Sabbath Rest: A Neo-Puritan Response to Industrialism and the Meritocracy

Introduction

Modern society’s fixation on efficiency, control, and mechanization has created a system where human beings are reduced to mere units of productivity. We have successfully created a system that rewards the most competent and highest compensated with ever more piles of grueling work if they desire to maintain their favored position, cultivating a new slave class bound with velvet chains. This society craves efficiency, often to the detriment of real human interests, in service of inhuman ones. Capital itself consolidates and finds for itself new servants to aid it in its conquest of the human race. Once, capitalists controlled the means of production, but today, while retaining nominal ownership, real power belongs to a managerial class who are agents of the system. As it turns out, spreadsheets and simulations make for cruel masters.

This managerial approach not only dehumanizes workers but also has deeper spiritual roots in a drive to dominate creation. Industrialism shares a vision of humanity’s dominion over nature that stands in stark contrast to the biblical model of stewardship, where humans are called to exercise dominion under God’s authority, respecting creation and the image of God in man. Modern man has forsaken the rest held forth by God's Sabbath in favor of creature comforts offered by a machine.

Preindustrial Work: The Common Man and the Natural Rhythms of Labor

Before the advent of industrialism, the common man’s work followed the natural rhythms of the seasons and the community. Whether as a farmer, craftsman, or village laborer, his work was intertwined with the cycles of planting and harvesting, with breaks during winter months or seasonal lulls. Families worked together, not just to survive, but to cultivate meaningful lives rooted in their communities and land. Their labor, while physically demanding, allowed for pauses—times of rest and reflection, worship, and family gathering. The dignity of labor and the value of community were prioritized over mere output.

During the medieval period, the feudal system, while not without its faults, provided the common man with an economic structure that centered on land ownership and local relationships. Land was the primary means of production, and most people had a degree of access to it. Labor was more human-scaled and oriented toward meeting the needs of local communities rather than maximizing production for distant markets. The workday was often tied to natural light and included breaks for meals and communal activities.

The church calendar, punctuated by numerous feast days, created rhythms of rest throughout the year, and the Sabbath was respected as a day of rest and worship. The concept of Sabbath rest was not merely a religious formality but an integral part of the work cycle. It was a time to recharge, reconnect with family and community, and refocus on spiritual matters.

The Industrial Revolution and the Transformation of Labor

The Industrial Revolution, beginning in the late 18th century, fundamentally altered work patterns for the common man. Work became centered around the factory rather than the land or the home. The rhythms of nature were replaced by the mechanical rhythm of the machine, which demanded long hours of repetitive labor in often dangerous and dehumanizing conditions. Workers were no longer seen as members of a community but as replaceable cogs in a vast industrial system. The family structure began to disintegrate as men, women, and even children were pulled into the workforce, leaving little time for rest, reflection, or family life.

Industrialization introduced a new measure of success: productivity. The more output one could produce, the more valuable they were deemed by the system. But this value was tied solely to economic efficiency, rather than the intrinsic dignity of the worker as an image-bearer of God. The drive to increase productivity led to the erosion of traditional rest periods, including the Sabbath. The once-cherished rhythms of work and rest were replaced by the relentless demands of the industrial clock, which measured time in shifts and quotas.

This shift fundamentally dehumanized labor. Workers, stripped of their connection to the land and their communities, became economic units whose worth was calculated by the hour. This transformation had devastating consequences for families and communities. The family farm, once the bedrock of economic and social stability, became a relic as the urban industrial model took over.

### **Preindustrial Work, Modern Approaches, and the Sabbath**

Modern industrial systems operate on a different logic than the times that came before it. In these systems, the more work one does and the more grueling the effort, the more one is rewarded. Success is measured by productivity, hours worked, and efficiency, often at the cost of well-being and relationships. This approach dehumanizes workers, reducing them to units of productivity, and fundamentally rejects God’s order, where Sabbath rest is central to life.

The Sabbath, as commanded in Scripture, serves as a reminder of God’s sovereignty and holiness. It is a day not just for physical rest, but for spiritual liberation—a covenantal sign that points to the ultimate rest and redemption God offers to humanity. It declares that man’s value is not found in the work of his hands but in his identity as an image-bearer of God. The Sabbath calls us to cease from our labor, acknowledging that it is God, not man, who is the provider and sustainer of life.

