Book Review: Accessible Atonement: Disability, Theology, and the Cross of Christ by David McLachlan

Abstract

through a study of sleep science in adolescence. But Stucky’s theological vision for rest is not merely pragmatic. It is not a vision of rest for the sake of revitalization. Indeed, for Stucky, rest is not for the sake of work; work is for the sake of rest—and it is in rest that we discover the deepest truth of existence itself: God loves the world. If there is a weakness in Stucky’s argument, it is a somewhat ironic one. Stucky, the director of the Farminary at Princeton Theological Seminary and a farmer who is invested in small-scale regenerative agriculture, does somewhat neglect the deeper ecological implication of sabbath rest for his theology. Perhaps as a symptom of relying more heavily on Barth than Moltmann (although he is deeply informed by both) Stucky allows sabbath to linger in the sphere of the individual and only a careful reader will infer the corporate and ecological implications of this contribution. The reader will be inclined, however, to forgive any shortcomings of this book because its successes in offering a theological corrective to some of the church’s most imbedded prejudices are more profound and compelling than any of its shortcomings. The argument is clear and well executed. I cannot overstate the contribution this book makes to youth ministry nor the timeliness of this work. The reader who is willing to embrace a theology that is counterintuitive in a culture of achievement and productivity will delight in the consolation this book offers. This is not a run-of-the-mill youth ministry book to give tips and tricks. This book promises to inform the very shape of your theology.