Fasting
Spiritual Freedom Beyond Our Appetites
by Lynne M. Baab
InterVarsity Press
ISBN 978-0-8308-3501-0;paper;
144 pp
Lynne discusses fasting from food and from things like
- media
- entertainment
- shopping
Dozens of people who fast contribute their insights
and practical suggestions. Fasting is presented as a way to experience
freedom from many of the pressures of our consumer-based,
materialistic culture in order to draw near to God
with joy and simplicity.
Publisher's Weekly Starred Review
"This slender volume packs a surprising amount of content,
with Baab (Sabbath Keeping) offering both spiritual
guidance and factual information to
those Christians who want to undertake, or deepen, a fast. One
refreshing aspect of the book is its broad understanding
of what constitutes a fast, which can range from a full abstinence
from food and water to a more limited avoidance of one or more
types of foods for a set period of time. Beyond that, however,
Baab considers other kinds of fasts that Christians can undertake:
refraining from shopping, elaborate clothing, jewelry, television,
or anything that they have made into an idol. Fasting, she says,
calls Christians into closer communion with God by creating time
for spiritual discernment, adding greater urgency
to prayer, and encouraging solidarity
with the poor. Baab traces the practice of fasting through
the Bible and the Christian Church, with an ecumenical openness
that embraces Orthodox and Catholic practices as well as her own
Protestant traditions. One particularly welcome chapter explores
the idea of fasting in community, introducing
practices like the round-robin fast and fasting with one or two
partners. This excellent resource will help novice Christians
dip into the ancient practice of fasting and more seasoned practitioners
become more creative and intentional in its observance.
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Articles
Gifts of Freedom: The Sabbath and Fasting Conversations [to be published]
Almost every year for ten years I stayed for a few days at a Benedictine monastery for women. During an early visit, one of the sisters told me how special Sundays are at the monastery...
Fasting Today Relevant [to be published]
Anyone can fast. In the past two years I’ve interviewed dozens of people who fast, and I’ve heard an amazing diversity of stories...
Feeling deprived? Lenten fast can refocus consumer mindset The United Methodist Reporter Interactive
While praying for a friend in her car, Lynne Baab decided to "fast" from the music she usually listens to when driving. Two things happened: She began to see another way to pray for her friend's difficulties, and she noticed that her car was making a funny noise...
Reviews
Fasting Reminds Us We Do Not Live By Bread Alone Monica McDowell Elvig, published in Presence, June 2007
The ancient spiritual practice of fasting is perhaps the most misunderstood of all the spiritual disciplines. Our culture’s contradictory obsessions with dieting and consumption lead to all the more confusion about the appropriate place for fasting...
The Gift of Fasting for the Lenten Season Catherine Fransson, Pastor, Seattle First Baptist Church
As Lent begins, now is a good time to explore what you’d like to learn during this year’s pilgrimage. Our tradition doesn’t require us to do anything. But the seasons of our lives offer special gifts only if we attune ourselves and offer our attention to God in a new way...
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