In stark contrast, modern industrial systems insist on more work, driven by the humanistic desire for control and domination over the world. This mindset leads to an unending cycle of toil, where man attempts to master creation through his own efforts, believing that through greater productivity and efficiency, he can achieve peace and fulfillment. But the reality is that this relentless striving only further enslaves him to his labor.

The Sabbath, on the other hand, is a radical act of resistance against this system. By keeping the Sabbath, we proclaim that true rest and freedom are found in submission to God’s order, not in the endless pursuit of human achievement. It reminds us that our work is not an end in itself but part of a larger purpose under God’s rule. The rest that the Sabbath offers is not just physical—it is a rest rooted in trust in God’s provision and redemption, freeing us from the constant demands of the world’s systems.

Rejecting the Sabbath is not just forsaking a day of rest; it is rejecting the freedom that God has offered through His covenant. It is choosing the bondage of human effort over the freedom of divine provision. Industrialism, in its drive to maximize productivity, becomes a stand-in for God’s providence, but it can never deliver the true rest that humanity so deeply craves.

The Sabbath is a weekly declaration that our worth is not tied to what we produce, but to who we are in God’s eyes. In a world that glorifies ceaseless labor, keeping the Sabbath is an act of trust—a recognition that God, not man, is the ultimate author of creation, and that He alone provides the rest and freedom that human systems can never achieve.

The rise of industrialism and the departure from observing Sabbath rest has fundamentally altered the nature of work. In preindustrial societies, labor was often more connected to the natural rhythms of life—tied to seasons, community needs, and local economies. Work had a human scale, and although it could be demanding, it was often balanced by periods of rest and reflection, allowing individuals to find meaning in both labor and leisure.

Industrialization, however, transformed work into a dehumanizing process, where the dignity of labor was replaced by mechanization. Workers became mere cogs in a larger system, valued not for their creativity or humanity, but for their productivity. This shift reflects a fundamental attack on the image of God in man, where human beings are no longer seen as image-bearers but as tools for economic gain. Mankind exchanged the image of God for the image of a mechanized economic system. This system promises the freedom which only God can provide, yet instead of delivering on that promise, it enslaves man in an endless cycle of efficiency and the acceleration of capital accretion.

This mechanization of life mirrors a larger spiritual struggle: the temptation to dominate and control creation rather than steward it. Industrial systems seek to optimize and control through formulaic methods. At the heart of this spiritual struggle is the question of dominion. Will humanity submit to God’s command to steward creation, or will it seek to dominate and manipulate, as industrial systems do, in defiance of the divine order?

Whatever one believes concerning the climate, the destructive effects of industrialization are a stain upon the earth and contrary to nature. Man, who is supposed to steward the earth as its caretaker, has instead abused his charge. The creation groans under the cruel tone of its master, bearing witness to humanity’s rebellion against God’s command. Those who desecrate the Lord’s creation will not escape divine retribution, for the earth, entrusted to humanity’s care, bears the mark of their defiance. Industrialists, in their desire to control and manipulate creation, oppose God’s command to exercise benevolent dominion under His authority, honoring creation and the divine image in every person.

Meritocracy: The Heart of Industrial Inhumanity

At the core of modern industrial systems is the principle of meritocracy, flaunted as the ultimate measure of fairness but built on dehumanizing assumptions. Meritocracy promises a society where rewards are based solely on ability and effort, creating an ideal where individuals are evaluated by their merits alone. However, this vision of fairness is a façade, masking an oppressive system that reduces people to their productivity and achievement, rather than valuing them for their inherent worth as image-bearers of God.

At its root, meritocracy shares the same animating spirit as Marxism. Both systems erode the power of families, which are the seat of both material wealth and covenantal blessings—God’s means of dispersing His providence across generations. Biblically, inheritance from father to son represents covenant faithfulness and God’s blessing. Marxism and meritocracy seek to eliminate this through inheritance taxation or manipulation via bureaucratic tests that exalt those favored by the regime. In such systems, those most compliant with the managerial order are rewarded, supplanting children’s natural right to their parents’ labor. Ultimately, both Marxism and meritocracy impose inhuman frameworks that distort God’s created order, undermining the family as the central institution for transmitting both material blessings and covenantal faithfulness.

