Description
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.
About the Author
John Swinton is Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen. He is the author of 'Dementia: Living in the Memories of God' for which he won the 2016 Michael Ramsey Prize for theological writing
Reviews
"How Swinton brings together God, time, and disability transforms the understanding not only of disability but also of church, society and ordinary life. This is a profound and moving book, both pastoral and prophetic. It takes further the insights of Jean Vanier, and above all invites us into the truth that 'time is for God, God is love, time is for love.'" -- David Ford
With his usual insight and wisdom Swinton has written a timely book on time and disability. Swinton's work is profoundly human and humane because it is so determinatively christological. Becoming Friends of Time is a gift for all of us who struggle to survive in a world of speed." -- Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Divinity and Law, Duke Divinity School
"With characteristic wisdom and grace, Swinton's book invites us to reimagine time through rediscovering the gospel and the life of Christian discipleship in all its fullness in relation to the human experience of disability. His writing is elegant and embodies the gentle, time-full cadence it speaks about, offering a host of compelling insights along the way." -- Thomas E. Reynolds, Associate Professor of Theology, Emmanuel College, University of Toronto
"This book will change your view of time and what it might mean for us to live creatively and radically within the economy of God's time. Swinton proves to be a wise guide as he digs deeply and widely into the complexities of our experience. Philosophy, Spirituality, Pastoral Care and Theology are put to work within an imaginative plea for us to expand the quality of our attention and our tasks of love. These pages open up and out our lives, sympathies, convictions and vulnerabilities into a dialogue with the Christian tradition. We are gently led to reflect on how we might change our thinking in order to respond and act at every turn of the page. Your life will be enlarged through your engagement with this text." -- James Woodward
This book ultimately did live up to its promise. I concur with Ford's judgement: 'This is a profound and moving book, both pastoral and prophetic.' -- Keith Straughan * Reform Magazine, June 2017 *
Swinton offers us profound reflections on some foundational issues and how they are linked. I am not likely to think of any of these issues in the same way as before. There is much in this book which has relevance for our practice as ministers. -- Gertrud Sollars * The Reader, Winter 2017 *
Awards
Winner of Michael Ramsey Prize for Theological Writing 2016 (Ukraine).
Book Information
ISBN 9780334055570
Author John Swinton
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint SCM Press
Publisher SCM Press
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.
About the Author
John Swinton is Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen. He is the author of 'Dementia: Living in the Memories of God' for which he won the 2016 Michael Ramsey Prize for theological writing
Reviews
"How Swinton brings together God, time, and disability transforms the understanding not only of disability but also of church, society and ordinary life. This is a profound and moving book, both pastoral and prophetic. It takes further the insights of Jean Vanier, and above all invites us into the truth that 'time is for God, God is love, time is for love.'" -- David Ford
With his usual insight and wisdom Swinton has written a timely book on time and disability. Swinton's work is profoundly human and humane because it is so determinatively christological. Becoming Friends of Time is a gift for all of us who struggle to survive in a world of speed." -- Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Divinity and Law, Duke Divinity School
"With characteristic wisdom and grace, Swinton's book invites us to reimagine time through rediscovering the gospel and the life of Christian discipleship in all its fullness in relation to the human experience of disability. His writing is elegant and embodies the gentle, time-full cadence it speaks about, offering a host of compelling insights along the way." -- Thomas E. Reynolds, Associate Professor of Theology, Emmanuel College, University of Toronto
"This book will change your view of time and what it might mean for us to live creatively and radically within the economy of God's time. Swinton proves to be a wise guide as he digs deeply and widely into the complexities of our experience. Philosophy, Spirituality, Pastoral Care and Theology are put to work within an imaginative plea for us to expand the quality of our attention and our tasks of love. These pages open up and out our lives, sympathies, convictions and vulnerabilities into a dialogue with the Christian tradition. We are gently led to reflect on how we might change our thinking in order to respond and act at every turn of the page. Your life will be enlarged through your engagement with this text." -- James Woodward
This book ultimately did live up to its promise. I concur with Ford's judgement: 'This is a profound and moving book, both pastoral and prophetic.' -- Keith Straughan * Reform Magazine, June 2017 *
Swinton offers us profound reflections on some foundational issues and how they are linked. I am not likely to think of any of these issues in the same way as before. There is much in this book which has relevance for our practice as ministers. -- Gertrud Sollars * The Reader, Winter 2017 *
Awards
Winner of Michael Ramsey Prize for Theological Writing 2016 (Ukraine).
Book Information
ISBN 9780334055570
Author John Swinton
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint SCM Press
Publisher SCM Press
