Do Protestants Do Lent?

Many Protestant traditions celebrate Lent, though their observance is not the same as Catholicism. The Anglican and Lutheran traditions have historically celebrated Lent. Some Presbyterian, Baptist, and non-denominational churches also celebrate it.

In addition to Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, many Protestant denominations observe Lent, though they do so in different ways, including many Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, and Reformed churches.

Eastern Orthodox Many Protestants do embrace prayer, fasting and almsgiving during Lent, but if they do, it is generally done freely, without any direction from their local pastor or leader. Lent is a beautiful season in the Church, one that has roots in the early Church, even though it may not suit our modern tastes.

Why Christians Celebrate It. Each year, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. Lent is a 40-day season (not counting Sundays) marked by repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. The 40-day period represents Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness, where he fasted and where Satan tempted him.

• a Pre-Lenten fast in preparation for Great Lent
• Great Lent itself
• the Paschal fast during Holy Week which immediately follows Lent

6 Reasons to Observe Lent (Even if You’re Not Catholic) Lent is a season for all of us where we can reflect, re-choose, and re-shape ourselves and our futures. Beliefnet. So begins the season of

Several Christian denominations observe the sacred period of Lent, but not all do. In addition to Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, many Protestant denominations observe Lent, though they do so in different ways, including many Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, and Reformed churches.

What does Lent mean?

The word Lent comes from the word Lenten, which has roots in Old English. “Lenten” referred to the lengthening of daylight hours in the Spring. The 40 days of Lent and the celebration of Easter that occurs at the conclusion of it occurs every year in the Spring. (Also see Why Don’t Protestants Use Crucifixes?)

The purpose of Lent has changed over the centuries, though the commonality through the millenniums is that its intended to prepare people to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (Also see Why Don’t Protestants Make the Sign of the Cross?)

In the 7th century, the church established the 40-day-period of Lent, which was comprised of penitence and preparation, yet there is evidence that some believers had been doing having similar observances centuries earlier.

In the 7th century, the church established that Lent would be 40 days long. The number 40 comes from the number of days that Christ spent in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1-2 read, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Penitence comes from a Latin word meaning “to repent” as in to regret or be sorry for something. In the Protestant tradition, pertinence and repentance are used synonymously. The Catholic sacrament of “penance” has a different meaning. The season of Lent is, in part, for people to turn from sin and reset their pursuit of holiness.

Some Protestants fast during Lent. The tradition of fasting during Lent likely comes from Christ’s abstaining from food in the wilderness (Matt. 4:2). Traditionally, Christians fast on Fridays during Lent.

Protestants are not required to say certain prayers word-for-word, but denominations and churches sometimes give their members guidance. For example, one Anglican tradition encourages its members to say this prayer on the first Sunday of Lent,

Why don’t protestants observe Lent?

Their forefathers, for the most part, did not observe Lent, because the whole point of Lent is to repent of your sins, to prepare for Easter.

However, Lent is less of a major season for them for two major reasons: there was pressure on Protestants to shed everything not strictly biblical in the course of separation (from anabaptists, puritans, etc.) and the emphasis on the doctrine that “works” are useless in salvation.

Protestants, for the most part, think that if they just accept “Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior” they can then dispense with the rest of the Gospel, especially those repugnant parts like repenting.”.

I don’t normally answer “protestant” questions, but as this has come back: protestant means someone who protests . The Catholic Church celebrates Lent, the protestant churches are followers of the heretics from the sixteenth century – and others who protested THEM. The protestants LEFT the Catholic Church because they wanted to make up their own church and their own doctrine. Martin Luther specifically threw six or seven books out of the Old Testament because he, personally, did not agree with them. He tried to do the same in the New Testament only to have other protestants disagree with hi

Actually almost all Protesant churches do observe Lent. The main exception, if I am not mistaken, are the Baptists, because they come from a Calvinist background that did away with all church Holy days during their early formation. (I am not a Baptist, maybe someone can correct me if I am wrong on that.) Amish and Mennonite churches, coming from an Anabaptist tradition, also do not observe Lent. Essentially all the other Protestant denominations do.

So I think Christians are free to observe lent or not to observe lent. After all what’s important is your faith in Jesus Christ. That you’re being his disciple transformed your life to be holy according to the Scriptures.

Yet it does not mean solely inner repentance; such inner repentance is worthless unless it produces various outward mortification of the flesh.”