Episode Overview

Join host Jamie Baxter from Exodus 90 for Episode 24 of Desert Fathers in a Year, titled “On Discernment: Three Approaches.” This episode continues the exploration of the fifth chapter of the Desert Fathers’ systematic collection on lust, featuring a profound saying from Abba Anthony. Guided by Bishop Eric Varden, the episode situates Christian sexuality within human dignity and flourishing, distinguishing natural eros from destructive lust. Recorded during the Kings of Summer initiative, this reflection offers practical wisdom for men seeking to channel their desires toward Christ-like love.

Key Themes and Reflections

• Abba Anthony’s Saying: Abba Anthony identifies three types of bodily movement: (1) natural physical urges, neutral and good when guided by the soul; (2) lust fueled by overindulgence in food and drink, linked to gluttony; and (3) demonic impulses driven by spiritual malice, inducing sadness and despair. These distinctions provide a framework for discerning and combating lust.
• Chastity and Human Flourishing: Bishop Varden emphasizes that the Desert Fathers were not opposed to eros or sex within marriage but condemned porneia (lust as transaction, akin to prostitution). Chastity aligns body and soul, fostering love and happiness, not stifling desire.
• Reclaiming Anthony’s Wisdom: Contrary to Enlightenment views of Anthony as an unlettered ascetic, his letters reveal intellectual depth. His nuanced approach to lust—affirming natural urges while warning against imbalance and demonic influence—could prevent much pain if taught in seminaries and marriage preparation.
• Body and Soul in Harmony: Anthony’s teaching rejects the notion that bodily urges are inherently sinful. The pursuit of chastity seeks to restore the fruitful complementarity of body and soul, made in God’s image, through discerning reason and disciplined habits.
• Practical Discernment: To combat lust, Anthony advises moderating food and drink to equilibrate appetite, avoiding places of past sin, and limiting alcohol (e.g., “never take more than three cups”). Prayer and compunction drive out demonic impulses, elevating the mind toward God’s love.
• Cultural Misconceptions: The episode challenges the view of Christian sexuality as puritanical, highlighting how lust sabotages self and others. By understanding lust’s roots—natural, indulgent, or demonic—men can redirect passions toward life-giving love.

Scriptural and Literary Connections

• Ephesians 5:18: “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery,” cited by Anthony to warn against lust fueled by excess.
• Luke 21:34: Jesus’ command, “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness,” underscores the need for vigilance.
• Athanasius’ Life of Anthony: Reveals Anthony’s rejection of pagan culture, not learning, affirming his intellectual depth.
• Bishop Varden’s Chastity: Reconciliation of the Senses: Frames chastity as a path to flourishing, aligning with Anthony’s discernment of desire.

Action Items for Listeners

1. Discern Bodily Movements: Reflect on Anthony’s three types of lust. Are your urges natural, fueled by excess, or spiritually destructive? Journal your observations to grow in self-awareness.
2. Moderate Appetites: Limit food, drink, or alcohol this week (e.g., skip a second...

Do you have a question for Bishop Varden? Submit your questions here.

Episode Overview

Join host Jamie Baxter from Exodus 90 and guests Adam, Doyle, and Jared for the bonus roundtable discussion of Episode 23 of Desert Fathers in a Year, titled “Lust.” This episode marks the start of a new focus on the fifth chapter of the Desert Fathers’ systematic collection, exploring the timeless wisdom of Abba Poemen on combating lust and anger. With insights from Bishop Varden’s book Chastity: Reconciliation of the Senses, the discussion reframes chastity as a path to human flourishing, not a restrictive rule. Recorded during the Kings of Summer initiative, this episode offers practical guidance for men seeking transformation in Christ amidst a culture wounded by the sexual revolution.

