![Professor John Swinton Professor John Swinton](/img/200x200/staffpages/uploads/div085/JohnSwinton20191.jpg)
BD, PhD (Aberdeen), RMN (Registered Mental Nurse),
RNMD (Registered Nurse for People with Learning Disabilities)
Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies
- About
-
- Email Address
- j.swinton@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 273224
- Office Address
School of Divinity, History and Philosophy, King's College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen. AB24 3UB
- School/Department
- School of Divinity, History, Philosophy & Art History
External Memberships
I am a former member of the AHRC panel review committee, the British and Irish Association of Practical Theology, the International Academy of Practical Theology and the American Academy of Religion. I am also a member of the Scottish Association of Healthcare Chaplains and a registered member of the NMC. (Nursing and Midwifery Council) I sit on the National Board of Social Responsibility within the national Church of Scotland and the local boards of mission and ministry.
I am currently one of the editors of the Journal of Health and Social Care Chaplaincy. I am a former editor of Contact: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Pastoral Studies (Contact (Now re-titled Practical Theology) is the leading journal of practical theology within the United Kingdom).I was the founding editor of the Scottish Journal of Healthcare Chaplains. I sit on the editorial board of various other leading pastoral journals in Britain and the United States including: The Journal of Religion, Disability and Health, Contact, The Scottish Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, The Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy.
- Research
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Research Overview
The foundation for much of my research and teaching has emerged from my background in nursing, ministry and healthcare chaplaincy. I worked as a nurse for sixteen years initially within the field of mental health and latterly within the area of learning disabilities. I also worked for a number of years as a hospital chaplain, latterly as a community mental health chaplain. It was whilst working in these fields that I began to gain a passion for developing modes of care that are genuinely person centred and which take seriously the significance of theology, spirituality and religion within the processes of healing, healing and community building.I am an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland with a strong commitment to supporting the work of the church. I am member of Aberdeen Presbytery and currently secretary of Christ's College, which is responsible for the welfare and education of candidates for the ministry of the Church of Scotland.
I have a particular interest in multidisciplinary education and research. At present I teach cross-college courses in the schools of nursing and medicine at the University of Aberdeen. For a number of years I have taught an interdisciplinary course on spirituality and health that involves nursing students, medical students and students from the Arts and Theology. To my knowledge there is no other course like this in the UK. I also teach on spirituality and healthcare to nurses and occupational therapists at Robert Gordon's University in Aberdeen.
I also engage in cross-college interdisciplinary research. An example of this would be our ongoing collaborative research with Professor Steve Heys who heads up the Breast Cancer Unit at Forresterhill Hospital in Aberdeen. We are working on a number of projects exploring the relationship between spirituality and women's experiences of breast cancer.
My research profile is similarly multidisciplinary in its emphasis, and I have published extensively within the area of practical theology, pastoral care, mental health studies, disability theology and nursing.
I am honorary professor of nursing in the Centre for Advanced Studies in Nursing at the University of Aberdeen ( http://www.abdn.ac.uk/nursing/) where I teach the role of the humanities and healthcare, nursing ethics and qualitative research. I supervise PhD students in nursing studies within a variety of areas. I continue to research and publish in the areas of nursing and medicine.
Disability Theology
I have a strong interest in disability issues and in particular the theology of disability. We are currently working on a variety of important projects. We have just completed an Arts and Humanities Research Council fudned project to develop an approach to accessing the spiritual lives of people with advanced dementia. This project is now completed and the materials are beign produced within The Purple Bicycle Project. This is a unique project that will fill a vital gap in our practical and theological knowledge. We are currently working on various projects within the area of disability studies exploring areas such as: dementia, theology and mental health, genetics and disability, the spirituality of people with profound and complex needs, religion and autism.
I have a new book out on dementia: Dementia: Living in the Memories of God and myself and my colleague Dr. Brian Brock have a new reader in disability which came out in 2012: Disability in the Christian Tradition: A reader (Eerdmans 2012). I've also just finished a littel book on mental health in the Parish which I wrote with Jean Vanier: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mental-Health-Inclusive-Church-Resource/dp/0232530661
Pastoral Care
I have a particular interest in the pastoral ministry of the church. This interest emerges from my position as a minister in the Church of Scotland as well as my background in nursing and hospital chaplaincy. I teach courses at postgraduate and undergraduate levels focusing on various aspects of pastoral care and counselling and have a number of publications which explore various dimensions of this area of ministry. I am particularly interested in mental health issues both as they relate to the spiritual dimensions of care offered by religious communities as well as the spiritual care offered by established "secular" mental health services. I also have an interest in the role of the church as a community in the care of marginalised people. I direct the department's MTh program in Practical Theology which provides a unique blend of pastoral, ethical and missional studies designed to enable students to develop vital insights and skills within this area.
