John Swinton
Eerdmans, 245 pages
As a therapist, not a week goes by that I don’t see the burden of shame outlined in my clients’ downcast faces and hunched shoulders because a Christian has told them their struggles are due to their lack of faith. The storms in their lives are thicker because part of their personhood has been painted over with dark strokes of scarcity. In “Finding Jesus in the Storm,” theologian and former mental health nurse and chaplain John Swinton gently peels back layers of judgement Christians have historically placed on those with mental health challenges.
The heart of this book beats with the honesty shared by the 35 individuals Swinton interviewed through a two-year, in-depth qualitative study. By placing their voices at the center of his book (more so than his own insights), Swinton invites us into a reversal of power. He recognizes that individuals struggling with mental health challenges possess authority about the meaning and feeling of their experiences. This is both the book’s greatest strength and weakness.
Within a Christian culture glutted with paternalism and oozing with the blame and shame inherent in the prosperity gospel, Swinton’s goal of gathering testimonies and inviting readers to bear witness to them is beautiful, noble and powerful — even in the fact that it exists. The delivery, however, made the experience of reading the book disjointed and taxing. Swinton may have fallen short of his goals simply because he chose to highlight the voices of his interviewees through frequent long, block quote excerpts of interviews, which are easily skipped over or missed.
Even so, the pastoral kindness and respect modeled in this book make it worth the read, especially for pastors, chaplains and family members struggling to understand and respond to their loved one’s painful mental health experiences. “Finding Jesus in the Storm” will challenge readers with the truth: The burden of living with storms is lifted by bearing witness.
K.J. Ramsey is a licensed professional counselor, writer and recovering idealist who believes sorrow and joy coexist. She is the author of “This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers.” She lives in Denver with her husband.
