Time is central to all that humans do. Time structures days, provides goals, shapes dreamsaand 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.
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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 Godas 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
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[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 ReligionThis 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 TimesCreative, thoughtful, and convicting. -- Bruce M. Hartung -- Concordia JournalTheologically rich and pastorally astute. -- Aaron Klink -- Religious Studies Review"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
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781481304085
Publisert
2016-10-15
Utgiver
Vendor
Baylor University Press
Høyde
228 mm
Bredde
152 mm
Aldersnivå
01, G
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
255

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