Fasting: John Wesley and Methodical Fasting

John Wesley (d. 1791) was one of the most systematic advocates of fasting in Protestant history. He fasted every Wednesday and Friday, following the ancient Christian pattern, and he expected the early Methodists to do the same. Wesley wrote: "Some have exalted religious fasting beyond all Scripture and reason; and others have utterly disregarded it." Wesley taught that fasting served three purposes: (1) as an act of self-denial that mortifies the flesh, (2) as an expression of repentance and sorrow for sin, and (3) as a means of intensifying prayer and seeking God's guidance.…