Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life

by Charlie Kirk

Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life will help you discover how observing the Sabbath isn't a rejection of modern life but a rebellion against busyness and a pathway to genuine connection, peace, and presence. Through Stop in the Name of God, bestselling author Charlie Kirk guides you on how to unplug, recharge, and reconnect with God, family, and yourself in a way that nurtures your soul. In a world dominated by screens and constant noise, Stop in the Name of God presents the Sabbath as a radical act of resistance. Packed with practical insights and spiritual wisdom, Charlie Kirk demonstrates how honoring the Sabbath restores balance, reduces anxiety, and nourishes your soul. It's not just a day of rest-it's a lifeline to reclaiming what truly matters.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity, Philosophy, Christian Living, Theology, Religion

Hardcover

First published December 9, 2025

About the author

Charlie Kirk was the Founder and President of Turning Point USA, a national student movement dedicated to identifying, organizing, and empowering young people to promote the principles of free markets and limited government.

Reviews

[Anna Kļaviņa]

RIP Charlie Kirk

My prayer is that when I die, all of hell rejoices that I am out of the fight. C.S.Lewis.

[Lindsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

girl whatever

[♡ Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

He stood unshaken, a voice in the storm
A man of conviction, a heart reborn
He spoke the truth when the cost was high
He lived for Jesus, unafraid to die
We are Charlie Kirk, we carry the flame
We'll fight for the Gospel, we'll honor his name
We are Charlie Kirk, his courage, our own
Together unbroken, we'll make Heaven known
A husband, a father, his family held near
A home built on scripture, on faith, without fear
The world tried to silence but his voice remains
In us, it echoes, in Christ, it sustains
We are Charlie Kirk, we carry the flame
We'll fight for the Gospel, we'll honor his name
We are Charlie Kirk, his courage, our own
Together unbroken, we'll make Heaven known
The battle is raging, the darkness will fall
We rise with his spirit, we answer the call
The truth is eternal, the cross is our guide
With God as our captain, we march side by side
We are Charlie Kirk, we carry the flame
We'll fight for the Gospel, we'll honor his name
We are Charlie Kirk, his courage, our own
Together unbroken, we'll make Heaven known
We are Charlie Kirk
Forever alive
We are Charlie Kirk
With God, we will rise

[Jeris Joyner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have kept the Sabbath for years... but this book brings me to a new level of intimacy with our Creator. Thank you, God for inspiring Charlie to write this book in Your timing and with Your great grace. May it touch the hearts of those who are yearning to come closer to Your life and Your light.

[Libby May · Rating 5 out of 5]

I began personally observing the Sabbath rest several weeks before Charlie was assassinated.
In my desire to learn more about what he stood for, I looked into any books he had published, and coincidentally (I don't believe in coincidences) this book stood out to me as a guide to something I was seeking God's wisdom and leading on.
It was a great wake up call and a great encouragement. Sabbath rest is one of the Big Ten, a clear command from God to honor the sabbath day every week and keep it holy, which means set apart from the rest of the week. In the hustle culture of social media and the American world around us, rest is something to mock, something to be ashamed of.
Charlie challenges that perspectives and helps shine a light on the freedom we gain when we are in line with God's commandments, and how richly we can live our lives when we seek God's design in our lives. I would like to read this book at least once a year to continue to embrace slowing down and practically holding myself accountable.
Highly recommend this read to any Christian who is curious about a modern explanation on what could be seen as an outdated tradition. We need it now more than ever.

[Brenda Solin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, thought provoking

[Ron Charles]

One of this year’s hottest books comes trailing clouds of sorrow.

On Sept. 10, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead while speaking at Utah Valley University. This week, his final book, “Stop, in the Name of God,” was released by Winning Team, the publishing house co-founded by Donald Trump Jr.

Despite a reported first printing of 200,000, the book was almost immediately out of stock on Amazon, where it was the No. 1 bestseller for several days.

