Sabbath as Resistance
Saying No to the Culture of Now
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Publisher Description
Discussions about the Sabbath often center around moralistic laws and arguments over whether a person should be able to play cards or purchase liquor on Sundays. In this volume, popular author Walter Brueggemann writes that the Sabbath is not simply about keeping rules but rather about becoming a whole person and restoring a whole society. Importantly, Brueggemann speaks to a 24/7 society of consumption, a society in which we live to achieve, accomplish, perform, and possess. We want more, own more, use more, eat more, and drink more. Keeping the Sabbath allows us to break this restless cycle and focus on what is truly important: God, other people, all life. Brueggemann offers a transformative vision of the wholeness God intends, giving world-weary Christians a glimpse of a more fulfilling and simpler life through Sabbath observance.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Brueggemann (Theology of the Old Testament), a much published Old Testament scholar as well as ordained minister, proposes redefining Sabbath as resistance to the acquisitiveness of society. Brueggemann understands the Third (Jewish Fourth) Commandment's mandate to rest as an invitation to radically alter Americans' consumer lifestyle by resisting cultural demands for constant productivity. Also considered are the Exodus narrative and the Deuteronomic covenant; both, according to Brueggemann, model a community life where Sabbath is more than simple rest it is agent of transformation. Brueggemann notes the inclusive nature of Sabbath--anyone can keep it. He also affirms the prophetic call to communicate humanly rather than by commodified relationships. This concise but significant book brings the reader fresh insight, offering a definition for Sabbath that goes beyond legalistic prohibitions against certain behaviors and affirms a new understanding of Sabbath's potential to change the culture.
