Recovering the Sabbath
John R. Muether
January 1, 1996
For virtually all of American Protestantism, the Sabbath as a discipline of the Christian life has performed a steady disappearing act in this century. To most Protestants, whose parents and grandparents were committed to setting apart the whole day as holy unto the Lord, the idea of a weekly Sabbath smacks of moral repressiveness. And so they have transformed it into a Sabbath lite that squeezes the obligations into one "worship hour" (which may happen to fall on a Saturday or Monday night) and substituted such worldly rites as reading the Sunday New York Times.
Typically, the blame for this is placed on outward secularizing forces, and the usual suspects are easy to identify. The rising affluence of the middle class, the popularity of professional sports, and automotive travel have all combined to turn Saturday and Sunday into one run-on period of leisure activity. In the wake of secularizing pressures, Protestants have softened the hard edges of their sabbatarianism and, in sociologist Benton Johnson's words, "quietly dropped the subject."
But the more I reflect on that explanation, the less satisfying it seems, largely because it lets us off the hook too easily. In dropping the Sabbath, we have also reshaped our understanding of the nature of spirituality in characteristically modern ways.
I like to illustrate this by recounting a brief conversation with an evangelical seminary student in 1979. Pope John Paul II was making his first papal visit to the United States and had just celebrated mass before thousands on Boston Common. Shortly thereafter, I sought the reaction of a classmate who had attended. "It was the most intense spiritual experience of my life," he exclaimed rather breathlessly. Then, anticipating some ...
Like the preview? To read this complete article
and 20,006 more in the archive—JOIN NOW!
Easily find high-quality, well-researched materials that provide a Christian perspective on topics ranging from headlines to history.
Start using this invaluable tool TODAY for preparing your Bible studies, presentations, class lectures, sermons, meetings, and more.
|
It's easy and quick to join:
Brought to You by Christianity Today Int'l |  |
|
| 
Find similar articles
E-mail this page