Given the politically aggressive nature of Kirk’s work, even alongside his frequent invocations of Christian faith, “Stop” — subtitled “Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life” — often feels composed in a different register. “The following pages,” he says at one point, “are not written from a mountaintop of certainty, but from a well-worn path of seeking.”

Indeed, much of this posthumously published book is committed to theological arguments, devotional reflections and practical advice on reclaiming the Sabbath to restore spiritual balance in a culture overstimulated by technology and consumerism. Throughout, he expresses heartfelt admiration for Hebrew scripture and Jewish tradition. Christians eager to consider whether Jesus Christ’s new covenant means they’re bound to Sabbath observance will find here chapter and verse.

Although I have no sympathy for the political agenda Kirk espoused, as an overworked, chronically distracted person of faith who rarely enjoys a holy day of rest, I’m inspired by his book’s admonition to take the Fourth Commandment seriously.

But “Stop” is also a strange, uneven volume that sometimes gets lost in the wilderness.

In chapter 1, we read: “Growing up, atheism was fashionable,” which makes me pine for a photo of toddler atheism in chic short pants. And the book is padded with numbing repetition, including verbatim redundancies that spark a disorienting sense of deja vu. On p. 70, for instance, Kirk writes, “Historian Daniel Boorstin observed, ‘In no other civilization has a day of rest been so deeply institutionalized,” and on the next page he tells us, “Historian Daniel Boorstin observed that in no other civilization had a day of rest been so deeply institutionalized.”

Better copyediting could have corrected those flaws, but Kirk’s prose is more deeply marred by a rhetorical strategy that poses as clarifying but soon feels like a tic. Again and again, he claims that something is not this, it’s that:

• “The Sabbath is not primarily a legal command — it is a cosmic declaration.”
• “Genesis 1:1 is not just an origin story — it is the first step in a divine arc.”
• “These are not just buildings; they are theological statements.”

Leaning so heavily on this binary frame suggests the central weakness of Kirk’s approach: his substitution of stylistic flourish for nuanced argument. That habit becomes particularly troublesome when he attempts to prove the divine origin of the Sabbath or to disprove the possibility of morality without God.

In an effort to sound supremely confident — “Millions follow me for clarity on the great and most pressing issues of our time” — Kirk sounds merely out of his depth. His grasp of world history and religious history is spotty; his philosophical analysis displays the rigor of a late-night bull session after the pizza has grown cold. False choices, straw man arguments, cosmic leaps — it’s a Macy’s parade of inflated fallacies. When he speaks from the heart about the blessings of setting aside a day every week, he can be genuinely moving; when he tries to make a case for Intelligent Design, he should be moving on.

In a book about the importance of periodically withdrawing from the cycle of getting and spending, it’s no surprise to find....

To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post's free email newsletter, The Book Club:
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[Talor North · Rating 5 out of 5]

“How can it be that in an age of abundance, our youth feel more worthless than ever? It is because material progress cannot fill a spiritual void. We have given them everything except the one thing they were made for: meaning. When a culture denies its Creator, it also denies its children the ability to know who they are, why they exist, and what they are worth. The result is not liberation—it is devastation. We have everything to live with but nothing to live for.”

“The Sabbath is not a cultural artifact. It is a covenantal gift. It was not man’s idea, but God’s. It is not rooted in utility, but in revelation. And as long as there are people weary of the world’s pace, there will be a remnant who hear its call. The real question, then, is not whether the Sabbath will survive. It will. The question is whether we will remember. Whether we will reclaim what was given—not as a rule to restrict us, but as a mercy to restore us. Whether we will trust that our worth is not measured in output, but in being known by God. Whether we will dare to stop—not as an act of laziness, but as an act of rebellion against the cult of ceaseless striving. To keep the Sabbath in an age of frenzy is to declare this with your body and your time: I am not my own. I am not a machine. I will rest, because God rested. I will remember, because He remembered me. Let the world race on. But as for me and my house—we will stop.”

An absolutely beautiful and increasingly important book.