Key Themes and Reflections

• Abba Poemen’s Saying: A brother, struggling with lust and anger, seeks advice from Abba Poemen, who references David’s triumph over the lion and bear (1 Samuel 17:34-36) to illustrate cutting off anger and squeezing out lust through labor. Poemen warns that lovers of pleasure and money cannot live according to God, emphasizing disciplined effort to redirect passions.
• Chastity as Flourishing: Jared highlights Bishop Varden’s reframe of chastity as thriving, not a killjoy rule. Drawing from Deus Caritas Est by Pope Benedict XVI, he distinguishes eros (legitimate longing for love) from lust (self-focused distortion), countering cultural misconceptions that equate all desire with lust.
• Cultural Crisis and Wounded Healers: The sexual revolution has wounded both society and the Church, creating timidity in teaching chastity due to scandals and cultural malaise. Jared notes that even Church leaders are “wounded healers,” yet the Church upholds human dignity through teachings like John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.
• Lust vs. Fatherhood: Jared contrasts the vampire-like nature of lust—draining life for selfish pleasure—with fatherhood, which gives life through self-sacrifice. This aligns with Poemen’s call to redirect passions toward fruitful love, addressing the cultural confusion encapsulated in “love is love.”
• Historical Parallels: Doyle draws from Greek and Roman sexuality, citing Plato’s Symposium and Aristophanes’ works to show that modern sexual confusion is not new. Socrates’ view of love as a pursuit of reason (logos, fulfilled in Christ) prefigures Christian chastity, offering hope that ancient struggles found resolution in truth.
• Lust in Context: Adam shares a young man’s testimony that freedom from lust came not from fixating on it but by addressing deeper issues (e.g., anger, loneliness) through a holistic Christian life. Bishop Varden and Dorothy Sayers note the overemphasis on lust, neglecting other deadly sins like pride, which distorts virtue’s meaning.
• HALT Acronym: Adam introduces the HALT acronym (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) as a tool to identify underlying triggers for sin, including lust. Addressing these root causes—hunger, anger, loneliness, or fatigue—helps men make better choices and fosters human flourishing.

Scriptural and Literary Connections

• 1 Samuel 17:34-36: David’s victory over the lion and bear, referenced by Poemen, symbolizes overcoming anger and lust through disciplined effort.
• Deus Caritas Est by Pope Benedict XVI: Links eros and agape, affirming the legitimacy of human longing when ordered toward selfless love.
• Theology of the Body by St. John Paul II: Roots Catholic sexual morality in human dignity, freedom,...

Submit your questions to Bishop Erik Varden by emailing hello@desertfathers.com.

This episode delves into the Desert Fathers' insights on lust, drawing from Abba Poemen’s counsel to a brother wrestling with lust and anger. We explore how the Fathers understood lust (porneia) as distinct from eros, emphasizing its self-centered nature and its opposition to true freedom in Christ. The discussion challenges modern cultural myths about sexual liberation and situates Christian teachings on sexuality within a broader vision of virtue and human flourishing.

• Abba Poemen: “On account of this David said, ‘I smote the lion, I strangled the bear,’ which is to say, I cut off anger and by labours I squeezed the life out of lust.”
• Abba Poemen: “You cannot live according to God if you are a lover of pleasure and a lover of money.”
• Dorothy L. Sayers (1941, The Other Six Deadly Sins): “Perhaps the bitterest commentary on the way in which Christian doctrine has been taught in the last few centuries is the fact that to the majority of people the word ‘immorality’ has come to mean one thing and one thing only.”

1. Christian Teaching on Sexuality: Christian moral doctrine focuses on thriving, dignity, and freedom in Christ, not merely restriction. The Desert Fathers help reframe sexuality within this holistic vision.
2. Lust vs. Eros: The Fathers used porneia to describe lust, a self-focused desire akin to prostitution, contrasting it with eros, which seeks mutual connection. Lust isolates, while eros yearns for another.
3. Cultural Narratives: Modern culture often views lust as liberating, but the Fathers saw it as blinding, locking individuals in self-centeredness. Has “sexual liberation” truly freed us?
4. Lust’s Deeper Roots: Poemen links lust to anger, suggesting it may reflect deeper passions like rage or greed. This perspective sheds light on societal issues like sexual abuse and manipulation.
5. Transcendence and Meaning: In a secular age, sex is often a substitute for transcendence. The Fathers invite us to redirect desire toward God, fostering true freedom over fleeting pleasure.

• How do cultural views of lust as “freedom” shape our understanding of intimacy?
• What might underlying emotions like anger reveal about struggles with lust?
• How can the Desert Fathers’ wisdom help us live out a balanced Christian approach to sexuality?

• Bishop Erik Varden, Chastity: Reconciliation of the Senses
• Dorothy L. Sayers, The Other Six Deadly Sins (1941, Public Morality Council address).
• The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, focusing on Abba Poemen’s teachings.
• The Book of Job, for reflections on embodied desire for God.

Share your thoughts or questions by emailing Bishop Erik Varden at hello@desertfathers.com. Join us for the next episode as we continue our journey with the Desert Fathers.