Episode 304: Dann Aungst on his Facilitator Guide entitled Winning the Battle for Sexual Purity (August 6, 2025)

In this episode of The Open Door, panelists Thomas Storck, Christopher Zehnder, and Andrew Sorokowski interview Dann Aungst on his Facilitator Guide entitled Winning the Battle for Sexual Purity, designed to run small groups utilizing the Winning the Battle book by Road to Purity.

https://www.amazon.com/Winning-battle-sexual-purity-Facilitator/dp/B0F5NQQB4F/

Questions asked:

1. Can you tell our viewers and listeners what is the basic thesis of your book, Winning the Battle?
2. Holy Scripture provides more than sufficient evidence that men have lusted toward women since recorded history. In the past this was seen solely as a moral problem. Granted that lust when consented to is a mortal sin and to be avoided by the usual means of avoiding sin, why do you see psychological factors as looming so large in considerations of this sin?
3. Do you think that in the past the psychological aspect, i.e. addiction, has not been recognized or emphasized enough?
4. When counseling those addicted to pornography do you emphasize the moral or the psychological aspects more?
5. What psychological or spiritual approach do you take?
6. I once read a distinction between pornography use as something when, for whatever reason, a man is unable to have access to a real woman, versus pornography use as a preferred substitute for a real woman. Do you think that that the latter is more common today than in the past? If so, what do you see as the reasons for that?
7. The reported increase in pornography addiction is roughly in tandem with the reported "male crisis" of boys and young men who feel disoriented, demoralized, and unsure of their social roles. This, in turn, is allegedly a byproduct of contemporary feminism, with many women taking on dominant male roles in work and family.
8. Do you think these three developments are connected? If so, does your approach to porn addiction take the "male crisis" and modern feminism into account?
9. Supposedly one positive result of feminism has been that it is no longer socially acceptable for men to regard women as "objects" of lust; rather, they should see them as fellow human beings whom they should treat with respect, friendship and love. But given the (unintended?) effects of feminism on men, do you see this as paradoxical?
10. Your book is evidently addressed to committed Catholics, who are open to a religious approach to the problem of pornography addiction. But many Catholics today would regard this as a problem that the Church is not qualified to deal with, because it is led by celibate men with insufficient experience and understanding of sex; instead, they would consult with secular psychologists. How would you respond to this objection?
11. For people addicted to pornography, can you give us a couple of examples in the book's daily action plan that people can do today to help stop the habit?
12. How does your book, Winning the Battle help any addiction habit, whether it be alcoholism, sexual impurity, or drugs, fall away on its own?
13. Where can people go to purchase Winning the Battle, along with Holy Hours, and other helpful prayerful resources