Do “Sola Scriptura” Protestants observe Lent? If so, why? It isn’t biblical

  • Thread starter Thread starter BartholomewB
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@Hodos, my friend, I’m running out of alternatives. All I can do is repeat the same answer I gave you last year.
BartholomewB said:
I think everything you say in that post is correct, with the reservation that it applies to some sola scriptura adherents only. As @HopkinsReb and other posters have pointed out on this thread, there is no single definition of sola scriptura that is accepted by all those who proclaim it as their doctrine.
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BartholomewB said:
I think everything you say in that post is correct, with the reservation that it applies to some sola scriptura adherents only. As @HopkinsReb and other posters have pointed out on this thread, there is no single definition of sola scriptura that is accepted by all those who proclaim it as their doctrine.
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And I would again return to the fact that there was an objective historical pretext for how Sola Scriptura came to be defined, and the fact that one might misapply a doctrinal term does not redefine it any more than someone with a modalist view can redefine the doctrine of the trinity to suit their whim.

Thank you for conceding that my post was correct.
 
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BartholomewB said:
@steve-b, you really aren’t reading my posts, are you? Now, for the third time on this thread, let me explain as clearly as I can what, exactly, the information is that I am looking for. We know that Jesus’ forty-day fast in the desert is where the idea of Lent comes from. But my question is about the observance of Lent. Who were the first Christians to designate the pre-Easter period as the right time of year to fast for forty days? Where was that practice first introduced, and when?

Forty days. Pre-Easter. Lent. Fasting. Who did it first? Where and when?
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consider

Easter controversy and fast
 
SFJoseph said:
Excuse me Reformed and Presbyterians observe Lent is is part of our holy days.
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The widespread practice of Lent among Reformed and Presbyterians is a more recent practice, though I think. I might be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that Calvin and his generation rejected Lent. Then in the 1800s, Lent experienced a revival among Reformed churches. However, you will still find Reformed Christians who don’t really approve.
 
ltwin said:
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SFJoseph:
Excuse me Reformed and Presbyterians observe Lent is is part of our holy days.
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The widespread practice of Lent among Reformed and Presbyterians is a more recent practice, though I think. I might be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that Calvin and his generation rejected Lent. Then in the 1800s, Lent experienced a revival among Reformed churches. However, you will still find Reformed Christians who don’t really approve.
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I’d find it very odd if the guy who chewed out his congregation for showing up to church on Christmas celebrated Lent.
 
HopkinsReb said:
I’d find it very odd if the guy who chewed out his congregation for showing up to church on Christmas celebrated Lent.
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My understanding is that Calvin was reacting to the superstitions that had grown up around both Christmas and Lent. So, he probably thought that what ever good one might gain from these observances was outweighed by all the inherited notions that he saw as harmful to the gospel.

In addition, Calvin was also concerned with creating unscriptural religious laws that bind the consciences of believers.
 
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No that is incorrect. Calvin was a Roman Catholic as was John Knox the founder of the Presbyterian faith " Church of Scotland" There are splinter groups that call themselves Reformed or Presbyterian due to the word Presbyter that are ultra conservative, orthodox and perhaps did not celebrate or do not celebrate certain holidays. However, that might of been a Puritan influence. For the most part all reformed and presbyterian(true) celelbrate most Holy Days This is a good read on this from a Presbyterian church/ http://www.harrisonpresbyterian.com/worship-services/how-we-worship/church-seasons

http://www.harrisonpresbyterian.com/worship-services/how-we-worship/the-liturgy
 
SFJoseph said:
No that is incorrect.
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The sources you provided say otherwise. The first link you provided summarizes the situation nicely in regards to Presbyterians and Lent:
The vast majority of Presbyterian churches throughout the country now acknowledge the importance of these two cycles for Christian worship, and include them in varying degrees in the life of their churches. As you know, I’ve always held the Church year in the highest regard. I thank God for how we’ve made great strides in this regard. Obviously, it HASN’T ALWAYS BEEN THIS WAY, not for our church, nor for Presbyterians in general. Let me share with you some of the history of our denomination and the Church year.

