5 other churches that observe Lent

I also thought so. Imagine my surprise to learn that there are other churches that also do Lent.

Here is a list of these churches.

Anglican

Pulse Religion reached out to an Anglican who maintained that his church observes Lent every year.

In his words, “My family and I have always participated in it. I grew up doing it every single year.”

Rev. Porter Case Taylor, an Anglican priest residing in Kansas, sheds some light on why Anglicans do Lent.

In his words, “Lent is Catholic, not Catholic. This is not meant with any insult toward our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters, far from it! It is for the one holy catholic and apostolic church.

“…Lent teaches us to live in the shadow of the cross and the radiant light of the empty tomb. We learn to die to self and rise in Christ. Taking on of spiritual disciplines, coupled with “giving things up”, helps form us more fully as members of God’s Story rather than our own. Our desperate need for grace and the radical reversal of our realities plant us firmly in the tradition of the one holy catholic and apostolic church which teaches us to rely on God absolutely.”

During the 40 days, they fast, pray and hold Lenten services as they prepare for Easter.

Lutheran

This church also participates in the Lenten season. However, they do not necessarily practice the 'giving up' part of the season.

According to The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in the United States, “giving something up for Lent” is not compulsory but something that is entirely a matter of Christian freedom.

The site adds: “It would be wrong, from our perspective, for the church to make some sort of “law” requiring its members to “give something up for Lent,” since the Scriptures themselves do not require this.

“If, on the other hand, a Christian wants to give something up for Lent as a way of remembering and personalizing the great sacrifice that Christ made on the cross for our sins, then that Christian is certainly free to do so — as long as he or she does not “judge” or “look down on” other Christians who do not choose to do this.”

Methodist

Like Catholics, Methodists do Ash Wednesday, practice fasting, and abstinence during these 40 days. Still, there are no strict guidelines for individuals.

According to The United Methodist Church, “Fasting has been a part of Methodism from its early beginnings. John Wesley considered fasting an important part of a Christian’s life and he fasted weekly. To Wesley, fasting was an important way to express sorrow for sin and penitence for overindulgence in eating and drinking. He believed it allowed more time for prayer and was more meaningful if combined with giving to the poor. Wesley did advise caution against extreme fasting and against fasting for those in fragile health.

“Lent is a very personal time of self-reflection, so The United Methodist Church does not have official guidelines on how individuals should observe Lent. We fast to reorient ourselves away from the distraction of those things and back toward God.”

ALSO READ: 7 bible verses to focus on during Lent 2018

Presbyterian

This church observes Lent but they are not required to give up anything for this period.

Still, members are encouraged to observe Lent by making some sort of personal sacrifice.

The Presbyterian Mission Agency writes: “Some disciples may find a more valuable spiritual exercise in taking something on during Lent — a more Christ-like attitude toward others, a humble spirit at work, or a feeling of gratitude in the midst of scarcity.”

Baptist Church

Unlike the aforementioned churches, most members of this particular denomination do not practice Lent.

According to a Christian site called Salty Bread, Lent is not an obligation but a choice for Baptists.

Why a lot of churches do NOT observe Lent

While churches like Methodist, Lutheran, Catholics celebrate Lent, there are a lot of other denominations that do not do this.

Most of these churches are Protestants and the reason why they do not observe Lent is directly tied to their name.

Like the name ‘Protestants’ implies, these churches broke out of the Roman Catholic church because they did not agree with some things.

Now, they only practice things that “Sola scriptura” which means “by scripture alone.” Since Lent is loosely based on the scriptures and has no specific backing, it is not observed by most Protestants.

There, you have it. Do you observe Lent?