Touching God: Dementia and the Bodies of Christ - Hardcover

by Peter Kevern (Author)

The dread of dementia has a unique hold over us, because dementia seems to eat away at what makes us human. If we lose our capacity to remember, to think, to act, and even to speak, what is left of us? And where is the God who promised to be with us? These are profound theological questions that go beyond a need for better pastoral care or more welcoming churches: they hold up a mirror to what we really believe about human beings, about God, and about dementia itself. The purpose of this book is to explore what these questions have to teach us, by reflecting theologically on the faith journey of people who live with dementia. It is a personal theological pilgrimage, digging down into the theological meaning of dementia itself, looking for hidden pearls of insight. But it is also an attempt to look past the details, to see the "big picture" of God's grace and faithfulness, embodied in the person and life of the crucified and risen Christ. It will speak not just to people who are challenged or troubled by dementia, but to anybody seeking to grapple with their faith in challenging times.

Author Biography

Peter Kevern is Professor of Values in Health and Social Care at Staffordshire University and an Associate Supervisor with Westcott House, Cambridge. He is a theologian by background and training, but for the past few decades his research has been at the interface between religion and social care. The heart of which has been on the theological issues raised by dementia, a concern which began with his mother's illness and eventual death in 2004. However, he is currently working on a completely different project, seeking to recover the theological way of thinking underlying the mediaeval bestiaries and to apply it to our current ecological crisis.