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Studies in Religion, Theology, and Disability
Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship
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 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.
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 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.
255 pages, Hardcover
Published October 15, 2016
54 people are currently reading
824 people want to read
About the author
John Swinton
110 books73 followersJohn Swinton (born 1957) is a Scottish theologian. He is the Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the School of Divinity, History, and Philosophy, University of Aberdeen. He is founder of the university's Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability. He is an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland and Master of Christ’s College, the university's theological college. Swinton is a major figure in the development of disability theology.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
February 27, 2024
This is on my short list of the most important books I've read in the past 5 years. Such an insightful exploration of the idolatry of efficiency and independence! Swinton explores the gifts that those with disabilities bring to our communities by inviting us to slow down and remember that loving well takes time. Among the topics he plumbs are severe congenital cognitive disability, dementia, and brain injury. He challenges our tendency to think of words or knowledge as central to discipleship.
This is a book to savor. I'm so grateful for it.
This is a book to savor. I'm so grateful for it.
June 9, 2023
This took me way too long, but this is a great read. Not a ton of new information, but Swinton’s chapters on dementia and horror are the two most constructive. He effectively opens up a gap for discussing human experience beyond the totalizing claim of neuroscience. I’m interested to see how it can be mobilized to include not memory loss, but madness in which memory and time (both huge themes here) are reworked, rearranged, etc. What does that look like in the context of God’s time, or in what Swinton calls “being hidden in Christ?”
January 22, 2025
4.5 stars! This was pretty dry, but Swinton did a fantastic job of displacing the centrality of the brain as the essence of our humanness, and rightly replacing our identity in the centrality of Jesus. This is a wonderful practical theology for those who have loved ones with mental disabilities, dementia, or have experienced brain injuries.
Even though this book was not about baptism, it caused me to understand the paedobaptist view better than any other work I’ve read on the topic!
I loved his point about moving from mere acceptance of our brothers and sisters in Christ with mental disabilities to intentionally discipling them! I was hoping he’d spend more time elaborating on that point but he didn’t.
Also- the whole concept of what he calls “timefullness”- seeing time the way God does, will have me chewing on this for a long time.
Even though this book was not about baptism, it caused me to understand the paedobaptist view better than any other work I’ve read on the topic!
I loved his point about moving from mere acceptance of our brothers and sisters in Christ with mental disabilities to intentionally discipling them! I was hoping he’d spend more time elaborating on that point but he didn’t.
Also- the whole concept of what he calls “timefullness”- seeing time the way God does, will have me chewing on this for a long time.
February 17, 2025
A couple days after I finished this book, I handed it to a friend to read so I don't have any quotes to share or refer back on—but my immediate desire for other people to read it should be recommendation enough.
My only quibble with this book is that Swinton is tying together multiple different ideas—time, disability, acquired brain trauma/personality changes, dementia, memory, discipleship, vocation, identity—and even though he lays out the roadmap at the beginning and reaffirms his thesis throughout, sometimes I still felt a little lost as to how they all connected. I think this is something that would be fixed upon a reread or even a discussion with someone else who has read the book which is why I'm giving it a full five stars.
Swinton has a wonderful blend of rigorous academic thought and warm personal examples. He has walked alongside people who live with disability, dementia, and personality change as well as their supporters, caregivers, and loved ones.
From rough notes I took when I finished the book, here are some ideas that stood out to me:
• We are guests in the lives of those with disabilities—they are not just interruptions or additions (however warmly we might welcome them) to ours. What would it look like to view our relationships that way?
• All the discussion of our modern Western idolization of speed and efficiency was very convicting.
• Jesus is not outside of time nor is he bound by it—but he is timefull. That made me cry. If Boethius is right that time is a creation and if Augustine is right that all things that have been created are good (insofar as they are creations)—well, then. Time isn't the enemy. Time flows from God and so it is good. And even as the fall broke it, he redeems it.
• Another thing that made me cry was Swinton's assurance that even with dementia or personality changes, we are not lost because our identities are ever hidden in Christ.
• I loved the practical ideas (written by someone who has done this!) for having a funeral for a past self after a traumatic brain injury that significantly alters someone's personality.
• Disabled people have a vocation just as much as able-bodied do, and the call for them to be discipled—and to disciple!—is still true for them as well. What does that mean for how interact in church communities?