Current Research
The School of Practical Theology in Aberdeen has developed a unique prespective which brings together practical theology and combines it creatively with moral theology in a way that is academically rigorous and practically transformative. Our discipline begins and ends with inquiries focused on practices. The ground for this focus is an understanding of faith as a lived entity. Our task is to think through faith not as "belief" but as lived. Thus the primary reference of our theologizing is the lived life in all its contemporary forms. This contrasts with biblical studies focus on texts, systematics focus on doctrines, church history's focus on the history of the community of faith, but relies on these forms of inquiry in understanding what it means for faith to be lived.
Collaborations
The Kairos Forum for people with Intellectual or Cognitive Disabilities
(KFICD) seeks to highlight and respond to the spiritual and religious needs of people with disabilities. Our aim is to facilitate the crafting and empowerment of ‘community of belonging’, both within religious and secular settings. Our expertise will provide specialist services and resources which will enable and empower people with disabilities to experience dignity, respect, care, access and authentic participation within well formed and empathic communities
European Society for Theology and Disability
The European Society for the Study of Theology and Disability seeks to stimulate and support theological reflection on the lives of people with disabilities and their families. It confesses that the Christian Church and its theology often have not used their valuable sources to support such people. It therefore seeks to include people with disabilities in its own activities. It believes that rigorous theological thinking has much to contribute positively to the understanding of social and cultural processes that currently shape their lives. It is particularly concerned with tendencies that target "disability" as a problem to be solved, and that approach it within the framework of liberal individualism and its obsession with consumer choice. The Society brings together people who are committed to support the increasing participation of people with disabilities in Christian communities and in society at large through their research and writing.
I recently formed teh Aberdeen University Centre for Minsitry Studies. (CMS) The Centre endeavours to be a centre of excellence that seeks to facilitate world class education and training for people involved in Christian ministry at home and internationally. Through developing and nurturing creative and innovative working relationships between the academy and the church, the Centre strives to produce scholarly work and practical training initiatives designed to enable people to think and to practice well.
- Teaching
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Teaching Responsibilities
I teach courses within a variety of areas including:
- Pastoral care and counselling
- The theology of disability
- Theology, spirituality and mental health
- spirituality, health and healing
- The church in a post-modern context
- Healthcare ethics
- Qualitative research methods.
I teach and supervise students at postgraduate and undergraduate levels within the full range of practical theology.
- Publications
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Critical reflections on stanley hauerwas’ theology of disability: Disabling society, enabling theology
Taylor and Francis Inc.. 205 pagesBooks and Reports: Books- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203051122
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
From Health to Shalom: why the religion and health debate needs Jesus
Healing to all their flesh: Jewish and Christian Perspectives on Spirituality, Theology and Health. Meador, K., Levin, J. (eds.). Templeton Press, pp. 219-242, 23 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersFrom Inclusion to Belonging: A Practical Theology of Community, Disability and Humanness
Journal of religion, disability & health, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 172-190Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15228967.2012.676243
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The wisdom of L'Arche and the practices of care: disability, professional wisdom and encounter-in-community
Towards Professional Wisdom: Practical Deliberation in the People Professions. Bondi, L., Carr, D., Clark, C., Clegg, C. (eds.). Ashgate, pp. 153-168, 16 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersMoving inwards, moving outwards, moving upwards: the role of spirituality during the early stages of breast cancer
European Journal of Cancer Care, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 640-652Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2354.2011.01260.x
Effects of a spirituality training program on the spiritual and psychosocial well-being of hospital middle manager nurses in Korea
The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, vol. 42, no. 6, pp. 280-288Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20101201-04
A History of Disability in Nineteenth-Century Scotland. By Iain Hutchison. Pp. xi + 386.
Northern Scotland, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 121-122Contributions to Journals: Comments and Debates- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3366/nor.2011.0013
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Who is the God We Worship?: Theologies of Disability; Challenges and New Possibilities
International Journal of Practical Theology, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 273-307Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ijpt.2011.020
Moving beyond clarity: towards a thin, vague, and useful understanding of spirituality in nursing care
Nursing Philosophy, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 226-237Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-769X.2010.00450.x
Living Well and Dying Faithfully: Christian Practices for End-Of-Life Care
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, MI, USABooks and Reports: BooksWhy bother with research ethics?
Journal of Community Nursing, vol. 23, no. 9Contributions to Journals: ArticlesPATIENCE AND LAMENT: LIVING FAITHFULLY IN THE PRESENCE OF SUFFERING
The Providence of God: Deus Habet Consilium. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., pp. 275-289, 15 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Religion and Autism: Initiating an Interdisciplinary Conversation
Journal of Religion, Disability and Health, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 2-6Contributions to Journals: Editorials- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15228960802606193
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Introduction: What is disability?
Living Gently in a Violent World: The Prophetic Witness of Weakness. Nottingham, United Kingdom: InterVarsity Press.Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Other ContributionsResearching the Spiritual: Outcome or Process?
