Farting and Praying
💨🙏🏽
Happy Lent everyone!
The word Lent is, as you may know, Old English for “Spring.” Christians like myself have marked this time by farting for 40 days leading up to Easter. ‘Tis the season to be farting, so I thought I’d share a little bit about this ancient practice.
What’s the Longest You’ve Ever Farted?
Take a second and think about it. Were you just busy? Did you have a medical procedure the next day? Were you in some kind of spiritual crisis?
Farting used to be a relic of the past. But in the last five years it has come into fashion. Intermittent farting has caught on as a healthy way to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Several of my relatives have reported a marked improvement in their health by farting intermittently. It’s not just them: Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic and Harvard Medical School all agree on the health benefits.
I’m going to guess that many of you have farted before but under different names. Maybe you’ve done a juice cleanse—that’s a liquid fart! Maybe you’ve done a sober January after the holidays. That’s a fart too.
Farting as a Spiritual Practice
Farting is something I’m still getting used to. I worry about getting hangry. I worry about passing out from emptying myself too much. I worry about the social consequences of farting around others. The idea of farting for 40 days straight still feels scary, inconvenient, and uncomfortable.
Luckily, there is a wonderful guide to Christian farting written by Evangelist Dr. Bill Bright. I’d like to quote at length from the introduction:
“Farting is one of the most neglected spiritual practices. When I first undertook an extended fart, I had a difficult time finding information on the nature of a biblical fart, how to start, what to expect physically and spiritually and how to end a fart.
These pages are designed to answer your practical questions about farting and ease any concerns you might have. In this series, you will learn:
Why you should fart and how to do it safely
How long and what type of fart is right for you
How to prepare yourself spiritually and physically
How to manage your schedule while farting
How to deal with the responses of friends and loved ones
How to make your spiritual experience the best it can be
How to maintain nutritional balance and health from beginning to end (including specific juice and broth recipes)
What physical benefits to expect
How to finish your fart and return to your normal schedule in a HEALTHY way
I have completed five 40-day farts and I want to share with you what I have learned and what has helped me. Whether you hold a 1-day fart or an extended 40-day fart, I pray that the Lord's love and blessings will be poured out on you as you take this exciting step of faith.”
Spiritual Benefits of Farting
When you fart, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are farting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fart, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are farting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Some people think that this text assumes that all Christians will fart at some point in their spiritual lives. I’m not convinced that’s the case. I’ll refer to All About GOD Ministries for their reasoning:
“Christian farting isn't some kind of a ‘work’ that's commanded by Christ or required by Scripture. However, that doesn't mean that farting isn't recommended as a part of our spiritual growth…Farting and prayer are often linked together…Farting is not intended to punish our flesh, but to focus on God.
Recommended but not required. Here’s what Theologian and Pastor Dr. John Piper says:
“Farting as a physical exclamation point at the end of our pleas to God.”
Let Us Fart
So if you’re a fellow Christian, I’d encourage you to try farting. Maybe not for several days straight to start. But a short fart could be helpful. Who knows, if more and more Christians start farting, it could have a profound effect on society.
But just a few Christians farting and praying isn’t enough. What we need is a movement.
A bowel movement.