Meritocracy cannot exist without bureaucratic oversight. Individuals are constantly evaluated through examinations and performance reviews that quantify human worth, creating a society governed by technocratic elites who control the system of measurement. Life becomes a competition for approval and advancement, reducing people to their results. The system rewards conformity to inhuman standards while punishing those who fail to measure up, ensuring that control is maintained and individuality suppressed.

Meritocracy is hostile to the family and undermines natural bonds between fathers and sons. God’s Law affirms that a man’s labor should be passed down to his children as a blessing. But meritocracy insists that inheritance should not automatically belong to a man’s son but to a “more competent” stranger who has proven superior by abstract standards. This robs sons of their rightful inheritance and treats family ties as obstacles to “fairness.”

This attack on inheritance defies both human nature and God’s design. Throughout history, the family has ensured continuity and stability, while meritocracy severs this bond, making success a disconnected individual pursuit. This ideology denies sons the fruits of their fathers’ labor, favoring strangers who better fit the meritocratic mold.

This practice contradicts biblical principles. Scripture affirms the importance of inheritance, both materially and spiritually. Proverbs 13:22 says, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” God’s Law makes it clear that the inheritance from a godly man to his son is a sacred trust, not something to be taken away in the name of merit. That a stranger could be more entitled than a son reveals the profound injustice embedded in meritocracy.

Meritocracy, by attempting to replace natural inheritance with bureaucratic oversight and competition, does not create fairness—it creates division. It pits individuals against one another, undermines families, and replaces God’s command to steward and pass on blessings with a system that devalues the relationships God designed to foster life and growth.

Moreover, the “survival of the fittest” mentality at the heart of meritocracy drives this injustice. It assumes that only the most capable deserve to succeed, a worldview hostile to the Christian understanding of human dignity. In God’s kingdom, success is measured by faithfulness to His commands and care for others. Meritocracy, by contrast, forces individuals into endless competition, undermining the family structures God designed to transmit His blessings.

Thus, meritocracy is central to the industrial inhuman systems dominating modern life. It dehumanizes individuals through bureaucratic systems while undermining the family and rejecting biblical inheritance. In a meritocratic society, people are reduced to what they achieve, while the natural bonds of family are sacrificed on the altar of efficiency and fairness.

Industrialism, Meritocracy, and the Spiritual Crisis: A Unified Inhumanity

At the heart of the modern technocratic system is a fusion of industrialism and meritocracy. Each of these forces—industrialism, meritocratic oversight, and technocratic control—feeds into a singular system of inhumanity, one that devalues individuals by reducing them to mere productivity metrics, all in service of a machine-like societal order. Together, they embody a vision of control and domination that stands in stark opposition to the biblical model of stewardship, which recognizes human dignity and calls for a wise, compassionate governance of creation.

Industrialism, as it evolved, mechanized life itself. Where work was once a human-scaled activity rooted in the natural rhythms of life, it became a relentless grind in which labor was stripped of its dignity. Workers were reduced to cogs in the greater machine, valued solely for their efficiency and output. This mechanization of life reflects the deep spiritual crisis at the heart of modern society—the temptation to replace God’s order with human control. The dehumanization wrought by industrialism is more than economic; it is fundamentally an assault on the image of God in man.

Meritocracy plays an essential role in sustaining this industrial system. Meritocratic ideals promise a world in which success is based on ability and effort alone, but this framework quickly collapses under scrutiny. Meritocracy requires a highly regimented system of bureaucratic oversight and measurement to function, subjecting individuals to constant evaluation. It also pits individuals against one another, undermining familial bonds and denying the biblical principle of inheritance. Instead of honoring the transmission of blessings from father to son, meritocracy demands that the “most competent” rise to the top, often replacing familial ties with cold, impersonal assessments of merit.

Taken together, industrialism, meritocracy, and technocratic control form a unified front of dehumanizing forces that must be resisted. These systems are not neutral; they are actively hostile to God’s design for humanity. They strip individuals of their dignity, pit them against each other in endless competition, and undermine the family—the very institution God ordained to transmit blessings across generations. What is needed is not just rebellion against the systems themselves but a radical reorientation of society back to biblical principles of work, rest, and stewardship.

In rejecting these systems, we must return to the biblical model of work as an act of worship, rooted in the dignity of every human being as an image-bearer of God. We must reclaim the family as the center of inheritance and blessing, resisting the meritocratic urge to replace familial ties with abstract notions of fairness. And most importantly, we must restore the Sabbath as a weekly declaration of our trust in God’s providence, rejecting the relentless striving and competition that industrialism demands.

