John Swinton, (born 1957) is a Scottish

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, academic, and

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

minister. He is the Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the School of

Divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

, and

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

. John is founder of the university's Centre for

Spirituality The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...

, Health and

Disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, dev ...

Biography

John is an

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

minister of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

and Master of Christ’s College, the university's theological college. Swinton is a major figure in the development of

disability Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, dev ...

theology. In 2016 he was awarded the Michael Ramsey Prize for theological writing for his book ''Dementia: Living in the Memories of God''. John is Professor in

Practical Theology Practical theology is an academic discipline that examines and reflects on religious practices in order to understand the theology enacted in those practices and in order to consider how theological theory and theological practices can be more full ...

and

Pastoral care Pastoral care is an ancient model of emotional, social and spiritual support that can be found in all cultures and traditions. The term is considered inclusive of distinctly non-religious forms of support, as well as support for people from rel ...

. He also serves as an honorary professor of nursing in the Centre for Advanced Studies in Nursing at Aberdeen University. In 2004 he founded the university's Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability. The Centre has a dual focus: the relationship between spirituality and health and the theology of disability. In 2012 Swinton was appointed Master of Christ’s College in Aberdeen by The Church of Scotland. In 2014 he established the Centre for Ministry Studies, a joint project between Christ’s College and the University of Aberdeen. It provides a broad range of education and training for both

lay Lay may refer to: Places *Lay Range, a subrange of mountains in British Columbia, Canada *Lay, Loire, a French commune *Lay (river), France *Lay, Iran, a village *Lay, Kansas, United States, an unincorporated community People * Lay (surname) * ...

and ordained people. Swinton has given numerous public lectures. In 2020 he gave the annual May MacLeod lecture at the United Theological College in Sydney. He is one of the editors of the ''Journal of Health and Social Care Chaplaincy''. He is also a former editor of ''Contact: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Pastoral Studies'' (Now re-titled ''Practical Theology''. He is the founding editor of the ''Scottish Journal of Healthcare Chaplains.'' Swinton is also an ambassador for Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries.

Honours

He was awarded the Lanfranc Award for Education and Scholarship by the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

in 2020. He was appointed a Chaplain to Her Majesty in Scotland in 2022. He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(FRSE) in 2021. In 2022, he was elected a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

(FBA), the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and social sciences.

Selected works

* ''Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges'' (2020). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. *''A Graceful Embrace: Theological Reflections on Adopting Children'' (2017)''.'' Leiden: Brill. *''Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship'' (2018)''.'' Baylor University Press. *''Mental Health: The Inclusive Church Resource'' (2014) Darton, Longman & Todd (with Jean Vanier) *''Dementia: Living in the Memories of God'' (2012). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Published in the UK (2012) London
SCM Press
* Brock, BR. & Swinton, J. (eds) (2012). ''Disability in the Christian Tradition: A Reader'' Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. * ''Living Well and Dying Faithfully: Christian Practices for End-Of-Life Care'' (2009) (Edited text with Richard Payne) Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. * ''Living Gently in a Violent World: The Prophetic Witness of Weakness'' (2008) (With Stanley Hauerwas and Jean Vanier) IVP * ''Raging With Compassion: Pastoral responses to the problem of evil''(2007) Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. * ''Theology, Disability and the New Genetics: Why Science Needs the Church'' (2007) (Edited text with Dr. Brian Brock) London: T&T Clarke. * ''Practical Theology and Qualitative Research'' (2006) London: SCM Press (With Dr. Harriet Mowat) * ''Critical Reflections on Stanley Hauerwas’ Essays on Disability: Disabling society, enabling theology'' (2005) (Edited text with Stanley Hauerwas) New York: Haworth Press. * ''Spirituality in Mental Health Care: Rediscovering a “forgotten” dimension'' (2001) Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London. * ''Resurrecting the Person: Friendship and the care of people with severe mental health problems'' (2000) Abingdon Press, Nashville. . * ''The Spiritual Dimension of Pastoral Care: Practical theology in a multidisciplinary context'' (2000) (Edited Text with David Willows) Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London. . * ''From Bedlam to Shalom: Towards a practical theology of human nature. Interpersonal relationships and mental health care'' (2000) Peter Lang, New York. .

References

External links

Curriculum vitae

Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability
{{DEFAULTSORT:Swinton, John Living people Practical theologians 1957 births Scottish Christian theologians Alumni of the University of Aberdeen Academics of the University of Aberdeen Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows of the British Academy 20th-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland 21st-century Ministers of the Church of Scotland

Biography

Honours

Selected works

References

Further reading

External links