7 Reasons Why Some Christians Do Not Observe Lent
Lent
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By Mike Leake, Crosswalk.com
When my wife and I were first married she did something that was unthinkable. I wasn’t sure that our marriage would survive.
What’d she do?
She put a spoon in the refrigerator. In my family of origin, this was just something that you weren’t ever supposed to do. I’m not sure why exactly, but just like speaking the name of Voldemort, it’s just something that shouldn’t be done. (Just like for some of you, making a Harry Potter reference is just something you shouldn’t do).
My wife laughed at me and questioned the history behind the spoon in the fridge. Why did I think she had contaminated everything within our fridge by her misdeed? She thought my family was crazy. I thought her family was irresponsible, dangerous, and flirting with bring a pestilence only rivaled by the Black Plague upon our home.
I’m sharing this little story because I think the observance of Lent is similar among various Christian traditions. As a Baptist, when I first heard of observing Lent, I assumed it was some weird Catholic thing that people did because they were scared to be fully Protestant, just some legalistic carryover that other traditions hadn’t managed to buck. To those observing Lent, I was probably just an ignoramus divorced from history. Why wouldn’t you observe Lent?
Well, if you are curious, here are five reasons why people do not observe Lent.
What Is Lent?
Lent is the period of 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday. It is a season dedicated to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. For some, it is a period of intense self-examination akin to the wilderness testing of Christ.
Others view it as a way to put into practice Luke 9:23, denying ourselves and taking up our cross. It is a way of identifying with the suffering of Christ. This is how Britannica defines Lent:
Lent, in the Christian church, is a period of penitential preparation for Easter. In Western churches, it begins on Ash Wednesday, six and a half weeks before Easter, and provides a 40-day period for fasting and abstinence (Sundays are excluded), in imitation of Jesus Christ’s fasting in the wilderness before he began his public ministry. In Eastern churches, Lent begins on the Monday of the seventh week before Easter and ends on the Friday that is nine days before Easter. This 40-day “Great Lent” includes Saturdays and Sundays as relaxed fast days.
Lent is observed by Roman Catholic and Eastern churches and many Protestant denominations as well. Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed, and many Presbyterian churches also observe Lent. But there are some denominations and non-denominational churches which do not observe Lent. Why?
7 Reasons Why Some Christians Do Not Observe Lent
Here are seven reasons why some Christians do not observe Lent. These do not all weigh the same and some of them are, frankly, poor reasons to reject the practice. Others hold more weight.
1. Ignorance or indifference. The simple reason why I did not observe Lent for the first 20 years of my life is that I had never heard of it. I knew that my buddy didn’t eat fish on Fridays and that, for some religious reason, we kept having cheese pizza in the school cafeteria, but I did not understand anything about the practice. Why would I participate in something I’d never heard of?
2. Assuming it’s a Catholic thing. When I became a believer it was in a Baptist church. And we were in a part of the world (Northeast Missouri) where there weren’t many Catholics and not even that many from a more liturgical tradition. I simply didn’t rub shoulders with these people even after becoming a believer, and so I spent the next few years just assuming it was a thing that Catholics did.
This is also why many Protestant traditions will eschew the practice. It just seems like a Catholic thing, and it’s not something that we “people of the book” engage in.
3. Works do not save us. Connected with the above, some believe that Lent—giving up things to prepare for the Easter season—is like trying to find some merit based upon works. As if we will have a deeper experience with God because he will reward us for our sacrifice. Works do not save us; they do not merit God’s favor, so what is the point of me giving up chocolate for 40 days?
4. It’s not commanded in God’s Word. The regulative principle of worship holds that we should not do things within worship or practice which are not directly affirmed in Scripture. Lent, as a practice, is not something that comes from the Bible and therefore is not something that we ought to be observing. There are various trapping associated with Lent that could become dangerous. It’s best to not do that which is not explicitly commanded or required in Scripture.
5. This stuff shouldn’t be seasonal. Why are we only talking about things like penitence, sacrifice, fasting, prayer, giving alms, etc., during this season? Should this not be a practice that is woven into our everyday Christian living? If we focus on this during one particular season, couldn’t it be possible that believers will not be as dedicated to these disciplines throughout the rest of the year?
6. Believing it’s condemned by Matthew 6:16-18. In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus talks about the Pharisees who fast and such in public. They are doing it to make a big show before men. Is the Lenten season not similar? When we talk about what we are giving up for Lent and make a show of our sacrifice for the season, are we not directly disobeying Matthew 6:16-18?
7. Tradition. It might be surprising to say that tradition is a reason for not doing something but it’s true. “We’ve never done it that way before” can be just as dominant in a culture as the more typical “We’ve always done it that way.” Many don’t observe Lent simply because they never have. They’ve never actually seen it up close and so some of the above arguments will also hold even more weight.
Is Observing Lent Right or Wrong?
Is “maybe” an acceptable answer to this question? I would argue that the observance of Lent will fall under Romans 14:6,
Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
It is a matter of the person’s conscience. This means there are ways you could observe Lent wrongly. If you observe pridefully or as an outward show, then Matthew 6:16-18 does apply. But the same could be said of the person who doesn’t observe Lent. One can be just as prideful in saying, “I don’t celebrate Lent because I’m confident in the finished work of Jesus.” Ironically, that can be an incredibly prideful statement.
Likewise, I would say that if a person who observes Lent attempts to bind the conscience of another, they are out of bounds. There is nothing in Scripture that expressly commands the observance of Lent. Yes, there are components of Lent which are prescribed in Scripture. But there is nothing that says it must be done this way and on the 40 days prior to Easter. But in the same vein, it is out of order for a non-observer to condemn someone who, in good conscience, does observe these days of Lent.
It's usually a good practice to not assume that the other person does or does not do something for nefarious reasons. Conversations are good. Kind of like the conversation my wife and I had about putting spoons in the fridge. We learned about family history and even did a bit of research on where this came from. Turns out I’m not alone and I’m not crazy. There was, historically, a reason not to put silverware in with your food as you stored it. But those days are long gone.
I put spoons in my fridge now.
People tend to grow when they have conversations.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/FREDERICA ABAN
