Peter Leithart proposes reasons for Protestants to observe Lent. I’m still not buying.
PL: Lent didn’t keep Christians from converting Europe, forming Christendom, building cathedrals, celebrating carnivale.
But inquisitions and the Crusades happened when Europeans avoided Lent, or did Christendom, cathedrals, and carnivale break a few eggs?
PL: Lent is training in the fundamental Christian discipline of waiting.
I thought Advent taught us how to wait. So many parts of the church calendar, so little understanding.
PL: Lent is preparation for martyrdom. Nothing is more politically potent than a martyr.
I thought Christendom came when an emperor converted and the number of Christians in the empire increased four-fold.
PL: Lent is boot camp for spiritual warriors.
What about — remember this golden oldie? — Rick Warren’s 40 days of a Purpose Driven Life (which has the advantage of being followed at a time that does not conflict with March Madness?
Plus I will be visiting Philadelphia in a few weeks and it is not a place for those in pursuit of virtue.