Lent

===== Reformed Churches =====
[[John Calvin]], the principal figure in the development of Reformed theology, critiqued the practice of Lent in his [[Institutes of the Christian Religion]] as a "superstitious observance," and observed that "Christ did not fast repeatedly (which he must have done had he meant to lay down a law for an anniversary fast), but once only, when preparing for the promulgation of the gospel."<ref>{{cite book|last=Calvin|first=John|translator-last=Beveridge|translator-first=Henry|title= Institutes of the Christian Religion|date=1536}}</ref> Similarly, leading Reformed divines such as [[Samuel Rutherford]] rejected the obligation of Lent.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rutherford|first=Samuel|title= Lex, Rex, Or The Law And The Prince: A Dispute For The Just Prerogative Of King And People|date=1643|page=181}},</ref>

The [[Directory for Public Worship]] produced by the [[Westminster Assembly]] in 1644 and approved by the [[Scottish Parliament]] in 1645 takes the position that "[t]here is no day commanded in scripture to be kept holy under the gospel but the Lord’s day, which is the Christian Sabbath," and approves of fasting specifically "upon special emergent occasions" (cf. [[days of humiliation and thanksgiving]]).<ref>{{cite book|title= Directory for the Public Worship of God|publisher=The Westminster Assembly|date=1645|location=Chapter XIV}}</ref> Accordingly, and in keeping with the Reformed [[regulative principle of worship]], the Reformed churches have historically not observed Lent.<ref>{{cite web|last=Clark|first=R. Scott|title=With The Reformed Pubcast On Lent And Sola Scriptura|quote=According to the western church calendar this is the Lenten season (the 40 days from 'Shrove Tuesday' to Easter) and it is being more widely observed within NAPARC. This is worth noting since, historically, most Reformed churches have not observed Lent and have often confessed against it as an infringement of Christian liberty and contrary to the formal principle of the Reformation, ''sola scriptura''.|url=https://heidelblog.net/2017/03/with-the-reformed-pubcast-on-lent-and-sola-scriptura|publisher=The Heidelblog|date=14 March 2017}}</ref>

Some churches in the Reformed tradition observe Lent today.<ref name="EB1911"/> For example, the [[Reformed Church in America]], a Mainline Protestant denomination, describes the first day of Lent, [[Ash Wednesday]], as a day "focused on prayer, fasting, and repentance," encouraging members to "observe a Holy Lent, by self-examination and penitence, by prayer and fasting, by practicing works of love, and by reading and reflecting on God's Holy Word."<ref name="RCA2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.rca.org/resources/ash-wednesday|title=Ash Wednesday|year=2018|publisher=[[Reformed Church in America]]|language=en|access-date=13 March 2018}}</ref>
Among Reformed Christians who do observe Lent, [[Good Friday]], which is towards the end of the Lenten season, is an important day of communal fasting, as it is for many Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Methodists.<ref name="RipleyDana1883"/>