Do Protestants Observe Lent?

[Peter_J]

Basically the further you get from Catholicism, the less likely they’ll celebrate Lent in the way Catholics do.

Here I thought you were going to say “Basically the further you get from Anglicanism, the less likely they’ll celebrate Lent in the way Anglicans do.”

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[Tommy999]

At the Methodist Church where my wife and I attend, there was an Ash Wednesday service, and probably about half to two-thirds of the congregation was there.

Everyone who desired stood in line to have ashes placed on their foreheads by the pastoral staff. I liked it.

The Bible verse for the sermon (or sermonette, in this case) was Luke 18:9-14 where the Pharisee and the tax collector both went to the temple to pray, and how only the tax collector went home justified, even though the Pharisee, on the surface was the more religious person on the surface.

I don’t think all non-Catholic Christians observe the Lenten Catholic dietary restrictions, but I try to eat fish on Fridays. On my way to a restaurant with my wife right now to do it, in fact.

 

[Padres1969]

Here I thought you were going to say “Basically the further you get from Anglicanism, the less likely they’ll celebrate Lent in the way Anglicans do.”

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Well this is a Catholic board and it was a Catholic-centric question posed by the OP

That and with Anglicans as always the way Lent is celebrated can vary depending depending on if you’re following the 1928 or 1979 BCP proscriptions and/or if you’re high or low church.

 

[Le_Cracquere]

Little did you know…

Seriously interest of though that they presented Lent as the exception rather than the general rule that it actually is in the majority of Christianity.

Well, to be perfectly fair: in most of my part of the world (the American South), Lent actually IS a minority practice among a statistically nugatory few. That’s not an argument against it, of course … but I’m not sure that all Catholics quite understand how much of Christendom is bereft of the kinds of assumptions that Catholics and even high-church Protestants can luckily take for granted.

 

[Potter]

My boss’s Presby church has an Ash Wednesday service. I don’t know if it actually involve ashes, though. They’re one of the two oldest churches in the city, though, and are probably more traditional than ‘mainline’ Presbys.

 

[spedteacherita]

Non-Catholic churches that are liturgical certainly celebrate Lent. That includes Anglicans, Lutherans, Old Catholics, Orthodox, MCCs, etc.

The non-liturgical churches are more and more interested in things like the liturgical year, and customs such as being ‘ashed’ on Ash Wednesday. You’ll see Presbyterians, Methodists, non-denominationals having services today and offering special classes or retreats for Lent. It’s nice that this custom is finding its way back into communities. I think it’s a growing trend.

I agree. I have a sister who attends a non-denominational church that also celebrates Lent. I believe it’s a growing trend as well!

Christ’s blessings!

Rita

 

[CyrilSebastian]

Yes. Several of the Protestant churches here are being used for the Community Lenten Services.