Fasting

Definition and Meaning

The Korean term geumsik (禁食) literally means "forbidding eating." It refers to abstaining from food for a set period while devoting oneself to prayer, repentance, and meditation on Scripture. Fasting takes several forms:

• A complete fast, in which only water is consumed
• A fast in which one or two meals are skipped
• A partial fast, in which only certain foods are given up

Protestants do not regard fasting as a meritorious work that earns salvation. It is generally understood as a voluntary discipline of humbling oneself and focusing on God.

Biblical and Historical Background

In the Old Testament, the command for the Day of Atonement that "ye shall afflict your souls" (Leviticus 16:29) was understood as a call to fast. Several other fasts are also recorded:

• Moses' forty-day fast (Exodus 34:28)
• Esther's three-day fast (Esther 4:16)
• The repentance and fasting of the people of Nineveh (Jonah 3:5)
• Daniel's abstinence (Daniel 10:2-3), which serves as the basis for the partial fast known today as the "Daniel Fast"

In the New Testament, Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2). He taught that those who fast should not do so to be seen by others (Matthew 6:16-18). The church at Antioch fasted and prayed before sending out Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2-3).

The early church is known to have observed a custom of fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays. Later, the tradition of the Lenten fast became established. During the Reformation, the Reformers criticized treating fasting as a meritorious work or a mandatory regulation, but they affirmed the value of voluntary fasting. John Wesley is also known to have recommended regular fasting.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korean churches, it is common to engage in fasting prayer in times of personal hardship or ahead of major events in the life of a congregation. Fasts of one day, three days, or one week, as well as twenty-one-day Daniel Fasts, are practiced. Some believers also fast while staying at a prayer retreat center; a prominent example is the Osanri Choi Ja-sil International Fasting Prayer Mountain, operated by Yoido Full Gospel Church. During special early-morning prayer meetings, congregants sometimes fast together by skipping one meal.

Emphases differ somewhat among denominations:

• Churches that place importance on the church calendar, such as Methodist and Anglican churches, tend to encourage fasting or abstinence during Lent, especially on Ash Wednesday and during Holy Week.
• Churches in the Reformed tradition, such as Presbyterian churches, tend to emphasize voluntary fasting as need arises rather than fasting during fixed seasons.
• Pentecostal churches have closely linked fasting with prayer that seeks spiritual power and answers from God.

Prolonged fasting can harm one's health. For this reason, it is widely advised that those with chronic illnesses consult a physician and that, after a fast, one break the fast gradually by beginning with thin, easily digestible foods (a practice called bosik). Some also caution against treating fasting as a means of obtaining answers to prayer or blessings. In recent years, the term has also been used in a broader sense, as in a "media fast," in which one abstains from smartphones or other media.