As someone who has always felt like time is an obstacle, a pursuer breathing down my neck, a threat to what I love and hope for, this book was an epiphany and a song of hope. And as someone who has dealt with a minor physical disability and understands at least a little how it feels to be on the outside of the normal, it was a great comfort. I think there is much more work to be done, especially in incarnating these ideas, but the beauty of this book is its stories of how that incarnational work is already happening. It's an invitation to join other believers who are learning what it means to live in God's time and to join God himself in his timefullness.
My only quibble with this book is that Swinton is tying together multiple different ideas—time, disability, acquired brain trauma/personality changes, dementia, memory, discipleship, vocation, identity—and even though he lays out the roadmap at the beginning and reaffirms his thesis throughout, sometimes I still felt a little lost as to how they all connected. I think this is something that would be fixed upon a reread or even a discussion with someone else who has read the book which is why I'm giving it a full five stars.
Swinton has a wonderful blend of rigorous academic thought and warm personal examples. He has walked alongside people who live with disability, dementia, and personality change as well as their supporters, caregivers, and loved ones.
From rough notes I took when I finished the book, here are some ideas that stood out to me:
• We are guests in the lives of those with disabilities—they are not just interruptions or additions (however warmly we might welcome them) to ours. What would it look like to view our relationships that way?
• All the discussion of our modern Western idolization of speed and efficiency was very convicting.
• Jesus is not outside of time nor is he bound by it—but he is timefull. That made me cry. If Boethius is right that time is a creation and if Augustine is right that all things that have been created are good (insofar as they are creations)—well, then. Time isn't the enemy. Time flows from God and so it is good. And even as the fall broke it, he redeems it.
• Another thing that made me cry was Swinton's assurance that even with dementia or personality changes, we are not lost because our identities are ever hidden in Christ.
• I loved the practical ideas (written by someone who has done this!) for having a funeral for a past self after a traumatic brain injury that significantly alters someone's personality.
• Disabled people have a vocation just as much as able-bodied do, and the call for them to be discipled—and to disciple!—is still true for them as well. What does that mean for how interact in church communities?
As someone who has always felt like time is an obstacle, a pursuer breathing down my neck, a threat to what I love and hope for, this book was an epiphany and a song of hope. And as someone who has dealt with a minor physical disability and understands at least a little how it feels to be on the outside of the normal, it was a great comfort. I think there is much more work to be done, especially in incarnating these ideas, but the beauty of this book is its stories of how that incarnational work is already happening. It's an invitation to join other believers who are learning what it means to live in God's time and to join God himself in his timefullness.
April 11, 2023
DENSE in a great way. Took me soooo long to read because it is theologically and informationally heavy so couldn’t read a ton at one time. So much to process even now. BUT I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone who is evenly slightly interested in the intersection of theology and disability. So informative, so helpful and perspective-shifting. Gave 4 stars and not 5 only because a few things I theologically didn’t fully agree with, but they’re not hills I’m willing to die on. READ! THIS!
Primarily, the contrast made by Swinton about the difference between a person with disabilities being included in a space, versus being loved in and belonging in a space, is something that I will be thinking about for a long time.
“The idea of inclusion therefore works well at the level of politics and social justice in that it enables people with disabilities to achieve certain goals and at least a minimal level of acceptance. It is, however, much less successful in opening spaces wherein “mere encounters” can lead to meaningful friendship, belonging, and love. This observation is not a by-the-way for Christian communities. It is the ability to love, not the ability to include or tolerate, that is a primary mark of discipleship”
Primarily, the contrast made by Swinton about the difference between a person with disabilities being included in a space, versus being loved in and belonging in a space, is something that I will be thinking about for a long time.
“The idea of inclusion therefore works well at the level of politics and social justice in that it enables people with disabilities to achieve certain goals and at least a minimal level of acceptance. It is, however, much less successful in opening spaces wherein “mere encounters” can lead to meaningful friendship, belonging, and love. This observation is not a by-the-way for Christian communities. It is the ability to love, not the ability to include or tolerate, that is a primary mark of discipleship”
January 4, 2021
It's truly something special when you read something hoping to learn how to be more compassionate and end up receiving compassion instead.