[Lauren McDaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put this down. Convicting and full of truth. Charlie’s final words did not disappoint

[Michiko A · Rating 1 out of 5]

This whole book is a perfect read if you are into delving into an example of a well executed psyop. Just be prepared. I do not recommend this book if you are a Christian; the title alone should cause you to be wary. Not just because Christians do not celebrate or honor the Sabbath, we honor the 7th day (Sunday), but we do not speak in the name of God. You cannot be two faiths; only one. This whole book is garbage and an attempt to use Charlie's good name as a tool to push other peoples' agenda.

Also, to Erika Kirk. Why did you think this title was going to be okay? Christians do not take the Lord's name in vain, nor do we speak in God's name. Charlie never proclaimed to be a prophet so why, Erika, did you name it in this way? It is very un-Christian.

[John Brunetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book by American Hero Charlie Kirk is an amazing study on rest and the effects on our well being. Taking a multifaceted approach, sourcing from religion, science, and philosophy, Kirk shows the physical and mental benefits of religion on humanity. Considering the tumultuous times, this cure is exactly what Americans need right now.

[Jill Kloewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie is a smart Godly man. At times his intellect was way over my head but for the most part he really got me thinking that I need to honor a 24 hour Sabbath and unplug. Technology is good but also gets in the way of so many interpersonal situations. I’m gonna give it a try.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We miss you Charlie! This book had many good points. It has left me with a lot of work to do on myself

[Ashley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not helpful

[Kristen Gebbia · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I have read a little on the subject of “sabbathing” in other books, this is the first book that was written entirely on the subject. However, more than a third of the book isn’t directly about the sabbath, but laying the foundation for why a person would even observe it in the first place (spoiler: it’s about what you worship). The first five chapters are very heavy on apologetics and history. While most are things I’ve read in other books, it would be very helpful for anyone who hasn’t considered the impact of what you believe about Genesis 1:1, and it was still an excellent review for me. I do have a minor complaint: several times in these chapters I noticed paragraphs repeated almost verbatim. After the third time this happened I couldn’t decide if it was a bug or a feature, because I did actually remember those paragraphs better, which may have been the point all along? Also, the alliteration in the book was ever so slightly over done in my opinion.

The next few chapters explore the benefits that sabbath keeping communities experience (better health, better sleep, etc). I noticed there is no dedicated notes section in the back of the book where Kirk directly references these studies. However, he does give enough information in the actual chapter so that a person could google the studies to find and double check the information. I also think it’s short sighted to credit sabbath keeping alone with the improved health and happiness experienced in sabbath keeping communities. Most Jews and Seventh Day Adventists are also very strict with their diets, which can play a large role in health and happiness. This section also felt rather legalistic, tho once I finished the book I realized Kirk wasn’t necessarily advocating for sabbathing exactly how these groups do it, but was rather explaining how the groups do it.

Finally, I made it to chapter 9 and beyond, where I found the meat of what I was looking for: the exploration of whether Christians are bound to the sabbath, arguments for and against sabbath keeping, thoughts from early church fathers, and finally a blueprint to begin sabbathing. Obviously Kirk is pro-sabbath, tho not in a legalistic way like the Jews and Seventh Day Adventists keep it. Even the chapter with arguments against sabbath keeping were very pro-rest (In the words of Martin Luther, who is quoted in the book: “It is not necessary to observe the sabbath or Sunday because of Moses’ commandment. Nature also shows and teaches that one must now and then rest a day.”)

This is the first book that I’ve read in which sabbath keeping is presented strongly as an exercise of resistance against the worship of today’s cultural gods. One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “Your sabbath is not just about you. It is not a private act of self-care, but a public declaration of allegiance to a different kingdom. In a culture drunk on exhaustion, your refusal to live life at a frantic pace is a form of protest. Your rest says, God is my provider. I do not have to earn my worth. I am not owned by the clock or controlled by the crowd….That’s the legacy Sabbath helps build--not just one of rest, but of witness. In a world that never stops, be the person who knows how to stop well. Not because you’re lazy, but because you trust the Lord of time more than the tyranny of hustle. That’s Sabbath. That’s freedom. That’s worship.”

