Becoming Friends of Time

John Swinton is Professor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He was given the Oskar Pfister Award by the American Psychiatric Association for making an outstanding contribution to religion and psychiatry in 2018.

Acknowledgments Introduction: Time, Disability, and the Fragile Brain Part I. Time and Disability Chapter 1. Thinking about Time: The Tyranny of the Clock Chapter 2. Time and Progress: Disability and the Wrong Kind of Time Part II. Learning to Live in God's Time Chapter 3. Time and Christ: A Brief Theology of Time Chapter 4. Becoming Friends of Time: Love Has a Speed Part III. From Inclusion to Discipleship Chapter 5. Time and Discipleship: Inclusion, Discipleship, and Profound Intellectual Disability Chapter 6. Time and Vocation: Slow and Gentle Disciples Part IV. Reclaiming the Heart Chapter 7. Time and Memory: Dementia and the Advancement of Time Chapter 8. Time and the Heart: Affective Remembering Part V. The Horror of Time Chapter 9. The Horror of Time: Acquired Brain Injury and Personality Change Chapter 10. The Time Before and the Time After: Brain Injury, Human Identity, and the Hiddenness of Our Lives in Christ Chapter 11. Time and Ritual: Funerals for Friends Conclusion: Being in Christ, Being in Time: Every Body Has a Place Appendix: Redeeming Time: A Lived Funeral Notes Bibliography Index

...its invitation to 'timefullness' has profound meaning for everyone, able-minded or otherwise. Page by page, the reader is challenged to evaluate and hone his or her relationship with God, time and others, particularly those with intellectual disabilities. 'In God's time, we do not compare ourselves to the strongest, the fittest, the fastest, the cleverest or the most competitive among us. The only comparison we make is with a God who walks at three miles an hour, a God who waits for us if we cannot keep up and sits with us if we cannot walk. A God who has time for us' (p. 82). This is a message that can only bless and enrich our lives, personally and professionally. Dr. Swinton is to be commended for offering it to us in this profoundly moving book! --Katherine M. Piderman "Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy" ...Swinton's Becoming Friends of Time offers an incredibly profound and refreshing take on not just disability but theology, powerfully reorienting us to a God whose redeeming time graciously offers the gifts of discipleship and vocation to all. --Erin Raffety "Theology Today" "Swinton's book encourages all of us to be attentive, subversive, and faithful in our engagement with time." --Debbie Creamer "Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology" [Swinton's] theological and experiential reflections offer real ways to reimagine discipleship alongside those within life's range of varying differing abilities. Swinton acts as an important and necessary conversation partner for academics and pastors who rely heavily on 'normal' cognitive and neurological development, freeing those with rigid conceptions of practical theology to active, contextual care. --Adam Tobey "Reading Religion" Creative, thoughtful, and convicting. --Bruce M. Hartung "Concordia Journal" In Becoming Friends of Time, John Swinton offers a profound reflection on how our understanding of time shapes our engagement with disability. --Kevin Hargaden "Journal of Disability & Religion" In this excellent book, John Swinton offers a fresh and compelling perspective on theological discussion of disability by reflecting on its intimate relationship with the concept of time. --Alexander D. Garton "Modern Believing" Swinton invites the reader into dialogue with the openness of a pastor, the sensitivity of a nurse, and the diligence of one who has personally witnessed the crises of disability. His writing style reflects his theological approach--practical and accessible. --Nathan Garcia "KronoScope" Theologically rich and pastorally astute. --Aaron Klink "Religious Studies Review" There is much to appreciate and enjoy in reading this rich book, particularly in the way the author goes back and forth between stories of disability experience, biblical narrative, and theological reflection. --Hans Reinders "Studies in Christian Ethics" This wonderfully thought-provoking book by John Swinton takes its cue from such profoundly disabled people to argue that many of the challenges they face would be overcome if time were on their side. --Penny Seabrook "Church Times"