Lenten FAQs (1): Is Lent A Catholic Holy Season?
Today FreeTruth begins a Lenten series entitled Path to Glory. Nearly twenty of my friends will contribute to this 45+ day journey through the life, passion, resurrection, and triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ--His path to glory.I think there's wisdom in first getting this "Lent thing" straight in our minds, before we present about forty meditations heading into the Good Friday and Easter season. If you're an evangelical Christian like me--someone who has a legitimate concern to keep the gospel free from man-made traditions and legalistic additions--you've probably asked questions about Lent. If you haven't, you probably should have, for traditions and additions can kill unguarded evangelical faith.
Let's see if I can help out with a few posts answering some FAQs about Lent.
FAQ #1--"Isn't Lent a Catholic holy season?" Answer: Yes and No.
Yes, Roman Catholics observe Lent every year. No, Lent is not only a Catholic holy season. The fact is that through the centuries to this day, many evangelical, Bible-believing Protestants have observed the Lenten season to one degree or another. That doesn't mean it's right or wrong. It just means that it isn't strictly accurate to say that Lent is only a Catholic holy season any more than to say that Christmas is only a Catholic holy day because Catholics observe that too.
Church history shows that Lent-like practice was observed widely before the Roman Catholic Church ever became very dominant and as seriously in error as it is today. Widely diverse observance of some form of fasting, repentance, and prayer, all leading into the Good Friday/Resurrection Sunday (Easter) season, traces back at least into the 100's A.D. That doesn't mean necessarily that this is a good thing to do; it simply means that a lot of real Christians have been observing Lenten-type practices for a long time.
Truth be told: there are troubling Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, High Church Anglican or Lutheran, and even superficial evangelical ways to observe Lent, and there can be a truly evangelical, gospel- and grace-saturated way to observe it.
It is by no means critical that we choose to observe Lent. I never have. And many other Christians have chosen not to and are strong devoted believers. What matters is that if we choose to observe Lent (which I believe a Christian may do), we do so in a way that in no way compromises the gospel of God's free justifying grace through the atonement of Christ alone.
We'll see if we can outline an approach to such holy seasons that does not undermine the gospel in the process.
Labels: Fasting, Holy Days, Lent, Spiritual disciplines
posted by Tim Shorey at
11:59 AM
5 Comments:
Thank you, Tim! I am one of those who never really thought about this holiday. But if asked about it I probably would have erroneously answered that it was a Catholic holiday, or one of the other tradition saturated faiths.
So this will be a learning experience for me. I also like the way you are presenting the background of this religious observance,
a Q & A approach.
And as expected guarding the gospel is at the forefront.
Lent is from the Latin :to lengthen" with relation to longer daylight hours in a day.
Pastor, you mentioned that the Roman Catholic Church is "seriously in error". I was wondering if you are drawing a line here between error and heresy? Just curious.
I know this is not the focal point of your blog today.
JR
John,
As you say the focus was not on the degree of error in Rome at this point. And it's hard to know how much to answer here without getting us way off track.
But I would say that when in the 1,600s at the Council of Trent, the Roman Catholic Church officially condemned the gospel as heresy (that is, the pure gospel of justification by grace alone through faith alone--the "alones" are key), they backed themselves into heresy from which they cannot seem to escape.
With all due respect and without any desire to be contentious, it seems to me that official Roman Catholicism is in a serious catch-22.
1. They have officially, in no uncertain terms condemned the gospel(at Trent).
2. They claim infallibility for all such condemnations.
3. So even if they wanted to revoke their condemnation of the gospel, they could not, for they would have to admit the fallibility of an earlier decree.
Thankfully for individual Catholics, some have seen more gospel truth than their Church has!
By the way, this particular blog series is meant to focus primarily on the positive redeeming work of Christ. But inevitably such a presentation will raise questions about other perspectives.
If any--especially Roman Catholics-- would like further conversation re this, I'd be more than willing to meet face to face. Let me know.
For several years now, Pat and I have seriously tried to use the weeks of what is traditionally called "Lent" to prepare our hearts more intentionally for the celebration of the death and resurrection of our Lord. We have found it to be a very helpful discipline, and have been helped along by some wonderful Christian writers who have given themselves to meditating on the Lord's passion. I am thankful for this series of meditations, which will help us all in this regard. Thanks, Tim, for the careful planning that has gone into the series. tdb
Today as I'm home with my beau who isn't feeling well, I had time to read Free Truth and I am excited and looking forward to what I will learn about something which as a child our family practiced for no other reason than my mom had a good friend who was catholic and she thought it was a good idea.
Of and on over the years I have ATTEMPTED to observe Lent for the entire prescribed season, but my own lack of discipline brought me up short. I remember feeling guilty, feeling I had somehow failed God.
Of course, I learned and know differnent.
I really appreciate the bit of history that was shared in answer to EJK's comments too. It makes me think of the catch-22 ways we can sometimes function in our everyday life as it relates to living a different gospel than we profess and then refusal to repent when we know better. Does that make sense?
Anyway, thanks for leading and guiding us and keeping our focus forever on the MAIN THING!
sdpaul
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