Fasting is one of those ancient disciplines that is seldom practiced by many Christians. In his book, "Fasting," Scot McKnight makes his case for the relevance of this discipline in our time. He proposes the definition of fasting as "the natural response of a person to a grevious sacred moment in life." Through this lens he views and explains many biblical and historical examples of fasting. Honest discussion of reasons why one should fast, as well as why one should not, help to dispel myths or misappropriations of this means of grace. In order to understand fasting, McKnight leads the reader to explore the idea of "whole-body spirituality" - a perspective which has been lost in recent generations.
McKnight writes with depth and honesty about a discipline he obviously knows well. For someone who is looking for a biblical discussion about fasting, this book offers many insights. I was disappointed that the book was repetitive and redundant, coming back to the same points chapter after chapter. I also found his treatment of the current mindset somewhat disparaging and negative, which is not really necessary since his presentation of fasting is attractive and positive enough to make the reader interested. There are some good nuggets of truth in there, so it is a worthwhile read for anyone serious about pursuing this discipline.
I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers (BookSneeze) for purposes of review.
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