Calvinist churches were identified as “Reformed” in Europe and “Presbyterian” in England and Scotland. When Calvinism came to America, it appeared primarily in its Presbyterian form. All Reformed churches throughout the world only observed FOUR holy days during the year, and no seasons at all. All the rest of the Sundays throughout the year were to be the same. The four special days were: Christmas Day, Easter Day, the Day of the Ascension (Jesus going up to heaven), and the Day of Pentecost. The Westminster Directory of Publick Worship , written in 1645, would stipulate that ALL Sundays throughout the year be the same in terms of content for worship, and that ALL special seasons and cycles be abolished:
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So, as I said above, Lent is popular among Presbyterians today, but this is a more recent trend. Therefore, it can hardly be the measure of a “true” Reformed church.
 
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The journal Reformed Worship has a " Holy Week Celebrations" article from 1986 that begins with this:
Christians who are searching for a Reformed tradition of celebrating the Holy Week may be disappointed by what they find. Although the Reformers observed parts of the Christian year, they left us no precedent for worship during the Holy Week except the celebration of the Lord’s Supper on Easter Sunday. Not surprisingly, the contemporary Reformed church has experimented with many types of liturgies in an attempt to fill that void.
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I would add that in Scripture we are also told that Jesus answered the question, why do your disciples do not fast? saying that ‘when the Bridegroom will be taken away from them, then they shall fast’ and that can be taken as an indication to the Church of the upcoming Lent observance.
 
Not to mention that for the Calvinistic/Reformed/Presbyterian type Protestants, sacramentals like blessed ashes would have in the 1500 and 1600s seemed rank superstition and “priest-craft.”
 
Calvin had no issue with “Holy Days”. His issue was when the “Day” became more important than the person for whom the day existed. Thank goodness that doesn’t happen any more. We certainly don’t commercialize Christmas today. It’s all about Christ - the whole season. I know for me, the whole time I’m in Best Buy agonizing over the Xbox vs. Playstation question (Xbox all the way), I’m really focused on how that’s an allegory for my spiritual choices.

And we all take Lent super seriously today and spend it entirely focused on preparing for Easter. Nobody gives up something for their Lenten vows and secretly hopes it helps them lose the extra 15 lbs they put on while celebrating the holidays. We don’t do the math and figure out, “Wow - we really do get Sunday’s off!” (Do Catholics really get Sunday’s off - cause if you guys do, I’m definitely taking it off too :))

To be clear - I write all this with tongue planted firmly in cheek. Calvin was a grumpy guy. But perhaps, we could all use a reminder about who the seasons are really about. I know I need one.
 
I glory in the fact that at least in NYC, the various mainline Protestant churches do observe Lent. I cherish opportunities to come together in study, devotion, and service with my friends in congregations such as the Riverside Church, 5th Avenue Presbyterian, Brick Church, Judson Memorial, Park Avenue Christian, and Marble Collegiate. Let us remember that there was a Liturgical Revival in these denominations 50 year ago around the same time as Vatican II, in an attempt for them to reconnect with some of the traditions of the ancient Church. I’m particularly interested in the study of Scoto-Catholicism.
 
Could you explain this , since you do not cite any forefathers writing 40 days except Rufinus (4th C), and that by mistake. A two day fast is the longest recorded by Iraneus quote you posted. So again, would not say that apostles observed a forty day fast Lent.
 
Question #1 regarding well-meaning Protestants who believe in “Sola Scriptura”: Where in the Bible does it say, “the Bible alone?”
 
JonNC said:
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1cthlctrth:
Question #1 regarding well-meaning Protestants who believe in “Sola Scriptura”: Where in the Bible does it say, “the Bible alone?”
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It doesn’t. Why would it have to?
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If one is to formulate a doctrine that all doctrines must be found in the text, then that doctrine of sola scriptura, if it is not in the text, is logically self-defeating.
 
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