THE STORY OF MY INTEREST IN SLEEP AND THEOLOGY

Just what got me in to thinking there could be a Christian theology of sleep?

It was lazy Wednesday afternoon in May 2013. An email had popped into my Inbox publicising a roundtable interdisciplinary symposium on sleep. Interesting, I thought; a good way to connect as a chaplain with some of the academic work going on at the University of Surrey. It was that or a meeting at the Cathedral about parking. The sleep thing trumped it!

Guildford Cathedral from the University of Surrey

That afternoon was transformative for me.  I was very much outside my comfort zone as sleep was discussed from the point of view of neuroscience, biology, English Literature, sociology and psychology.[1] I entered the world of Circadian rhythms and sleep hygiene, of the way in which sleep is deployed in Shakespeare and Thackeray, how sleep affects mental health and wellbeing, its impact on shift workers and drug addicts.

As it happens I was an audience of one. At the end, the chair gazed out in to an empty lecture room and asked if anyone in the audience – of one - had any comments. That’s when I started to make connections with sleep and my own discipline, theology. Very importantly for me, I was joining an inter-disciplinary conversation and I offered various treatments of sleep in the Bible and Christian tradition.

As I responded I noted that theology and sleep draws out theme about protection, vigilance, mortality, human identity and puts us in touch with our creatureliness. Sleep is a place that is both familiar – we do it each night – and strange, it is a mystery to us: therein is a spiritual dimension. The Bible and much Christian writing contains many references to sleep addressing those themes. Practices such as Night Prayer (Compline), hymnody and the ancient practice of Vigils all give a framework for a Christian theology of sleep.

I remain deeply grateful to my colleague at Guildford Cathedral the Revd Canon Dr Julie Gittoes who put me in touch with Natalie Watson at Jessica Kingsley Publishers, who then took the risk of commissioning a book on the subject. The book  -Theosomnia: A Christian Theology of Sleep - is the culmination, but not the end of what started that afternoon. This blog, other articles, talks and lectures continue my reflection on this fascinating subject. Do respond, do engage.

© Andrew Bishop, 2018

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[1] Following that event I had further stimulating conversations with academics at the University, amongst them Professor Dirk-Jan Dijk, Dr Rob Meadows and Professor Annette Steer, inspired me to think further on this subject. Dr Michael Greaney of Lancaster University encouraged me to write for the academic blog www.sleepcultures.com and I have had stimulating emails exchanges and conversations with Dr Garret Sullivan of Pennsylvania State University both of whom were at the Surrey symposium.