Christine Guth is a leader for the Asperger/ High Functioning Autism Parent Group of Goshen, which meets the first Monday of most months in Goshen, Indiana.

Two articles on Mark 5:1-20 reflect on the story of a man from whom Jesus cast out a legion of unclean spirits (often called the Gerasene Demoniac). While not equating demon possession with mental ilness, author Christine Guth suggests that persons with mental illness find much to identify with in the character in this story.

• Legion No More: Confessions of a Gerasene (Mark 5:1-20)
  (A first-person, fictional narrative from the point of view of the Gerasene Disciple)
  
• An Insider's Look at the Gerasene Disciple: Biblical Interpretation from the Social Location of Mental Illness

Both articles were originally published in the Journal of Religion, Disability and Health, Vol. 11(4) 2007.

Newly revised!
Faith Communities that Include People with Asperger Syndrome
"The presence of  someone with AS in a faith community offers that community an opportunity to examine the commitments it shares and consider how well these commitments are expressed toward members who seem different in some way.... Although we typically focus on the shortcomings of the person with AS, this article considers the shortcomings of the rest of us." 
To read more...

Oops...Wrong Planet! Encountering Asperger Syndrome as Cross-Cultural Experience

Asperger Syndrome in the Community of Faith
Reflections from a parent's perspective on how congregations can be hospitable to those with Asperger Syndrome.

For a concise introduction to Asperger Syndrome, see the May 2006 issue of ADNotes.

Web Resources on Asperger Syndrome: A short annotated list of recommended websites

Asperger Resources for Young Adults: An annotated list of books and websites for young adults and college students with Asperger's Syndrome. Also lists life skills and college programs for young adults with AS.

Recursos sobre el Síndrome de Asperger y el Autismo. List of Spanish language Internet Resources on Autism and Asperger Syndrome. 

Disabling Disability
    "We who live with disability need biblical interpretation, theology, and practices of church life that give us life and do not participate in the stigmatizing and marginalizing of people with disability. A God who brings good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and freedom for the oppressed (Lk. 4:18) invites and empowers the church to become a community where no barriers of belief or practice block the full respect, participation, and contribution of persons with diverse abilities and disabilities." To read more...

Mental Health Care Access: Anabaptist Responses to A Discriminatory System.
    A look at ethical issues surrounding access to mental health from the perspectives of providers and consumers.
    "Mental health care in the United States is available through a diverse and minimally coordinated collection of public and private services and facilities. At its best, this patchwork of services has problems with coordination among the various parts. However, as vulnerable people sometimes discover, there are big holes in the patchwork-gaps in care that make it difficult or impossible for some people to access the care that they need. This paper examines issues of economic justice pertaining to access to mental health care."  To read more...

Voices in Disability Theology
A bibliography of contemporary theological reflection on disability. The bibliography was prepared to accompany a seminary introductory presentation on disabilities theology.