Recapturing Sabbath Rest: A Vision for Neo-Puritan Luddism

In an age dominated by industrialism, technocracy, and meritocracy, the Sabbath offers a radical alternative to the constant demands for productivity. It calls us to reorient our lives around the rhythms God established at creation, placing rest, renewal, and worship at the center. Neo-Puritan Luddism embraces this biblical model as essential to restoring both human dignity and our relationship with God, nature, and each other.

At its heart, Sabbath rest challenges the modern obsession with ceaseless labor. Industrialism treats human beings as mere producers, measuring worth by output. Meritocracy drives individuals to endlessly prove themselves in a competitive system. Yet the Sabbath reminds us that human value is not derived from work or achievement but from our identity as God’s image-bearers. By observing the Sabbath, we reclaim this truth, rejecting the idea that our worth is tied to productivity.

The Sabbath is not just a physical rest but a spiritual liberation, anchoring us in the knowledge that it is God, not our own efforts, who sustains and provides. In contrast to the constant striving of the industrial system, the Sabbath offers peace—an acknowledgment that creation is ultimately under God’s rule, and that we are invited to participate in His rest. This rhythm of work and rest reflects the divine order, an order that modern industrial life has overturned with its relentless pace and disregard for natural and spiritual boundaries.

Neo-Puritan Luddism calls for a return to these rhythms, integrating Sabbath principles into the fabric of daily life. This involves not only setting aside one day a week for rest and worship but also cultivating a lifestyle that respects the limits God has placed on creation. In preindustrial times, work was intertwined with the natural cycles of seasons and community. There were periods of rest built into the agricultural year, where both people and the land were given time to recuperate. Neo-Puritan Luddism seeks to recover this approach, advocating for a more humane and sustainable relationship with work and nature.

In modern society, where work often intrudes on family life and relationships, the Sabbath becomes a safeguard for preserving these vital bonds. It is a day for families to reconnect, for communities to gather, and for individuals to step back from the noise of the world and refocus on what truly matters. In this way, the Sabbath serves as a counterweight to the industrial forces that fragment relationships and diminish the importance of home and community life. By observing the Sabbath, families can strengthen their ties, nurture their children, and build communities grounded in faith and fellowship.

This vision of Sabbath rest also extends to how we treat creation. Industrialism encourages the exploitation of the earth’s resources for short-term gain, often with devastating consequences for the environment. Neo-Puritan Luddism calls for a return to biblical stewardship, where creation is seen not as a resource to be dominated but as a gift to be cared for. The Sabbath principle of allowing the land to rest, as reflected in biblical laws regarding the Sabbath year, provides a model for sustainable living. It reminds us that the earth belongs to God and that we are called to steward it wisely, preserving it for future generations.

In practical terms, implementing a Neo-Puritan Luddite vision would involve a deliberate disengagement from the systems that drive the ceaseless demand for more work and more production. This doesn’t mean rejecting technology outright, but rather using it in ways that serve humanity and honor God’s design. It involves pushing back against the tyranny of efficiency that characterizes modern life, creating space for rest, reflection, and relationships. This might include practices such as limiting the intrusion of work into the Sabbath, prioritizing local, community-based economies over global industrial networks, and finding ways to cultivate self-sufficiency that don’t sacrifice the well-being of the land or the family.

At the core of this movement is the profound truth that true freedom is found not in the endless pursuit of human achievement, but in submission to God’s created order. The Sabbath is not merely a day of rest but a divine declaration that we are not slaves to our labor, our productivity, or the systems of this world. It calls us to trust in God’s provision, to cease from striving, and to rest in His sovereign care. The Sabbath realigns us with God’s purposes, reminding us that our ultimate worth is found in Christ, not in our efforts. In a world that constantly demands more, the Sabbath offers a radical counterpoint—a return to the rhythm of grace. A people that centers itself in God’s rest is a free people. The systems of this world grind their teeth in enmity against this freedom. Their malice is directed toward all who embrace it. The Sabbath is the unwelcome reminder that this is God’s world, and that we are His blood-bought people. Ultimately, the Sabbath is a promise of our triumph over this world, grasped through faith, to enter into the eternal rest of our God. Together, let us pursue this rest and stand against the works of the Devil.