Anne Marie Reijnen

This article, written from a Protestant perspective, examines the contemporary relevance of Christian fasting through a theological and historical study drawing on biblical, patristic, and Reformed sources. The author begins with a twofold observation: fasting today faces competition from secularized dietary practices that distort its meaning, while the Reformed tradition has largely marginalized it. The article analyzes Calvin's position, which recognizes three functions of fasting — mortification, disposition toward prayer, and expression of humility — while stripping it of any meritorious value. It also explores the dimensions of solidarity, ecology, and eschatology in fasting, as well as its roots in the Abrahamic traditions. The main contribution lies in the formulation of four criteria for envisioning a Protestant reappropriation of fasting, articulating prayer, solidarity, liturgical or cosmic rhythm, and Christological orientation.

This article originates from a paper presented at the ecumenical conference "Animals in the Economy of Salvation" organized at the Institut Saint-Serge in 2009. Anne Marie Reijnen, a Reformed theologian, offers a critical reflection on the silence of Christian theology in the face of animal suffering, rendered invisible by contemporary industrial practices. Drawing on dissident figures — Francis of Assisi, Giordano Bruno, Montaigne, Albert Schweitzer and Jürgen Moltmann — she shows that the majority tradition has marginalized any thought favorable to animals through ridicule, relegation or domestication. The article argues for a principled approach, capable of encompassing all living beings, by articulating Christology, doxology and a cosmic vision of salvation. The theological contribution lies in the mobilization of the cosmic Christ and apokatastasis as universal categories allowing non-human animals to be integrated into the divine economy.