Professor John Swinton: Understanding Mental Health, Theodicy, and Unresolved Suffering

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We are joined again by Professor John Swinton, ahead of his summer class “Theology, Mental Health and the Problem of Suffering” (May 12-16). We discuss his recent research on systemic factors that contribute to mental health challenges, methods in practical theology and the issue of casual theodicy in Christian communities. We discuss the mystery of God’s hiddenness, sitting with the unresolved in church communities, and the importance of boundaries in friendship and caring for people with mental health challenges and disabilities. John also briefly mentions his album Beautiful Songs About Difficult Things, where he integrates his many years of theological reflection into artistic meditations for the church. We're hoping he'll sing a few songs for us in May!

Bio

Professor John Swinton is a Scottish theologian, ordained minister in the Church of Scotland, and a former mental health nurse. He holds the Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen, where he specializes in practical theology and pastoral care. He has made significant contributions to disability theology and the theology of mental health. Throughout his career, John has emphasized the importance of understanding personhood and spirituality in the context of mental health and disability, advocating for more inclusive and compassionate approaches within religious communities and healthcare settings.

Previous Podcast Appearances

A Thick Understanding of Mental Health (December 2022)

I Have Never Met a Mentally Healthy Person (June 2019)

Books Referenced

Finding Jesus in the Storm: The Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges (2020)

Dementia: Living in the Memories of God (2012)

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Chapters

1. Professor John Swinton: Understanding Mental Health, Theodicy, and Unresolved Suffering (00:00:00)

2. Intro Summary (00:00:22)

3. John's Bio (00:02:35)

4. Welcome back, John (00:03:33)

5. Recent Work: Holistic Approaches to Mental Health Challenges (00:03:52)

6. Qualitative Approaches to Theology: Asking New Questions of the Tradition (00:06:36)

7. All Theology is an Ongoing Conversation (00:10:38)

8. Language Use and Mental Health: Practical Implications (00:11:45)

9. Christian Responses to Mental Health Challenges: Truth, Demons, Casual Theodicy (00:13:28)

10. The Need to Explain or Make Sense (00:16:33)

11. Job: No Answer to Suffering (00:19:07)

12. More Helpful Ways to Engage: Education and Friendships (00:20:47)

13. Rising Anxiety: Political and Economic Contexts (00:22:35)

14. The Hiddenness of God: Disconnection, Spiritual Desolation and Mental Health Challenges (00:24:13)

15. Mother Teresa: Stark and Pervasive Darkness (00:27:21)

16. Accompaniment in Vocation and Discipleship: Bringing Mental Health to the Centre of the Church (00:28:38)

17. Should We Desire and Seek to Suffer for Christ? (00:31:56)

18. Friendship in Shared Suffering: Making Space and Recognizing Limits (00:34:04)

19. Churches as Communities of Belonging: Being Missed (00:37:00)

20. Holding Different Emotions in Shared Space (00:38:52)

21. Caring for Caregivers: The Gifts of Respite and Being Remembered (00:40:33)

22. Called to Care and Be Cared For (00:43:20)

23. Holistic Humans in Theological Education: Seeing Beyond Intellect and Reason (00:47:34)

24. Disability and Mental Health: Grounding Our Theology (00:49:00)

25. Beautiful Songs About Difficult Things (00:50:15)

26. Come Join Us! (00:52:42)

27. Outro (00:54:52)

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