Other quotes I liked (which are all from chapter 9 and beyond):

“The Sabbath is not first and foremost about what we can’t do--it is about what we get to do. We get to stop. We get to rest. We get to worship without distraction. And in doing so, we remember that God is God--and we are not.”

“Don’t make excuses. Make adjustments. Don’t give up. Get creative. Rest is not about perfection--it’s about intention. The goal isn’t to follow a legalistic rule, but to cultivate a sacred rhythm of freedom and trust. Sabbath is not a burden. It’s a gift. And like all good gifts, it requires humility to receive and courage to protect.”

“Rest requires courage. It means confronting our fear that the world will fall apart if we stop working. It means choosing trust over control. And it means recognizing that the things that matter most--our health, our relationships, our spiritual life--cannot thrive on leftovers….Rest doesn’t wait for life to get easier--it shows up as resistance within the chaos.”

“The Sabbath was never meant to cancel your joy--it’s meant to sanctify it. God didn’t tell you to become somber and bored for twenty-four hours. He’s not anti-laughter, anti-celebration, or anti-fun. He simply wants to reorient our joy to what lasts. The Sabbath is the space where delight is deepened, not dulled.”

[Elliott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Charlie Kirk complains (as he was one to do) that church attendance and identification with a church has gone down. He proposes a return to the Sabbath with the exhortation of a self-help book promising any number of positive changes including weight loss. (118)
He attributes this decline to the same list of causes that everyone else complaining about religious practice has ever noted: Modernity! “Our modern gods are autonomy, affirmation, and endless choice.” (P.3) I actually believe there is something to this but not in the way Charlie wrote.
For almost the past half century the mainstream political position of both major political parties and the entire Western world has been neoliberalism. In Margaret Thatcher’s words:

“there are individual men and women and there are families and no government can do anything except through people and people look to themselves first.”

Contrary to Charlie’s assertions over the years of “Woke,” or “Marxism,” or “socialism” the neoliberalism espoused by Margaret Thatcher is all there is.
One of the enduring ironies of today’s far-right is that they got nearly everything they wanted… except! in largely dismantling the state to its most minimal function of protecting private property they expected that organized churches would step into the vacuum and take over those social services vacated by governments. Instead what happened is that religion has been commodified as well. “Autonomy, affirmation, and endless choice…” the Market couldn’t guarantee eternal life at the Lord’s table but it can give you everything you’d never want in ‘Cool Ranch flavor.’ Joel Osteen and Kenneth Copeland were just savvy and fused the two.
It never gets old seeing the far-right flabbergasted that The Market doesn’t mark the Sabbath and keep it holy.
I wouldn’t necessarily consider neoliberalism the sole reason for the decline of church attendance and I do have another theory.
On April 9th, 2022 a man named Jonathan Neo of Singapore posted an instagram video of himself hijacking a plane. No, he didn’t have a bomb-that would have only been too merciful. Instead, he whipped out a guitar and began singing Christian hymns while his hostages-er-audience looked away or plugged their ears. The same group had previously spent some time singing to Ukrainian refugees (another moment he was sure to record and post).
When I saw this for the first time I got to thinking that being in the United States right now is a little like being trapped at 30,000 feet with that proselytizing douchebag and his guitar.
Every year beginning around Thanksgiving the Right Wing Outrage Machine sounds out the battle lines in an ongoing “War on Christmas.” The bugle is then taken up in statehouses, by newspapers, and television networks. Every year it is said, defeat is imminent. “Merry Christmas,” has been banned. Socialists such as myself are on rooftops with Santa Claus in our rifle scopes.
Every time Disney releases a new movie this same Outrage Machine will scour the movie frame by frame for something with which to find offence to their faith.
School bus backup lights actually have Luciferian symbols in them.
Jews are putting the blood of Christian children into fast food.
Earthquakes are God’s displeasure after Charlie’s assassination.
Hurricanes are because of gay marriage.
John Cena was performing a satanic ritual.
The Olympic Games are mocking Christianity.
And so it goes.
This might all be overlooked as merely obnoxious were it not for the fact that these same people are writing, enforcing, and interpreting laws in their favor.
The reason I mention all of these examples is that since Christianity has not gone anywhere and is instead more prominent and influential in our public life than it has likely ever been (there is now a White House Faith Office a successor to a Bush II era creation) I attribute a decline in church identification and religion to most Americans being sick of the never-ending Culture War bullshit espoused by self-proclaimed Christians the late-Charlie Kirk included. No amount of Bible study or Sabbath honoring by everyone else is going to erase the fact that the Grindr app goes down when evangelicals meet en masse to oppose the right to women’s suffrage.
I am not an opponent of Christianity by any means-I am a Lutheran and a member of a church but, a central part of these mainline Protestant churches that I like and also believe should be more prevalent is ‘Shutting up about it.’ I don’t believe that bragging out loud about honoring the Sabbath glorifies God when these days prayer is the last refuge of the scoundrel.