September 11, 2021
Practical, accessible, and one of the most important books I’ve read in 2021. Swinton calls for the church to recognize the calling of people with disabilities: their gift of slowing us down, of teaching us to be “timeful” and present in the world. These ministers of timefulness are absolutely necessary for those of us caught in the rat race, those of us who see time as a commodity rather than a space God has gifted us to love.
I found Swinton’s discussion concerning identity fascinating as well—if who we are is “hidden in Christ,” anyone dealing with brain-related illnesses needn’t be afraid that they would “lose themselves.” The essence of who we are resides not in our ability to think or remember as our culture would like us to believe, especially those pushing for the eradication of brain-damaged individuals. Rather, who we are is more mysterious and deeper than what we can define, an esse that is hidden away from sight but is undoubtedly there.
And of course, if we ever do experience something like Alzheimer’s (which, Swinton repeats, is only a matter of time if we live long enough), we should mourn the loss of our functions and abilities. However, as our lives are embedded in the narrative of Christ’s death and resurrection, we , and those alongside us, must not simply see disease as an “end,” but an opportunity for new callings and methods of discipleship. There are fruitful discussions of how the liturgy of the church can be helpful to remind the congregation of her anthropology as well, rituals and bodily ways of knowing being preferred to the sort of church service that’s centered around knowing the Bible in our heads. Highly recommend!
I found Swinton’s discussion concerning identity fascinating as well—if who we are is “hidden in Christ,” anyone dealing with brain-related illnesses needn’t be afraid that they would “lose themselves.” The essence of who we are resides not in our ability to think or remember as our culture would like us to believe, especially those pushing for the eradication of brain-damaged individuals. Rather, who we are is more mysterious and deeper than what we can define, an esse that is hidden away from sight but is undoubtedly there.
And of course, if we ever do experience something like Alzheimer’s (which, Swinton repeats, is only a matter of time if we live long enough), we should mourn the loss of our functions and abilities. However, as our lives are embedded in the narrative of Christ’s death and resurrection, we , and those alongside us, must not simply see disease as an “end,” but an opportunity for new callings and methods of discipleship. There are fruitful discussions of how the liturgy of the church can be helpful to remind the congregation of her anthropology as well, rituals and bodily ways of knowing being preferred to the sort of church service that’s centered around knowing the Bible in our heads. Highly recommend!
September 21, 2024
Such a unique and unexpectedly important read. I hadn’t directly considered the intersection of disability and time or spent a lot of thought on intellectual disability. Swinton gives a really compelling case for the centrality of a modern understanding of time to characterizations of disability of all kinds, then offers a theology of time—“God’s time”—to correct our relationship to both. His picture of the intellectually disabled as disciples, as essential pieces of the body of Christ, as having God-given vocations, hits hard. I appreciate his cautious handling of disability studies issues and reliance on first person experiences of disability where possible.
Two reasons it’s 4 not 5 stars: he writes like a theologian with a science background (he is one), which leans less than clear and less than engaging. Some of his stories and examples also get a smidge mawkish, which I’m pretty sensitive to for people writing about disability. Overall pretty minor concerns for a valuable book.
Two reasons it’s 4 not 5 stars: he writes like a theologian with a science background (he is one), which leans less than clear and less than engaging. Some of his stories and examples also get a smidge mawkish, which I’m pretty sensitive to for people writing about disability. Overall pretty minor concerns for a valuable book.
July 21, 2023
Thank you again, Dr. Swinton. I expect I’ll refer to this book for many years to come, for help and guidance both professionally and personally. If it’s not “me and Jesus” but rather “us and Jesus,” the treatment of people who experience time differently than I do - whether because of brain injury, developmental disability, or dementia - is probably up for reconsideration. Maybe such lived experiences are meant to be instructional to us all. Maybe such persons, so often unseen, can help to move us a bit closer to the realization of God’s Kingdom come via a life of Sabbath, or timefullness, and of gentle discipleship. Maybe the “strangers” among us can help to make the world a bit less strange.
June 28, 2023
Transformative.
