Subversive Sabbath: The Surprising Power of Rest in a Nonstop World

by A.J. Swoboda

I am not convinced that one can believe in the gospel and not do justice in the world. Any attempt to translate our otherworldliness into irresponsibility is catastrophic. Jesus wants heaven to come to earth. God’s justice matters. I take the words of Jesus literally. And by reading them literally, I literally am compelled to do them. Love the poor. Pray for the enemy. Face all my addictions. Forgive. Speak truth. Be sexually pure. Repent. Embody generosity. And care for the animals well. I have no permission to select which words of Jesus I must obey and which to drop by the wayside. I am bound to all of Jesus’s words. The gospel—the good news that Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected to save humanity from its sins—very well better change the ethical structures of our lives.