Becoming Friends of Time - (Studies in Religion, Theology, and Disability) by John Swinton (Paperback)

About the Book

In the end, Swinton invites the reader to spend time with the experiences of people with profound neurological disability, people who can change our perceptions of time, enable us to grasp the fruitful rhythms of God's time, and help us learn to live in ways that are unimaginable within the boundaries of the time of the clock.

Book Synopsis

Time is central to all that humans do. Time structures days, provides goals, shapes dreams--and limits lives. Time appears to be tangible, real, and progressive, but, in the end, time proves illusory. Though mercurial, time can be deadly for those with disabilities. To participate fully in human society has come to mean yielding to the criterion of the clock. The absence of thinking rapidly, living punctually, and biographical narration leaves persons with disabilities vulnerable. A worldview driven by the demands the clock makes on the lives of those with dementia or profound neurological and intellectual disabilities seems pointless.

And yet, Jesus comes to the world to transform time. Jesus calls us to slow down, take time, and learn to recognize the strangeness of living within God's time. He calls us to be gentle, patient, kind; to walk slowly and timefully with those whom society desires to leave behind.

In Becoming Friends of Time, John Swinton crafts a theology of time that draws us toward a perspective wherein time is a gift and a calling. Time is not a commodity nor is time to be mastered. Time is a gift of God to humans, but is also a gift given back to God by humans.

Swinton wrestles with critical questions that emerge from theological reflection on time and disability: rethinking doctrine for those who can never grasp Jesus with their intellects; reimagining discipleship and vocation for those who have forgotten who Jesus is; reconsidering salvation for those who, due to neurological damage, can be one person at one time and then be someone else in an instant. In the end, Swinton invites the reader to spend time with the experiences of people with profound neurological disability, people who can change our perceptions of time, enable us to grasp the fruitful rhythms of God's time, and help us learn to live in ways that are unimaginable within the boundaries of the time of the clock.

Review Quotes

...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"

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'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"

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"

About the Author

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.