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The Way of the Desert Elders: How the Wisdom of Ancient Christians Sustains Us Today
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 28, 2026
Lisa Colón DeLay is one of my favorite modern contemplative wisdom teachers. I was honored and eager to read an advance copy of this one!
Lisa shares fascinating stories of the ancient desert mothers and fathers, who left the version of Christianity that had become coopted by empire. They moved to the desert, committing to a practice of faith that emphasized solitude, simplicity, service, prayer, and meditation on the scriptures. These stories set the stage for a discussion of each of 9 vices or “afflicting thoughts” (the origins of the 7 deadly sins) and the corresponding virtues. Enneagram folks will recognize the tie between the vices/virtues and the 9 Enneagram types.
The term “sin” carries understandable baggage for some of us who grew up with the doctrines of original sin and total depravity. Colón DeLay explains that for the desert elders, sin wasn’t viewed in a “crime & punishment” framework but was considered part of the vulnerability of being human. (For more discussion on this, check out an interview with Lisa on episode 4 of the Words From Silence Podcast.)
My favorite thing about this book is the depth of wisdom DeLay offers as she follows each of the vices to the root, examining the causes as well as how we can heal so that we may grow and mature. Her writing is clear and attentive to nuance. She is deeply compassionate and thoughtful in inviting us into this vulnerable inner work.
Tending to our inner work is imperative as we discern how we can partner with Love’s restorative work in the world. While the urgency of this moment increases, this book is an invitation to slow down, get quiet, and reflect so that our work in the world might be clearly discerned, grounded, and sustained in love, wisdom, and humility. This book is for anyone who is ready to dive more deeply into shadow work that leads to spiritual growth.
Lisa shares fascinating stories of the ancient desert mothers and fathers, who left the version of Christianity that had become coopted by empire. They moved to the desert, committing to a practice of faith that emphasized solitude, simplicity, service, prayer, and meditation on the scriptures. These stories set the stage for a discussion of each of 9 vices or “afflicting thoughts” (the origins of the 7 deadly sins) and the corresponding virtues. Enneagram folks will recognize the tie between the vices/virtues and the 9 Enneagram types.
The term “sin” carries understandable baggage for some of us who grew up with the doctrines of original sin and total depravity. Colón DeLay explains that for the desert elders, sin wasn’t viewed in a “crime & punishment” framework but was considered part of the vulnerability of being human. (For more discussion on this, check out an interview with Lisa on episode 4 of the Words From Silence Podcast.)
My favorite thing about this book is the depth of wisdom DeLay offers as she follows each of the vices to the root, examining the causes as well as how we can heal so that we may grow and mature. Her writing is clear and attentive to nuance. She is deeply compassionate and thoughtful in inviting us into this vulnerable inner work.
Tending to our inner work is imperative as we discern how we can partner with Love’s restorative work in the world. While the urgency of this moment increases, this book is an invitation to slow down, get quiet, and reflect so that our work in the world might be clearly discerned, grounded, and sustained in love, wisdom, and humility. This book is for anyone who is ready to dive more deeply into shadow work that leads to spiritual growth.
February 4, 2026
I think a more appropriate title would be The Vibes of the Desert Elders.
In the end, I am rather ambivalent about this book. I think the concept is very good. I believe the spiritual and psychological insights of the Church Fathers (desert and otherwise) are desperately needed in our time of deep and pervasive mental, emotional, and spiritual instability. The profound seriousness of ancient Christianity is the necessary correction to today’s feelings-based, gnostic-adjacent ideas of “faith”. So maybe that is what was ultimately so disappointing here. The project is worthy, but DeLay significantly undermines her own project by repeatedly apologizing for the ways the desert elders weren’t as enlightened as we are; selectively quoting from their sayings for her own messaging; downplaying their belief in the reality of demons; injecting politics needlessly in ABSURD ways; cutting these saints down to size by speculating about their sins; and ultimately, instead of allowing these ancient Christians to correct the myopia of our own times, by projecting our myopia back onto them.
That is not to say there is nothing good here. The deep wisdom and holiness of the Desert Fathers and Mothers comes through in places, and DeLay at times adapts their spiritual disciplines quite well. There are solid, helpful insights in each of the chapters addressing the eight vices and how to overcome them.
But for me, the good elements don’t redeem what I think is a fundamental misunderstanding of desert spirituality and the purpose underlying this proto-monasticism. Or the several places where I think she has just misunderstood what a particular “saying” means. Or how she places the desert elders at odds with rest of the Church, repeating ridiculous, historically and theologically illiterate claims about St Constantine. I could go on.
On top of these issues, I found the writing quite disorganized, with no mellifluity of language or thought, both sentence-by-sentence and from one paragraph to another. Words were used incorrectly. Scripture references were wrong. It seemed like almost every quotation from the elders included brackets due to editing. From a purely mechanical, copy editor point-of-view, this read like a first draft. (I will acknowledge here that I was given a digital ARC from NetGalley, so it’s *possible* some of these issues were fixed for publication.)
