Fasting as a Political Weapon!

The other day I tried to explain to a good Christian friend why it is that I "deny" myself of certain bodily comfort.

No, I am not talking about fasting for a full 40 days like Jesus did (although that is a healthy spiritual discipline if one is led by the Holy Spirit to do so . . .).

No, just ordinary "denying" of one's bodily comfort for the sake of spiritual blessing.

Not eating meat when one really wants to. Eating vegetables only for a period of time. Refraining from alcoholic beverages for a set period of time. Like Jesus Himself, all Christians are called to fast.

But how does fasting relate to "politics"?

Well, here the answer is a bit more nebulous simply because the greatest political leader to utilize such a practice was not "officially" Christian, but nonetheless held a deep fascination with Jesus Christ, namely the Indian activist Mohandas K Gandhi.

Gandhi, through fasting was able to single-handedly bring the British domination of India to an end. If the British exploited the Indian population through price-gouging, then Gandhi and his followers would simply refrain from buying that product (for example salt or textiles). OR, in order to gain the eye of the media, Gandhi would fast, sometimes for days on end, in order to bring world attention to the plight of the Indian people under British control.

More recently, this "Gandhi-style" fasting as civil statement was done by a Military Chaplain, Gordon Klingenschmidt. Klingenschmidt, an Evangelical Christian, could not bow his head to the state-supported Unitarian established religion (UnConstitutional unitarianism by the way). Instead, like any other true believer in Jesus Christ, Gordon Klingenschmidt could only pray in Jesus' Name! Fasting in front of the White House quickly drew a response from Republicans and Democrats alike. From George W. Bush to Hilary Clinton even, Gordon Klingenschmidt's fasting for Jesus-Prayer was affirmed as the Constitutional position.

So, whether it is overthrowing fallen exploitative systems (e.g. British domination of the Indian people OR Afrikaaner apartheid control of South Africa that finally ended in 1994) OR whether it is taking a stand for Jesus, fasting can and does make a political statement.

Love in Jesus,
Rob J King, Political Candidate for Jesus