Interdisciplinary Research: Diverse Approaches in Science, Technology, Health and Society. John Wiley and Sons, pp. 191-212, 22 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470777930.ch11
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Living Gently in a Violent World: The Prophetic Witness of Weakness
Haworth Press. 117 pagesBooks and Reports: BooksResearching Spirituality and Mental Health: A perspective from the research
Spirituality, Values and Mental Health: Jewels for the journey. Coyte, M. E., Gilbert, P., Nicholls, V. (eds.). Jessica Kingsley Publishers, pp. 292-305, 14 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersTheology, Disability and the New Genetics: Why science needs the church
T&T Clark, London, United Kingdom. 264 pagesBooks and Reports: BooksRaging with Compassion: Pastoral responses to the problem of evil
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, MI, USA. 256 pagesBooks and Reports: BooksForgetting Whose We Are: Theological Reflections on Personhood, Faith and Dementia
Journal of religion, disability & health, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 37-63Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J095v11n01_04
Practical Theology and Qualitative Research
SCM Press, London, United Kingdom. 278 pagesBooks and Reports: BooksIdentity and Resistance: Why spiritual care needs enemies
Journal of Clinical Nursing, vol. 15, no. 7, pp. 918-928Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2006.01651.x
Religion and Suicide: an exploratory study of the role of the Church in deaths by suicide in Highlands, Scotland
Aberdeen, United Kingdom: Mowat Research Limited. 36 pagesBooks and Reports: Commissioned ReportsReligion and Suicide
Scottish Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 3-7Contributions to Journals: ArticlesSpirituality, Suffering and Palliative Care: A spiritual approach to palliative care with people who have learning disabilities
Palliative care for people with learning disabilities. Read, S., Brown, H. (eds.). Quay BooksChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: ChaptersCritical reflections on Stanley Hauerwas' essays on disability: Disabling Society, Enabling Theology
Haworth Press, New York, USA. 228 pagesBooks and Reports: BooksIntroduction: Hauerwas on disability
Journal of Religion, Disability and Health, vol. 8, no. 3-4, pp. 1-9Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J095v08n03_01
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
The Body of Christ has Down’s Syndrome: Theological reflections on disability, vulnerability and Graceful communities
Journal of Pastoral TheologyContributions to Journals: ArticlesWhat Do Chaplains Do?: exploring spiritual care in the National Health Service in Scotland
Edinburgh: Scottish ExecutiveBooks and Reports: Commissioned ReportsWhy Are We Here: Understanding the spiritual lives of people with learning disabilities
London: Mental Health FoundationBooks and Reports: Other ReportsA Question of Identity: What does it mean for chaplains to become healthcare professionals?
Scottish Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 2-8Contributions to Journals: ArticlesReclaiming Mystery and Wonder: Towards a narrative based perspective on chaplaincy
Journal of Healthcare Chaplaincy, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 223-236Contributions to Journals: ArticlesResponse to: ‘A critical view of spirituality and spiritual assessment’ by P. Draper and W. McSherry (2002) 39, 1-2
Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 1-2Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2002.02401.x
Spirituality and the Lives of People With Learning Disabilities
The Tizard Learning Disability Review, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 29-35Contributions to Journals: ArticlesRediscovering Mystery and Wonder: Toward a Narrative-Based Perspective on Chaplaincy
Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 223-236Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J080v13n01_06
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Spirituality and learning disability: a qualitative study
British Journal of Nursing, vol. 11, no. 14, pp. 948-957Contributions to Journals: ArticlesA Space to Listen: Meeting the spiritual needs of people with learning disabilities
London: Mental Health Foundation.Other Contributions: Other ContributionsSpirituality in Mental Health Care: Rediscovering a "Forgotten Dimension
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London, United Kingdom. 221 pagesBooks and Reports: BooksSpirituality. Come all ye faithful.
The Health service journal, vol. 111, no. 5786, pp. 24-25Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Building a Church for Strangers: Theology, church and learnign disabilites
Journal of religion, disability & health, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 25-65Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J095v04n04_03
Community, culture and character: The place of the virtues in psychiatric nursing practice
Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 35-42Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2850.2000.00266.x
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
10. The Spiritual Dimension of Pastoral Care: Practical theology in a multidisciplinary context
Jessica Kingsley PublishersBooks and Reports: Books11. From Bedlam to Shalom: Towards a practical theology of human nature. Interpersonal relationships and mental health care
Peter Lang Pub.Books and Reports: Books9. Resurrecting the Person: Friendship and the care of people with severe mental health problems.
Abingdon Press, NashvilleBooks and Reports: BooksPersons in relation: The care of persons with learning disabilities
Theology Today, vol. 57, no. 2, pp. 175-184Contributions to Journals: ArticlesRestoring the image: Spirituality, faith, and cognitive disability
Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 21-28Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027484714661
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus