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A review by bookishpriest
Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now by Walter Brueggemann
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Often when a conversations turns to Sabbath, we Christians make it into an argument around civic laws and moral ideas: Shopping and buying liquor and gambling on Sundays. Or, if not debated in its legal framework, Sabbath is so often presented as a form of "self-care", taking time away from work for personal reasons dressed up in a christening gown. In "Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now", Brueggemann takes up the commandment to observe Sabbath and pits it against the societal values of constant consumption, production, and the evils of exploitative labour, societal exclusivity, and the effects of this rapacious behaviour on all of creation.
This short book is an excellent study of the importance of Sabbath-keeping as it applies to our relationships and to economic realities, rather than as a form of self-care or as an argument about legalities. I would highly recommend this book for anyone working to reconcile their faith to the economy in which we live in the West. It has often been said that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism. I think Christians might better understand this as a struggle with participating in an economic system that is inherently sinful. Where there is no way to obtain the necessities of life without participating, at least in part, in the exploitation of someone else. While the observance of Sabbath would not solve this problem entirely, it may be a partial response that makes a statement about a different set of priorities than the anxious, death-ridden cycle of consumption and production.
Longer review available at bookishpriest.com as always. Thanks for reading!
This short book is an excellent study of the importance of Sabbath-keeping as it applies to our relationships and to economic realities, rather than as a form of self-care or as an argument about legalities. I would highly recommend this book for anyone working to reconcile their faith to the economy in which we live in the West. It has often been said that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism. I think Christians might better understand this as a struggle with participating in an economic system that is inherently sinful. Where there is no way to obtain the necessities of life without participating, at least in part, in the exploitation of someone else. While the observance of Sabbath would not solve this problem entirely, it may be a partial response that makes a statement about a different set of priorities than the anxious, death-ridden cycle of consumption and production.
Longer review available at bookishpriest.com as always. Thanks for reading!