Fasting - Scot McKnight

Scot McKnight is a fantastic author.  I greatly respect him, and so I was thrilled at the chance to review his book for The Ancient Practices Series on Fasting.  McKnight does not disappoint.  This is certainly one of the best books on fasting I have ever read.  He suggests that, "Fasting is the natural, inevitable response of a person to a grievous sacred moment in life" (xviii).  There are simply times when we are confronted with situations (our own sin, sin of a nation, death, etc.) That we need to bring our bodies into line with our prayers, emotions, and spirit.  Fasting is a whole body act.  McKnight shows that fasting is not an A to B resulting in C activity.  If we fast we are not guaranteed that our prayers will be more effective or that we will meet God in a special way, but rather that as we respond to A with B we may discover C in ways we didn't expect.  McKnight also calls for Christians to rediscover the practice of regular fasting as well as fasting before baptism, communion, and other important days in the church calendar.  This is a great book.  A must read.


I received this book free from the Thomas Nelson Publishers "Booksneeze" book review program.  I was under no obligation to provide a positive review.