Sabbath, Reframed
A Feature Review of
Sabbath Gospel: A New Narrative of Time, Rest, and the Work of the Church
Amy Joy Erickson and G. P. Wagenfuhr
Paperback: InterVarsity, 2026
Buy Now: [ BookShop ] [ Amazon ] [ Kindle ] [ Audible ]
Reviewed by Daniel M. Rose
If you’re like me, when you think of “the Sabbath,” the first thing that comes to mind is a day off. Or, if you are a pastor preparing for ordination, your first thought might be, “A literal Sabbath is something that I will need to take an exception from in the standards.” Other people think of the Sabbath as outdated for our times. In their new book, Sabbath Gospel: A New Narrative of Time, Rest, and the Work of the Church, G.P. Wagenfuhr and Amy J. Erickson challenge most of our assumptions regarding the nature of the Sabbath.
The text is structured in three parts. In Part One, “Starting from Where We Are,” Wagenfuhr and Erickson identify an issue that lies at the heart of modern American Christianity: exhaustion. They cut to the point by stating, “We’re weary from posturing as a group that claims unique answers but looks like everyone else” (3). From this foundation, they describe what they refer to as “the dream home” in Chapter Two, or our own pursuit of self-sovereignty that only results in exhaustion. Chapter Three offers an exegesis of Psalm 92. The authors argue that “the Sabbath gospel is exemplified by Psalm 92. In it, we’ll find that God’s people are those who, while being encompassed by enemies, anticipate God’s victory and so are like a living organism rather than a static structure or dream house.” The authors explain that Sabbath is the means by which we come into God’s home under his sovereignty.
Part Two, “Sabbath Through Scripture,” is where Wagenfuhr and Erickson build their argument that Sabbath is “the immediate dwelling presence of the sovereign king of all creation with the united household of God… Sabbath is less fixated on the ‘when’ of time than on the ‘so what’ of time” (6–7). In it they argue that Genesis paints a narrative about the formation of God’s people in distinction to the rebellious people who seek to live under their own sovereignty. They suggest that the role of covenant is to equip God’s people to journey into his rest; that is, covenant through its various practices is ultimately formational. Reframing the traditional notion of the blood sacrifices of the Old Testament, the authors argue that the blood sacrifices were necessary for purification, not for the assuaging of God’s wrath. In so doing, they ground their argument that Christ’s death is also reframed in this way, which is expounded in Chapter Nine, “Recapitulated Time: The Blood of the New Covenant.” This argument is not made in a vacuum, however; in the previous chapter, “Jubilee Time: The Lord of the Sabbath Arrives,” Wagenfuhr and Erickson develop the New Testament context for Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension. Chapter Ten brings us to the theological end as the authors deal with eschatology from the perspective of the Sabbath gospel. They argue that in the culmination of all things, Sabbath comes to perfect fruition under God’s sovereign reign and presence.
Part Three, “Sabbath Now,” offers some application to Wagenfuhr and Erickson’s vision of the Sabbath gospel. They suggest that we need to begin to think of the church in terms of an embassy filled with ambassadors of rest. They write, “It is not the institution that brings Christ to the people; it is Christ in the people who bring life to one another and thus to the institutions we create to facilitate life together” (206). Chapter Twelve provides a re-imagining of work. It is here that they challenge the nature of the Protestant work ethic in light of the Sabbath gospel. The book closes with a beautiful call to renewal.
There is much to commend regarding Sabbath Gospel. Particularly, I find the reframing of the concept of Sabbath from a “day off” to the means by which God’s sovereign grace touches all aspects of life to be extremely helpful. By presenting Sabbath as a means of formation, Wagenfuhr and Erickson give insight into God’s grace. Their argument is compelling, something that each of us needs to wrestle with. I find myself considering their thesis as I work on the preaching of sermons and the discipling of congregants.
Sabbath Gospel will be challenging for people from a background that centers on the theory of substitutionary atonement. Their arguments regarding “life blood” are deeply challenging, particularly as they relate to the work of Christ. I can see this as a place where someone may want to write a further, more thorough critique of their thesis. One other point of disorientation for me was the insertion of Marxism in Chapter Twelve, “Establish the Work of Our Hands.” For some readers this, sadly, might color the whole of their argument. I do not think that their position is dependent on the connection, and at best it distracts from their excellent work.
In conclusion, I recommend this book particularly to pastors. It is accessible but could be quite demanding for the average layperson. I hope to see future texts engaging further with Wagenfuhr and Erickson, for we are definitely a tired people who need to be re-oriented to rest.
Daniel Rose
Daniel Rose is a pastor of a network of missional communities in Ypsilanti, MI called the Acts 13 Network (acts13.net). He is married to Amy and they have two adult children, Ethan and Libby. Daniel writes regularly at danielmrose.com
 Reading for the Common Good From ERB Editor Christopher Smith "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities and the life of the church." -Karen Swallow Prior Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter & download your FREE copy of this ebook! |
Understanding Christian Nationalism [A Reading Guide] |
 Most Anticipated Books of the Fall for Christian Readers!
|
 Hilarious One-Star Customer Reviews of Bibles |
