What is fasting? Try defining it, and I'll make a suggestion. Go ahead -- in your mind define it.Here's my suggestion: If, in defining fasting, we are tempted to define fasting as something we do "in order to" get something, I suggest we need to look again at the deepest wells of the Christian fasting tradition: the Bible. In Fasting: The Ancient Practices
I suggest that in the Christian tradition we somehow got sidetracked. Instead of seeing fasting as a discipline we use "in order to" get answers to prayers, "in order to" become more attuned to God, or "in order to" become more spiritual, the Bible's focus is on fasting as a response to life's sacred, grievous moments.
Lent is a time for fasting, but I suspect most of those who spoke of "fasting" were talking about "abstinence" (not the same as what the Bible means by fasting). And now that Lent is over, we can think again about what fasting is.
This book is in a series that is now four books tall: Brian McLaren, Finding Our Way Again, Robert Benson, In Constant Prayer, and Dan Allender, Sabbath. It's a series on the recovering the ancient practices.
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I've tended to say that fasting is equivalent to celibacy, as nutrition is equivalent to chastity.
This one point in your book was extremely insightful and very helpful to me. After reading the book and really thinking through this, I agree with you very much regarding this. For me this was a light bulb moment as I thought about fasting and its practice in the life of a Christ-follower.
Scot, I finished reading your book on fasting Monday and it is the best book I have read on the subject. Your definition and process of showing how people fasted in the Bible and why we should do it today was wonderful. In the past I fasted in order to gain insight and closeness to God and often felt empty and unsatisfied when I didn't feel like I received my desired result. Your book has helped me to rethink and see fasting as not a way to get something.
I am now reading constant prayer.
I'm still unclear. It's not "in order to." Ok. So is it "just because" or "because of?"
I agree with you on this point. As a child I saw fasting as a "giving up" of red meat, 3 full meals, etc. While I still give a little attempt at fast thru Lent, I also see "being mindful" as more of the point. Now, I won't try to come close to saying what Church doctrine defines as the "purpose" of fasting, but the "being mindful" seems to bring me into the present more fully. Now, I will also add that I have a memory disability-so remembering what day it is, where we're at in the liturgical calendar, etc. is difficult for me, "being mindful" is in itself a task. But I keep working on it-failing daily, but trying none the less.
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