Thirteenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

This paper explores the ancient Jewish and Christian practice of Sabbath keeping in dialogue with contemporary movements to reclaim rest and renewal as acts of social/political justice. I draw from classic theological texts, especially the writing of Abraham Joshua Heschel, John Paul II, Jürgen Moltmann, and Walter Brueggemann. These theologies of Sabbath are juxtaposed with recent research the author has conducted with local congregations as well as to narratives and practices reflected in popular publications and social media that portray rest as critical resistance and counternarrative to capitalist and racist ideologies (e.g., “the nap bishop”, “rest is resistance”, “somatic abolitionism”). The paper shows complexities of religious practices around Sabbath keeping, including barriers to accessing Sabbath related to gender and race, as well as liberative impulses that may represent fresh manifestations of this ancient spiritual practice.