April 5, 2019
As a minister, as a father a child with down syndrome, and having worked with persons with traumatic brain injuries during college and seminary, I have a lot of interest in the topics covered here. While perhaps not being convinced by every single point Swinton makes, this book was excellent. Swinton engages with the difficult problems that arise with disability by emphasizing God's interaction with time, time as a gift from God, time as a gift we give others, the need for creative discipleship (and not mere "inclusion"), and our identity being firmly grounded in Christ (not in our own perceptions of who we are).
January 23, 2025
I dissected and digested this for over a year. This was one of, if not the best, books I’ve ever read, and I plan to return to its pages often. “The gentleness and vulnerability of [someone with a disability] life was a place of revelation wherein passion and love as well as inner demons crept into the light. It is hard to resist reflecting on this powerful vignette in the light of the passion of Jesus. Jesus who is gentle, Jesus who commands love, Jesus who walks slowly at the speed of love evoked anxiety, violence, and dissonance.”
“Jesus walked slowly; Love has a speed.”
“Jesus walked slowly; Love has a speed.”
March 15, 2024
Extremely unique book written with thoughtful and gentle attention to God's time and how it relates to our stewardship of disabled people in the church community.
I will never look at a clock the same and after reading a few passages to my husband, who can be a clock worshipper, even he was moved. (One of Swinton's points seems to be that our Western Society has made an idol of the creature time).
John Swinton convinced me that time is a creature created by God. The purpose of the creature time is "best conceived as as an aspect of God's love for the world. As an aspect of God's love the purpose of time is to facilitate and sustain love." (Page 58).
This is an expensive book and I know the cost will be prohibitive and a decision breaker to many people. Please know it is unlike any theological book I have ever read. I am so grateful that I have this book in my possession, and have read it, and will refer to passages often.
The Tyranny of the Clock, Time and Christ, Time and Progress (by the way I was sickened to read about Darwin and "the retarded" in his book The Descent of Man. Darwin spoke of idiots who smell their food before eating it and uses people with intellectual disabilities as a bridge between animals and man in his evolution theory). Really the first half of the book was so informative and resonated with me so much. The second half of the book got a bit harder to read and understand. I could not read large portions at one time. Nevertheless the second half is helpful and important.
Carmen Imes reviewed this book and rated it highly. (I had just finished Being God's Image and could not stop thinking of it in relation).
**Added later. Also wanted to mention I was glad that Swinton discussed those that are disabled by virtue of their support for others, those whom work demanding jobs with no respite, caring for others in their off work hours. He brings up the point that the body of Christ should help those people too.
I will never look at a clock the same and after reading a few passages to my husband, who can be a clock worshipper, even he was moved. (One of Swinton's points seems to be that our Western Society has made an idol of the creature time).
John Swinton convinced me that time is a creature created by God. The purpose of the creature time is "best conceived as as an aspect of God's love for the world. As an aspect of God's love the purpose of time is to facilitate and sustain love." (Page 58).
This is an expensive book and I know the cost will be prohibitive and a decision breaker to many people. Please know it is unlike any theological book I have ever read. I am so grateful that I have this book in my possession, and have read it, and will refer to passages often.
The Tyranny of the Clock, Time and Christ, Time and Progress (by the way I was sickened to read about Darwin and "the retarded" in his book The Descent of Man. Darwin spoke of idiots who smell their food before eating it and uses people with intellectual disabilities as a bridge between animals and man in his evolution theory). Really the first half of the book was so informative and resonated with me so much. The second half of the book got a bit harder to read and understand. I could not read large portions at one time. Nevertheless the second half is helpful and important.
Carmen Imes reviewed this book and rated it highly. (I had just finished Being God's Image and could not stop thinking of it in relation).
**Added later. Also wanted to mention I was glad that Swinton discussed those that are disabled by virtue of their support for others, those whom work demanding jobs with no respite, caring for others in their off work hours. He brings up the point that the body of Christ should help those people too.
March 5, 2025
A beautiful examination of time and disability. Swinton's work is academic in style but deeply moving. The first two chapters were the highlight for me. In chapter one, he gives a history of the clock and how mechanical clocks were first created to foster faithfulness in worship by Benedictine monks. The second chapter details how a secular view of time leads to violence towards those with disability. The rest of the book reveals the heart of God for those with disabilities and challenged my assumptions as to what constitutes discipleship. Swinton's concern is that our view of discipleship is overly focused on the mind and leaves no room for how God engages our heart. Such a narrowly defined view of discipleship leaves those with brain injuries behind.