[David Rice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received the ARC for this manuscript free and nearly a year ago, so I do not have the edited version. I was asked to edit it by the publicist, but I refused because it was poorly written and writers are supposed to polish their work before it is sent to editors.

It is creepy to see "reviews" for a book that has not been published.

In this bizarre occult superstition book we "learn" that Kirk knows what gods exist and what they demand of us. Girls and women, for example, are not allowed to be educated because their only legitimate function in life is to reproduce as many children as their owners want.

Even though colleges and universities are hyper-conservative, the author insisted that they are "liberal" and must therefore be boycotted. Yet one of his gods, Iesus, was hyper-liberal and told his followers to be hyper-liberal. Other major mutually exclusive assertions are scatters liberally throughout the manuscript.

The logic throughout is Kafkaesque and contrary to demonstrable reality, and the author constantly contradicts himself. (This, one can hope, might have changed in subsequent drafts and edits.)

There are other, much better, theofascist books already available to purchase.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This final book by Charlie Kirk is both powerfully timely and timeless. It’s a testament of what worked for him (in his busy productive life) and what is increasingly missing in the modern world. I’m not a Christian (nor a Jews), but I find his message, and his passion for it, inspiring.

From the prologue; “This is a manifesto against the machine of modern life. It is a call to war against the endless noise and the ceaseless hurry that have slowly robbed you of your joy, your wonder, and your rest. I am not writing to affirm your lifestyle; I am writing to interrupt it. I am writing to cut at the root of some of the deepest wounds in our society - disconnection, anxiety, spiritual fatigue, moral confusion - and to offer you a concrete, ancient, and divine practice that can begin to heal them.”

[Jonathan H. MONTES · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't have the outlook I thought the book would bring. I had to give it a 1 star because the other book was a little better, but not too much. I gave that book a 2 star review. I would only recommend if you havent read his first book.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good. It wasn’t exactly what I thought or hoped it would be BUT it did give me a place to start thinking. I had been talking to my husband about doing what Charlie did for a while now. I think this book gave me ideas to start with.

[Suzanne Ratti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a huge bible or religion fan but I Love the way he weaves the scriptures into his beliefs. He uses the bible as a guide for examples and It’s very sensible to me and easy to read. It’s inspired me to start unplugging - after this review of course 🤣

[Margo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is educational -
Well written, and points people to the cross.
One thing that stood out to me is, when we rest, we are actually worshiping God and honoring Him.
Page 156 “ let your bed become an altar of trust.”
So good!

[Catherine Chianese · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has truly opened my eyes into growing closer to God. I cannot talk any more highly of this book. So incredibly well written. It was as if I could hear Charlie reading this! What a testament to growing closer to God and our loved ones.

[Jude · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shabbos is a Jewish mitzvah, not a christian tradition. Stop appropriating our culture.

[Diana Saeidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a great book. We miss you Charlie! I had been trying the Sabbath for a while but I just thought this book was persuasive and well written, I hope some of you try it!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book everyone should read. We will be implementing this Sabbath rest into our normal weekly routine going forward.