Fasting: Spiritual Freedom Beyond Our Appetites (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: fasts from all food, partial fasts, fasting saints, Eastern Orthodox, Holy Spirit, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This slender volume packs a surprising amount of content, with Baab (Sabbath Keeping) offering both spiritual guidance and factual information to those Christians who want to undertake, or deepen, a fast. One refreshing aspect of the book is its broad understanding of what constitutes a fast, which can range from a full abstinence from food and water to a more limited avoidance of one or more types of foods for a set period of time. Beyond that, however, Baab considers other kinds of fasts that Christians can undertake: refraining from shopping, elaborate clothing, jewelry, television or anything that they have made into an idol. Fasting, she says, calls Christians into closer communion with God by creating time for spiritual discernment, adding greater urgency to prayer and encouraging solidarity with the poor. Baab traces the practice of fasting through the Bible and the Christian church, with an ecumenical openness that embraces Orthodox and Catholic practices as well as her own Protestant traditions. One particularly welcome chapter explores the idea of fasting in community, introducing practices like the round-robin fast and fasting with one or two partners. This excellent resource will help novice Christians dip into the ancient practice of fasting and more seasoned practitioners become more creative and intentional in its observance. (Jan.)
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Product Description

Fasting is an ancient, often misunderstood practice of the church. Lynne Baab explores fasting as an experience of freedom by looking beyond our appetites what we eat, how we entertain ourselves, what we surround ourselves with to get a better view of ourselves and our God.

Market/Audience

• People interested in spiritual formation
• Catholic readers

Endorsements

"Lynne Baab takes a very insightful and helpful look at the often neglected spiritual practice of fasting. Her suggestions about fasting other than from food are particularly relevant for our culture today. As a physician I also appreciated her practical and helpful tips on how to fast from food. This is an important book for anyone wanting to become more intimate with God." Christine Sine, M.D., executive director, Mustard Seed Associates

"As someone who has struggled with slavery to my appetites and desires, and who seeks a life free of them, Fasting was a life-giving breath of fresh air . . . Lynne Baab has created a book that can help us explore our appetites, discover the history behind the fast, and learn how to abstain and seek God." Renee Altson, author of Stumbling Toward Faith

Features and Benefits

• Provides insights from fasting experiences of diverse people.
• Surveys fasting in the Bible and church history.
• Offers cautions and alternatives for people with special dietary concerns.

Product Details

• Paperback: 151 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (January 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830835016
• ISBN-13: 978-0830835010
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #250,774 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational and insightful!, January 25, 2007

By	Jessica - See all my reviews

Fasting: Spiritual Freedom Beyond Our Appetites is a wonderful look at the Christian practice of fasting from historical and contemporary viewpoints. As Lynne Baab is quick to point out, "fasting" is not about denial, but about liberation; it is a spiritual practice that brings us into deeper awareness of our relationship to God. We can fast from a number of appetites or habits; not only from eating, but watching TV, surfing the internet, reading the newspaper. As a student re-acquainting herself with Scripture and Christian theology, I really appreciated learning more about the benefits and practice of fasting. This book is both a guide about how to fast in a healthy and balanced manner to enhance prayer, and a means of connecting with a community of Christians who share a variety of fasting experiences with Baab. This subject is important and timely considering the hectic pace of our lives in this information-driven age. Baab's book inspires us to take the time to better appreciate and practice our faith.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Remedy for Stuffed Lives, February 28, 2007

By	Kay Abella (CT, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In Fasting Lynn Baab gives a very interesting overview of the concept of fasting and its place in Christian tradition, both past and present. However, for me it addresses a much bigger issue; that of stuffing our lives, not just our faces, until we feel bloated, overwhelmed and unable to enjoy anything. This is a wonderful book for just examining how it might feel to empty out a part of your life and then see what interesting things emerge to fill that emptiness.

There is a common adage that says "when one door closes, another opens." Baab shows us that when we discipline ourselves to close a door on something which has become too central, too desperate for us to have, previously unseen doors can open and a fresh breeze can enter. This is Baab's message, whatever your religious practice. And she delivers it with clarity and optimism.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Results in sporadic fasts from reading, October 27, 2008

By	Scandalous Sanity (Texas) - See all my reviews

In this book Baab draws out a brief historical and biblical outline of fasting. She focuses on the few verses that are found within the Bible, and, while the verses are extremely limited, her use of them is fairly well done.

She also takes extreme caution in explaining the intricacies of fasting for individuals and communities. She overemphasizes the hazards of fasting for those with eating disorders and other diseases such as diabetes. This got a bit old, but it is a very important factor when considering fasting, so she was better off writing too much about these effects than not enough.

The style of the book gave me the most problem. While I was looking for an introductory book into the ideal/practice of fasting, the way in which the book was structured and written were not quality. It reads like a decently written freshman english research paper. Not too extensive in facts, and very brief in explanations, too many ambiguous examples, and very simple sentence structures.

It did however lay down some of the basics of fasting that I was curious about, but when the author suggested that she fasted from some sort of shiny jewelry, she lost some of her credibility with me. I understand it may be something that really impacted her, but I found that a bit ridiculous.

I made the classic mistake of judging the book by it's cover(which is pretty cool), and came up disappointed. Although, I will say that the references within this book are an ever better re-starting point for me to dig a bit deeper into the subject of fasting. So, this is a mediocre book, and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody who has heard that much on fasting.