A most excellent guide to defeating the Passions as the Church Fathers would suggest

books:


	• Defeating Sin: Overcoming Our Passions and Changing Forever Joseph David Huneycutt Regina Orthodox Press, 2008 - 210 pages average customer review:based on 8 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

An uplifting, wonderful book.

A wonderful book. After reading it, I felt humbled and determined that I could be better, the "struggle" the other reviewers refer to. The author manages to make this topic uplifting, rather than condemning, and when I was finished I felt reflective and rejuvenated.
I recommend (and have recommended it - today, in fact!) it heartily.

revising your life

To often I read spiritual books and fail to act on them. Fr. Joseph Huneycutt in "Defeating Sin" directly leads me toward the action that is so crucial- by God's grace and Divine energies to confess and forsake my vices and apply myself to the virtues.
Part I is deep- explaining our predicament in terms of Adam and Eve and the two trees and how that impacts us. The "Preparation section for confessing our passions, our sins" is also challenging, uncomfortably so.
Part II, the Meditations, are a great help in getting a handle on it all. The first one on St. Ephraim's prayer will speak not only to Orthodox Christians, but to all, in terms of the movements we must make to repent. And the other meditations approach the same goal from various angles so that surely one will bring home what needs to be done- especially the last one, concerning the two trees, which lead to death or life.
The book is an invaluable aid toward the action of conforming one's attitudes and actions to the likeness of Christ.

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Intro to Metanoia (repentance)

"Defeating Sin" is a bold proposition that many will consider either presumptuous or absurd. But those who venture past the guardian angel on the cover will find that it's all about the life-long process of metanoia (repentance). Fr. Huneycutt is an Orthodox priest who is also gifted at blogging and podcasts. This, his second book, is not intended to be a treatise on the subject, but a decent introduction to repentance (the means toward defeating sin). He starts with simple definitions and a mnemonic for the passions and virtues, and then relates them to both common and Biblical situations using illustrations, excerpts from various ancient and modern writers, and meditations. All of this then culminates in practical advice on how to begin the life-long process of transforming our passions into virtues (i.e., defeating sin).

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Life-changing

It is in my humble opinion that this book, that Fr. Joseph wrote, by the Grace of God, is life-changing to those who read it.

Fr. Joseph in the way he explains the origin of sin, the vices and virtues, is visual to the mind. Very easy to understand and remember.

Also, how he explains choice and exercising the free will that God has given us and how we are to choose virtue and how vice can not only deceive us yet even numb us and enslave us to addiction.

The truth that he speaks of, that God is love, Christ is the way, and for us, trust and obedience starting always with a good confession and repentance gives the reader a clear path to pursue and point of start.

Finally, the point he makes which is of course true, that struggle is good, what a relief, a welcome relief so that one does not fall into despair working out his salvation. This truth gives the reader courage and confidence to continue on, moving forward as he also states, always with the loving aid and Grace of God, especially when he falls.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is seriously considering or already trying to please and serve God. I truly feel they would benefit greatly and be blessed by reading it. Life-changing!

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A most excellent guide to defeating the Passions as the Church Fathers would suggest

Having recently completed my second reading of this work by the Good Father Huneycutt, I must say (from a personal perspective) that this is a very worthwhile and interesting read. One could almost say that this should be the explanatory companion of St. John Climacus' "Ladder of Divine Ascent" for modern-day, English-speaking laity.

Though written for Orthodox Christians, this volume could also be helpful to the explorative members of the heterodox community as well. Despite the rejection of the "Seven Deadly Sins" by many of the protestant and baptist-rooted communities, this book explains them in detail as to who and what they are, and how they are truly the root passions inherent in the sinful nature of Man (plus, as a bonus, it was written originally in English, so it's not a terse translation into large words and pseudo-King James English, so it's a lot easier to understand right off the bat)

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