the church and the world, and they are sorely missed if absent.

The Apostle Paul reminds of how important every person is:

“For just as the body is one and has many members . . . so it is with Christ . . . The members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this . . . If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.”

- 1 Corinthians 12:14-27 -

So often, we are focused on containing or "accommodating" those who are neurodivergent. However, if we aren't empowering them to share their God-given gifts, we are missing out. Although we might imagine that we are welcoming and inclusive, the statistics don't bear that out. Many neurodivergent people do not feel included and empowered. Studies bear this out (click image for more information):

Neurodiversity and God

This section is in early development, so it's still a bit rough and sparse. Thanks for your patience.

Lovely, because God loves us...

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