Rest That Liberates: Sabbath, Deconstruction, and the Call to Resist Burnout - w/ A.J. Swoboda

Voxology

Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 2 July 2018

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How the practice of Sabbath offers spiritual resistance, emotional healing, and economic justice in a world ruled by hustle, exhaustion, and constant noise. Mike Erre is joined by theologian, pastor, and author A.J. Swoboda for a deep and deeply personal conversation about faith, burnout, restless modernity, spiritual deconstruction, and Swoboda's transformative journey through doubt and reconstruction. Drawing from his latest book, “Subversive Sabbath,” A.J. unpacks the liberating power behind God's invitation to rest—not just as self-care, but as a spiritual act of radical resistance and renewal.

Key Takeaways:
• Deconstruction with a Return Path – A.J. shares his personal story of theological deconstruction, why he nearly lost his faith, and what helped him reconstruct a deeper, more rooted relationship with Jesus.
• Sabbath as Resistance – Reframing Sabbath not as a legalistic obligation or one-day vacation, but as sacred resistance to burnout culture, constant productivity, and digital overwhelm.
• Practicing Rest in a Nonstop World – Practical ways to honor Sabbath rhythms even with kids, busy schedules, and unpredictable demands—informed by Jewish tradition, Scripture, and pastoral wisdom.
• Rest and Economic Justice – Why privilege can’t be an excuse for non-participation in Sabbath, and how the practice serves as an act of justice for the marginalized and overworked.
• Sabbath and the Inner Life – Creating regular space for lament, grief, recovery, and honest prayer—how silence is not complicity, but a form of spiritual courage.
• Processing Trauma in a Time-Starved Culture – Why our society has lost the capacity to process suffering, and how the Sabbath (like the boat ride home from war) becomes a vessel for emotional and spiritual integration.

Guest Highlight:
A.J. Swoboda – Pastor of Theophilus Church in Portland, OR, author of several influential books including The Dusty Ones, The Glorious Dark, and Subversive Sabbath. He leads a Doctor of Ministry program on the Holy Spirit at Fuller Seminary and teaches at Portland Seminary and Life Pacific University. A.J. unpacks the theological, emotional, and cultural dimensions of Sabbath as a recovery practice for the modern soul.

Resources Mentioned:
• "Subversive Sabbath" by A.J. Swoboda – Buy the book
• "The Dusty Ones" by A.J. Swoboda – Link
• "The Glorious Dark" by A.J. Swoboda – Link
• "Redeeming How We Talk" – Link
• "The Last Word" by N.T. Wright – Theology of Scripture that helped sustain faith in crisis
• C.S. Lewis on the Psalms – Reflections on divine silence and trust
• Eugene Peterson’s Sabbath Practices – Psalms, hikes, and quiet renewal

Join the movement toward restivity—not just activism without reflection. Let’s reclaim Sabbath as spiritual defiance and holy healing. Subscribe to Voxology, leave a review, and follow us on social media to keep the conversation going.

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

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Learn more about the Voxology Podcast

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Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV.

Our Merch Store! ETSY

Learn more about the Voxology Podcast

Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify

Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

Transcript

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0:00.0	Ladies and gentlemen, hello, internet.
0:02.9	Mike Erie coming at you from suburban Columbus, Ohio,
0:05.9	joined in studio via Skype by another very intelligent guest.
0:11.2	Mr. AJ Swoboda, live from Portland, Oregon.
0:14.3	AJ, how are you?
0:15.8	How's the rain?
0:16.5	How's the weather?
0:17.1	How's the summer?
0:18.6	Well, it's not raining.
0:20.9	It's the one kind of one day out of the year that it's not.
0:24.5	And because of that, my vitamin D level is very high and I'm not depressed today.
0:31.1	So I'm well.
0:33.2	Portland, from what little I know of you, Portland very much seems a match for your sort of
0:40.2	introspection. And I love it. So Portland, I have loads of friends in Portland. The first
0:48.3	time I was ever there, I was there to meet John Mark Comer. And from now Bridgetown Church, but prior to that. And I'd never been there. I'm an Ohio
0:59.3	guy living in California, which I think is pretty wacky. I come off the plain in Portland,
1:06.1	he picks me up. We go to this coffee shop. There's a guy in a kilt and a fishnet t-shirt with no sleeves.
1:13.8	And he wants to tell us, as he's serving us coffee, I mean, I had chai tea just for the record.
1:20.4	He's telling us about his poetry and asks if we'd like to hear some of his poetry.
1:25.8	And he begins reciting his poetry off the cuff to us.
1:30.0	And I think to myself, first of all, this is my city.
1:34.5	Because he was a big guy in a kilt, which I'm all for, by the way.
	...

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