In Becoming Friends of Time, John Swinton crafts a theology of time that draws us toward a perspective wherein time is a gift and a calling. Time is not a commodity nor is time to be mastered. Time is a gift of God to humans, but is also a gift given back to God by humans. 
Swinton wrestles with critical questions that emerge from theological reflection on time and disability: rethinking doctrine for those who can never grasp Jesus with their intellects; reimagining discipleship and vocation for those who have forgotten who Jesus is; reconsidering salvation for those who, due to neurological damage, can be one person at one time and then be someone else in an instant. 
In the end, Swinton invites the reader to spend time with the experiences of people with profound neurological disability, people who can change our perceptions of time, enable us to grasp the fruitful rhythms of God’s time, and help us learn to live in ways that are unimaginable within the boundaries of the time of the clock.

"This book ultimately did live up to its promise. I concur with Ford's judgement: 'This is a profound and moving book, both pastoral and prophetic.'" - Reform Magazine, June 2017

"Swinton offers us profound reflections on some foundational issues and how they are linked. I am not likely to think of any of these issues in the same way as before. There is much in this book which has relevance for our practice as ministers." - The Reader, Winter 2017