Overall, I thought the book was masterful and would recommend it to anyone diving into the topics of discipleship, disability, and/or time.
Overall, I thought the book was masterful and would recommend it to anyone diving into the topics of discipleship, disability, and/or time.
August 31, 2025
This is a lovely and thoughtful theological meditation on what it means to see people who are not as neurologically able as us not as wastes of time but as fellow disciples, mainly through challenging our view of time. The author challenges us to think of and talk about time, not using words related to money, but instead with the language of faithfulness. The greatest focus is on people with traumatic brain, injuries and Alzheimer’s, but as a father of a child with trisomy 21, I can say that there is something in here for everyone.
July 29, 2019
I really enjoyed this book, aside from my interest in disabilities. The author reflects on the nature of time, something we all need in our fast-paced culture. Is it possible we are both trying to follow Jesus and at the same time trying to go faster than him? I also found it helpful in my interactions with people with disabilities. Sadly, I have found myself frustrated with how slow some people can be. This book will be a helpful reminder to rethink time.
August 4, 2020
"Time properly understood provides us with an opportunity to love God and to glorify God forever." Swinton's theology challenges the "hustle culture" and time-deficit culture we live in, inviting and challenging the Church and the individual to slow down. Disability is not automatically a deficit, but can be an invitation into a better picture of the full body of Christ. This book is a must-read for all Church members, especially those who seek to love and care for those with disabilities.
September 4, 2021
Deep theological reflection on who and whose we are, and how people with mental and physical disabilities can be centered in the life of the church.
Basically: what does it mean to be in community, in diverse bodies and minds.
Deeply important thoughts for now.
TW: published in 2019, Swinton uses Jean Vanier quotes in a few places, JV sex assault victims came forward after publication of this book.
Basically: what does it mean to be in community, in diverse bodies and minds.
Deeply important thoughts for now.
TW: published in 2019, Swinton uses Jean Vanier quotes in a few places, JV sex assault victims came forward after publication of this book.
April 1, 2019
Brilliant, perspective changing book.
"'Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? (1 Cor. 3:16 NLT).' This is truly the beginning point for a genuine theology of community and belonging that holds all of us together in the same way that Jesus holds us."
"'Don't you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? (1 Cor. 3:16 NLT).' This is truly the beginning point for a genuine theology of community and belonging that holds all of us together in the same way that Jesus holds us."
January 9, 2022
“time was worthy according to its economic utility and commercial instrumentality rather than its ability to shape, hold, form, guide, and sustain human faithfulness to God”
SO good. Feels like compassion is extended to me through the book.
Side note-goal of 2022 is to write a tiny sentence on each review so I don't forget about the book.
SO good. Feels like compassion is extended to me through the book.
Side note-goal of 2022 is to write a tiny sentence on each review so I don't forget about the book.
September 14, 2022
Truly an incredible read about the theology of time and disability. Swinton deep dives into our fast pace, goal oriented, success driven society and how that impacts the way we interact with people who may need a little extra time. So impactful in my understanding of how to treat others, how to slow down in my interactions with others, and how to simply just sit with others. Truly a 10/10 book.
June 22, 2019
I have some strong disagreements with Swinton about Scripture, the gospel, and the task of theology. That said, this book’s meditations on disability and how we view time and the speed of life was helpful.
December 31, 2018
Beautiful, thoughtful, challenging, thorough book by a fantastic writer!
December 4, 2019
This book was open-heart surgery for me. I'm an Ennea 1; "time as a friend" is laughable to me. This book paves the way ...
July 2, 2020
One of the best disability theology books
April 28, 2021
Overly sentimental at times but the concepts are amazing and have forever changed my understanding of disability and the church.
November 12, 2021
A reflection on time, disability, community and God. I did not agree with everything but I enjoyed it a lot.
March 1, 2025
Swinton is a master at blending academia, poetry, common sense, and heart. This book about how we view time, disabilities, and life if magnificently written.
March 6, 2025
I thought this book was beautiful and had lots of great ideas. Will be consulting back throughout my ministry career.
July 8, 2025
"timefullness" feels like an especially useful word
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews