The Sabbath Experiment : Spiritual Formation for Living in a Non-Stop World

Are you are a busy Christian trying to navigate the demands and values of a culture moving at hyper speed? Then this book is for you. This is a book for those who long for something more . . . or something less. Sabbath spirituality attends to that longing. The ancient practice of Sabbath contains within it incredible riches waiting to be rediscovered. But is a spirituality rooted in Sabbath realistic in our fast-paced world? Why is the idea of Sabbath even worth considering today? By bringing together stories, Scripture, and theological reflection, we will wrestle with these and other questions related to living the Sabbath in our nonstop culture. Sabbath is about rest, celebration, and relationships, but it is also about so much more. We will see how Sabbath leads us to wrestle with the gods of Consumerism, cage the animal of Technology, and pursue God's justice on behalf of all people. Throughout this book you will be invited to ponder and embrace specific weekly choices in relation to a rich understanding of Sabbath. From these choices emerges a Sabbath spirituality that comes to wonderfully color the other six days of the week as well. "The ancient practice of Sabbath contains within it incredible riches waiting to be rediscovered. But is a spirituality rooted in Sabbath realistic in our fast-paced world? Why is the idea of Sabbath even worth considering today? By bringing together stories, Scripture, and theological reflection, we will wrestle with these and other questions related to living the Sabbath in our nonstop culture. Sabbath is about rest, celebration, and relationships, but it is also about so much more. We will see how Sabbath leads us to wrestle with the gods of Consumerism, cage the animal of Technology, and pursue God's justice on behalf of all people. Throughout this book you will be invited to ponder and embrace specific weekly choices in relation to a rich understanding of Sabbath. From these choices emerges a Sabbath spirituality that comes to wonderfully color the other six days of the week as well." -- Provided by publisher Sabbath as gift: living well in a 25/8 culture -- Slowing down: grounding the fourth commandment theologically -- Sabbath, work, and rest: ceasing and celebrating -- Slowing down: Sabbath and the other nine commandments -- Sabbath and technology: connecting in a disconnected world -- Slowing down: Sabbath in Exodus 31 -- Sabbath ethics: with justice for all -- Slowing down: Sabbath and creation care -- Sabbath and consumerism: prophetic confrontation -- Slowing down: Jesus and Sabbath -- Sabbath and the self: the storms that rage within -- Slowing down: more New Testament connections -- Conclusion: ideals and realities -- Appendix 1: Getting ready for the Sabbath experiment! -- Appendix 2: Guidelines for the Sabbath experiment -- Appendix 3: A Christian Sabbath liturgy