Englewood Review of Books Readers' Best Awards Honorable Mention
Build sacred rhythms for rested, sustainable justice—where beauty and resistance naturally flow
Many today are caught in cycles of outrage and exhaustion while trying to stay sane and engaged. Is there a different way? How can you pursue justice, work towards a renewed world, and sustain your faith without burning out?
In this spiritually rich guidebook, Jonathan Walton offers a transformative rule of life—an ancient spiritual practice reimagined for today's weary believers. His framework roots authentic action in deep, restorative rest, creating enduring rhythms that connect inner renewal with meaningful engagement ina broken world. Drawing from desert spirituality and the wisdom of organizers, Walton provides the spiritual scaffolding needed to sustain both interior formation and outward engagement. These practices and frameworks show you how to live a life so rooted that your pursuit of justice flows from a place of authentic restfulness, not reactivity.
Through personal narrative and practical guidance, Walton reveals the four essential rhythms that nourish a life of purpose:
- Rest: Choose to work out of rest, not for it
- Restore: Replenish your inner life for the work before you
- Resist: Seek individual and collective flourishing
- Repeat: Establish rhythms to be a whole person in fruitful community
In Beauty and Resistance, you'll learn
- how to reflect God's kingdom in every area of your life.
- how to live out a rule of life grounded in Christ andhis kingdom that leads to communal flourishing.
- how both beauty and resistance are necessary to fully engage with both delight and grief, lament and rejoicing, and appreciation and disappointment.
- how to live within your limits tocontribute to radical flourishing in the world, recognizing that God is God and you are not.
Beauty and Resistance shows how to hold together the tensions of delight and grief, awe and disappointment. It's an invitation to tradereactivity for rhythm, burnout for balance, and anxious spirituality for grounded connection with God, self, and neighbors. Discover the path to a spirituality where beauty and resistance naturally flow from a deeply rested life.
"In Beauty and Resistance, Jonathan Walton casts a holistic vision of life in the kingdom of God—a kingdom that contrasts and upends the kingdoms and idols of this world. He pairs this vision with much-needed emphasis on sustainable emotional and spiritual formation to fuel a vibrant life of Christian justice. The church desperately needs this pairing of prophetic witness and sustainable spirituality, and Walton's stories can help us!"
Jason Jensen, vice president of spiritual foundations for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA and author of Formed to Lead
"For those numbed by the relentless polarization of this era, Beauty and Resistance is a stirring call to action. We have enough authors who tell us how we can change the world, but Jonathan Walton adds something else: a rule of life for embracing beauty and rest as well as resistance. At the core of Walton's story is a refreshing honesty, vulnerability, and a welcome belief that resistance and beauty can not only coexist but thrive together."
John Blake, CNN editor and author of More Than I Imagined
"Jonathan Walton embodies a lived gospel of hope and justice, guiding generations of students. If you are looking for a vital, restorative rhythm for sustainable justice rooted in spiritual renewal and deep engagement, this is your guide!"
Sandra Maria Van Opstal, founder of Chasing Justice and author of The Next Worship
"In Beauty and Resistance, Jonathan Walton offers a pastorally wise and prophetically grounded invitation to follow Jesus into rhythms of rest, resistance, and renewal. In a world burdened by injustice and despair, Walton guides us toward a sustainable activism—one rooted not in urgency or outrage but in the life-giving presence of the triune God."
Caleb E. Campbell, author of Disarming Leviathan
CONTENTS
Introduction
1. The Reckoning
2. Rest: Why Can't We Rest?
3. Restore: Why Aren't We Restored?
4. Resist: What Are We Resisting?
5. Repeat: Scaffolding for a Life of Beauty and Resistance
6. Recuperate: Why Can’t I JustGet Started?
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
