Why I Don't Observe LENT

Gang,

I am writing this blog as a direct and intentional response to the entirety of the February/March 2014 issue of The Church Advocate whose cover features its lead article, Why I Observe LENT, by Ben Tobias.  (Ben capitalized Lent, not I.)

Blame for the promotion of Lent, however, does not extend to Ben alone.  His article is followed by one authored by Bill Shoemaker entitled, ONe Mission During Lent.  Additionally, the back cover of the issue features a recommendation of Todd Hunter's book, Our Favorite Sins, by Don Dennison.  Following the theme of the issue, Don says, "The season of Lent is a perfect time to address the temptations which lead to periodic and, all too often spiritual failure."  Hence, to read the book is consistent with a life of piety that includes observance of the season of Lent.

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Below are three reasons that I do not observe Lent:

1.  Lent is the product of human tradition and the New Testament denounces human traditions.

  Ben Tobias' article asserts, "Lent was developed by the early Church..." and he is correct, so long as he uses the term early church not as including, by many decades, the New Testament church. 

To my knowledge, the earliest reference to a practice that, even in the most remote manner, resembles what, after numerous evolutionary twists, would become Lent, is in the early third century--about 200 years after Jesus was walking the earth.

  Think of it this way:  If 2014 is early American history, Lent was, indeed, as the article suggests, developed by the early church.

  Clearly, even by the account of advocates of the observance of Lent, Lent is a product of human tradition. 

There is no teaching to observe Lent in the New Testament.  There is no evidence of its observance in the New Testament.

I do not observe Lent because the New Testament does teach the observance of Lent and because the New Testament goes further and teaches that human tradition is evil because obstructs obedience to the commands of God (and of Jesus):

  Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, ² “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”³ Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? (Mt 15)

  ⁸ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

⁹ And [Jesus] continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! (Mk 7)

  ⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. (Col 2:8)

  I believe, as, Paul says to Timothy, that it is "all Scripture that is god-breathed and is useful..."

  Scripture does not teach or model Lent.  Scripture also warns of the sort of human tradition that Lent represents.

  I have enough on my plate to love Jesus and to obey everything He commands.  I don't need to divert or dilute my focus by observing Lent.

  Because I love the Lord and His commands, I don't observe Lent.

2.  The doctrinal and faith statements adopted by the General Conference in session, the CGGC's highest earthly authority, in 2013 prohibit me from observing Lent.

  The new We Believe and the new 2013 CGGC Statement of Faith make similar but, (curiously) not identical statements, about the authority of the Bible in the CGGC.

  We Believe states:

We believe the Bible is the inspired, infallible authority, the Word of God, our only rule for following Jesus in every aspect of our life.

  The 2013 Statement of Faith says,

We believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.

  In both authorities, the Bible is declared to be, for the people of the CGGC, its "only" "rule."

  This is radical language--much stronger than is taken by many other denominations.  It is language that traces back to John Winebrenner and the Church of God's founding generation.  (Though this is fuel for another discussion, it may very well be heresy.)  But, this language is authority in the CGGC. 

  Everyone in the CGGC, including Ben Tobias and Bill Shoemaker and Don Dennison, is bound to submit to it.  Everyone who doesn't submit to it is being insubordinate.

  Because words have meaning: If the Bible is our only rule, it is, therefore, our ultimate ruler. 

  And, since the Bible is out highest spiritual authority, based on the action of the General Conference in Session, our highest earthly authority, observing Lent is permissible in the CGGC only if it is taught and/or modeled in the Bible.

  Lent is not taught in the Bible.  It is not, in any way, modeled in the Bible.

  I don't observe Lent because I love the CGGC and I am, for the moment at least, still active in it.  Because I am, I am bound by CGGC human authority over me to do all the Bible teaches and not to do anything it fails to teach.

  Because I submit to the CGGC, I do not observe Lent.

3.  The Mission of the CGGC, adopted on the authority of the General Conference in session, forbids the observance of Lent.

  The Mission of the CGGC, adopted by the General Conference in session in 2010 asserts,

As witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ, we commit ourselves to make more and better disciples by establishing churches on the New Testament plan and proclaiming the gospel around the world. (Matthew 28:16-20, Ephesians 3:8-11, Acts 1:8)

  To be on mission in the CGGC is to pursue the goal of making 'more and better' disciples through two means.  One of those two means is to establish churches on the New Testament plan.

  The term New Testament plan, again, traces back to our body's founding generation.  Any study of the history of that generation will reveal that the term means that the Church of God only teaches what the New Testament teaches and it only practices what the New Testament models.

  Again, Lent is neither taught nor was it practiced in the New Testament.

  I do not observe Lent because I am a good and faithful member of the CGGC and because I am deeply committed to the CGGC's mission.

  Because I subordinate myself to CGGC authority, I do not observe Lent.

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There is a fruit that the current General Conference leadership produces, it seems, every time it produces a crop.  And, that fruit reeks of spiritual decadence and sin.

Understand this: 

It is because of Ed Rosenberry and his leadership team that the concepts of "the New Testament plan" and the Bible as the CGGC's "only" "rule" have reentered the CGGC dialog.  Ed and his staff have pulled these concepts from a Church of God history in which they had been buried, for all practical purposes, for more than an century.  Ed and his team fought for years to place those concepts in authority over them.

Here's where the decadence and sin come in: 

Having moved the CGGC body to make this vision and mission our authority, they, then, are the very people who lead defiance of those authorities.  The bold promotion of the observance of Lent in The Church Advocate is merely one of numerous examples.

My friends, they didn't have to initiate making only rule and New Testament plan authority over themselves and over all of us.  But, they went to great effort to do it!  Now it is THEIR authority, too.

This style of leadership is, simply, insane.  It defines dysfunction.

We must demand their confession of sin against the covenant we share.  We must demand that they repent and sin no more.