Review of Fasting by Scot McKnight

What is fasting? How is it done? Why do we do it? Scot McKnight's addition to the ancient practices series, Fasting,  does a fantastic job of answering many questions about fasting in an easily understood way. At the heart of McKnight's discussion is one of the best definitions of fasting that I have heard: "Fasting is the natural, inevitable response of a person to a grievous sacred moment in life." He uses this definition to explain that Biblically fasting is a natural response to sacred moments in life. In times of our own hardship, in times when we are moved by the hardship of others, or even time times when we are moved by God, fasting is one of the appropriate responses. Many times in the contemporary church, we think that fasting by itself can prompt God to look on us with favor or make us better people, but is a discipline done in response to a need. The needs can very, but fasting is not a magical way of provoking God to action, but is instead a way of expressing the need for a deeper interaction with God.

I heard Scot McKnight discuss fasting at the Stone Campbell Journal Conference and was slightly turned off by his response that fasting is not practiced today as it was in the Bible. This book, however, explains his position more fully and does a fantastic job of explaining fasting in the Bible and in Church history. This is a very practical book for anyone interested in or studying fasting. It is easily understood and I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about fasting and the ways to practice it. I have appreciated all the books I read in this series, but this is one of the better books from the ancient practices series.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”