5 min read
Harry Gibbins is a doctoral researcher at the University of Aberdeen. His PhD concerns the intersection between autism and Christian ministry focusing on exploring the lived experience of autistic Christian ministers. He is autistic himself with his research developing from his own experience of working for churches as an autistic Christian. His background is in youth ministry, having graduated from Oasis College of Higher Education in 2019, working in both a Christian and non-faith-related context. Since then, he has successfully studied for a master’s degree in theology at the University of Aberdeen in preparation for his doctoral project.
Harry is part of the Centre for Autism and Theology (CAT), a network of researchers involved in this field that is also based in Aberdeen. CAT encourages a dialogue between autistic and non-autistic researchers to allow for rich and progressive research. In particular, Harry oversees the development of a reading group project aimed at encouraging conversations among autistic Christian leaders.
Alongside the focus on autism and theology, Harry also takes an interest in the work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the influence of theology on art and culture, as well as the broader discipline of disability theology.
Outside of the University, Harry is a big fan of the table-top role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons (D&D). D&D has become a focus of his theological work outside of the thesis having written and spoken about its value elsewhere.
