People living with mental health challenges are not excluded from God's love or even the fullness of life promised by Jesus. Unfortunately, this hope is often lost amid the well-meaning labels and medical treatments that dominate the mental health field today. In Finding Jesus in the Storm, John Swinton makes the case for reclaiming that hope by changing the way we talk about mental health and remembering that, above all, people are people, regardless of how unconventionally they ...

Dementia is one of the most feared diseases in Western society today. Some have even gone so far as to suggest euthanasia as a solution to the perceived indignity of memory loss and the disorientation that accompanies it.In this book John Swinton develops a practical theology of dementia for caregivers, people with dementia, ministers, hospital chaplains, and medical practitioners as he explores two primary questions:Who am I when I've forgotten who I am?What...

There is a huge need for churches to be more inclusive – some might be more inclusive in some areas than others (both in attitude and resources), but on the whole this is a massive failing of churches. Most church leaders recognise this failing but lack the resources and understanding to effect meaningful change. The Inclusive Church Resources aim to educate, to reflect theologically and to provide practical advice and guidance. Each book contains first-hand personal experiences of people ...

What do we mean when we call something or someone evil? The word "evil" tends to conjure up images of demons, devils, and horrifying crimes, things that you and I couldn't possibly get involved with! But is that true? Is evil really something that only wicked people who are "quite unlike ourselves" get up to? Could it be that you and I are not only capable of doing evil things, but are already involved with such things? This book explores the hidden nature of evil and draws out the ways in...

Create Worship Spaces Where Everyone Can ParticipateIf people with disabilities are to fully participate, worshiping communities must go beyond providing physical accessibility. In this groundbreaking book, a diverse group of authors provides resources for churches and individuals to center disability: to take seriously the lived experience of disabled people, learn from their wisdom, and transform how we pray, worship, and speak about faith.Centering D...

What happens to faith if you get dementia? Does the real "you" disappear? Does your relationship with God evaporate as neurons begin to disconnect? Will you forget God? Here, the voices of Christians from the evangelical tradition bring insight to the profound questions faith encounters amidst the disorientation of dementia: ". . . even when my brain falls apart . . . nothing can separate me from the love of God . . . faith is stronger." 'Tricia Williams seeks deeper understanding of their...

"Schizophrenia" is by many accounts the most devastating illness of our time. In this book, Elahe Hessamfar uses her personal encounter with her daughter's illness to bring the reader to experience the pain and anguish of those who suffer so intensely. She candidly discusses the gripping and dark realities her family has faced in the midst of this journey and exposes that the ride isn't easy, but it can be fruitful and purposeful, and it can be a journey of joy and peace if understood from...

Can we defend God's love, goodness, and power in a world scarred by violence and suffering? Do we need to? Traditional attempts to explain the problem of evil have mostly seen it as a philosophical and theological task. In this book John Swinton reminds readers that the experience of evil and suffering precedes pontification on its origin. Raging with Compassion seeks to inspire fresh Christian responses and modes of practice in our broken, fallen world.

This book is about the theology of Jean Vanier. Drawing from Vanier's writings, it situates Vanier's theological thinking on community, care, and what it means to be and become human in the context of "welcome." This book draws attention to how welcome, for Vanier, is a visible expression of genuine hospitality, friendship, and human growth, offering an alternative way of conceiving and naming the social forming dynamics within Christian community, with special attention given to how welco...

For two millennia Christians have thought about what human impairment is and how faith communities and society should respond to people with perceived impairments. But never has one volume collected the most significant Christian writings on disability. This book fills that gap.Brian Brock and John Swinton's Disability in the Christian Tradition brings together for the first time key writings by thinkers from all periods of Christian history - including Augustine, Aquinas, ...

Living Well and Dying Faithfully explores how Christian practices — love, prayer, lament, compassion, and so on — can contribute to the process of dying well. Working on the premise that one dies the way one lives, the book is unique in its constructive dialogue between theology and medicine as offering two complementary modes of care.

2019 IVP Readers' Choice AwardWhat does healing mean for people with disabilities?The Gospels are filled with accounts of Jesus offering physical healing. But even as churches today seek to follow the way of Jesus, people with disabilities all too often experience the very opposite of healing and life-giving community: exclusion, judgment, barriers. Misinterpretation and misapplication of biblical healing narratives can do great da...