Introducing Disability & Theology with Prof. John Swinton (Podcast)

Alt txt: image of our guest, Prof. John Swinton, with some of our co-hosts, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Grace Emmett, Stephanie Kate Judd, Dr. Madison Pierce, and Rev. Dr. Chris Porter, along with the title of the episode: “Introducing Disability & Theology with Prof. John Swinton.”

This episode is the first episode in our series on disability and theology, in which we’re joined by Prof. John Swinton, who is Chair of Divinity and Religious Studies and Professor of Theology at the University of Aberdeen (in Scotland). Prof. Swinton is also a Registered Mental Nurse (RMN) and a Registered Nurse for People with Learning Disabilities (RNMD), and the author of a number of books, including, Dementia: Living in the Memories of God (published by Eerdmans). In this conversation Prof. Swinton provides us with an overview of key terms and methodologies within the field of Disability studies as well as theological conversations around disability to help set up the conversations in our series. In addition to some of those foundational concepts and topics, Prof. Swinton also shares with us some of his insights surrounding the importance of personhood, belonging, dependence, participating in the Body of Christ, our conceptions of time, and the nature of resurrected bodies. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Dr. Grace Emmett, Stephanie Kate Judd, Dr. Madison Pierce, and Rev. Dr. Chris Porter.

Series Disclaimer: We know that this space is fraught, and we don’t speak for every PWD. We may inevitably get some things wrong in this series, but we ask for your patience in advance since we think it’s more important to have the conversation than shy away from it out of fear of saying the wrong thing. At the same time, this is a learning process for all of us, and we want to maintain a posture of learning throughout the series and beyond. Thanks for listening!

You can find this new episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Breaker, Anchor, or wherever you get your podcasts. Check it out, subscribe for weekly episodes every Wednesday, and please give us a rating and review!

John Anthony Dunne

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