Overcoming the Deadly Sins: Spiritual Antidotes from the Desert Fathers and Mothers

· InterVarsity Press
Ebook
176
Pages
Tools
Eligible
This book will become available on August 17, 2027. You will not be charged until it is released.

About this ebook

In Overcoming the Deadly Sins, Christopher Hall gently guides you through the time-tested wisdom of the desert fathers and mothers, offering a reflective, practice-rooted path toward repentance, healing, and deeper love for God and neighbor.

Drawing on the lives and teachings of desert dwellers like Antony the Great, Abba Arsenius, Evagrius, John Cassian, Melania the Elder, Amma Syncletica, and Abba Moses, Hall explores how the quiet, receptive environment of the desert became a place of spiritual awakening. He invites readers to ask: How can we cultivate that same quality of attentiveness in our noisy, crowded, and hurried world so that both sin and the path toward righteousness might be revealed?

Through contemplative questions, spiritual practices, and rich insight into the desert tradition, Hall helps readers identify the cracks in the embodied self where repentance and transformation can take root.

What you'll discover in Overcoming the Deadly Sins:

  • The nature of the nine deadly sins (vices): pride, anger, envy, greed, fear, gluttony, lust, sloth, and vainglory
  • Spiritual antidotes drawn from the desert tradition, showing how each vice is met with a corresponding virtue and practice
  • How to cultivate habits of attentiveness, repentance, and love to help you recognize recurring sin patterns and overcome them with wisdom
  • How to adapt desert insights for our world today so you can bring this wisdom into your own life

Whether you are experiencing a season of spiritual dryness, searching for tools to address persistent sin, or longing for spiritual healing and growth, this grace-filled guide will help you along your path.

In Overcoming the Deadly Sins, Christopher Hall gently guides you through the time-tested wisdom of the desert fathers and mothers, offering a reflective, practice-rooted path toward repentance, healing, and deeper love for God and neighbor. Drawing on the lives and teachings of desert dwellers ...

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About the author

Christopher A. Hall (PhD, Drew University) served as president of Renovaré from 2015–2022. Previously, he was director of academic spiritual formation and Distinguished Professor of Theology at Eastern University. He is the associate editor of The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, and his many authored books include Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers, Learning Theology with the Church Fathers, Worshiping with the Church Fathers, and Living Wisely with the Church Fathers. Chris and his wife, Debbie, reside in Philadelphia. They have three grown children and three grandchildren.

Christopher A. Hall (PhD, Drew University) served as president of Renovaré from 2015–2022. Previously, he was director of academic spiritual formation and Distinguished Professor of Theology at Eastern University. He is the associate editor of The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, and hi...

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