As an Orthodox Christian, the Desert Fathers and Mothers and their sayings and the writings of the Philokalia mean a great deal to me. In many ways, they saved my life. So I am pleased to see a writer attempt to introduce them to a contemporary audience. I do think this book could do some good for some people, but overall, there are too many issues for me to really recommend it.
In the end, I am rather ambivalent about this book. I think the concept is very good. I believe the spiritual and psychological insights of the Church Fathers (desert and otherwise) are desperately needed in our time of deep and pervasive mental, emotional, and spiritual instability. The profound seriousness of ancient Christianity is the necessary correction to today’s feelings-based, gnostic-adjacent ideas of “faith”. So maybe that is what was ultimately so disappointing here. The project is worthy, but DeLay significantly undermines her own project by repeatedly apologizing for the ways the desert elders weren’t as enlightened as we are; selectively quoting from their sayings for her own messaging; downplaying their belief in the reality of demons; injecting politics needlessly in ABSURD ways; cutting these saints down to size by speculating about their sins; and ultimately, instead of allowing these ancient Christians to correct the myopia of our own times, by projecting our myopia back onto them.
That is not to say there is nothing good here. The deep wisdom and holiness of the Desert Fathers and Mothers comes through in places, and DeLay at times adapts their spiritual disciplines quite well. There are solid, helpful insights in each of the chapters addressing the eight vices and how to overcome them.
But for me, the good elements don’t redeem what I think is a fundamental misunderstanding of desert spirituality and the purpose underlying this proto-monasticism. Or the several places where I think she has just misunderstood what a particular “saying” means. Or how she places the desert elders at odds with rest of the Church, repeating ridiculous, historically and theologically illiterate claims about St Constantine. I could go on.
On top of these issues, I found the writing quite disorganized, with no mellifluity of language or thought, both sentence-by-sentence and from one paragraph to another. Words were used incorrectly. Scripture references were wrong. It seemed like almost every quotation from the elders included brackets due to editing. From a purely mechanical, copy editor point-of-view, this read like a first draft. (I will acknowledge here that I was given a digital ARC from NetGalley, so it’s *possible* some of these issues were fixed for publication.)
As an Orthodox Christian, the Desert Fathers and Mothers and their sayings and the writings of the Philokalia mean a great deal to me. In many ways, they saved my life. So I am pleased to see a writer attempt to introduce them to a contemporary audience. I do think this book could do some good for some people, but overall, there are too many issues for me to really recommend it.
March 10, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book for review.
I ended up DNF'ing at 75%. As someone who is an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I really wanted to give this book a fair shot. I did some research, but couldn't figure out if the author was EO herself. However, based on some of the things she says in this book, I would guess she was not EO. For starters, she uses someone with a background in Coptic Orthodoxy for some of her research. I do appreciate that she noted the distinctions between the Eastern and Western views of original sin and the dangers that the Western view could pose to spiritual growth. I loved that she used actually quotes from the desert saints, as opposed to just anecdotes from their lives that we could pull morals out of. She makes ideas such as wrath vs anger vs righteous anger distinct, but does so in a way that is easy to comprehend.
My negatives with this book and what ultimately lead to my DNF were things that the author said that didn't quite line up with EO doctrine. One example is when she says that something is not a sin until it is acted upon. In the Eastern Orthodox church, sin is not viewed simply as a moral infraction (doing something wrong), but rather as an illness. So to an EO Christian, simply having lustful thoughts means you are sick with the passion of lust, regardless of whether or not you act on it.
I think if you are a Protestant or someone just wanting to know about how a small group of early Christians felt about particular sins/passions, this would be a great book for you. However, if you are an Eastern Christian, I would caution you to make sure you are able to use discernment while reading this book.
I ended up DNF'ing at 75%. As someone who is an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I really wanted to give this book a fair shot. I did some research, but couldn't figure out if the author was EO herself. However, based on some of the things she says in this book, I would guess she was not EO. For starters, she uses someone with a background in Coptic Orthodoxy for some of her research. I do appreciate that she noted the distinctions between the Eastern and Western views of original sin and the dangers that the Western view could pose to spiritual growth. I loved that she used actually quotes from the desert saints, as opposed to just anecdotes from their lives that we could pull morals out of. She makes ideas such as wrath vs anger vs righteous anger distinct, but does so in a way that is easy to comprehend.
My negatives with this book and what ultimately lead to my DNF were things that the author said that didn't quite line up with EO doctrine. One example is when she says that something is not a sin until it is acted upon. In the Eastern Orthodox church, sin is not viewed simply as a moral infraction (doing something wrong), but rather as an illness. So to an EO Christian, simply having lustful thoughts means you are sick with the passion of lust, regardless of whether or not you act on it.
I think if you are a Protestant or someone just wanting to know about how a small group of early Christians felt about particular sins/passions, this would be a great book for you. However, if you are an Eastern Christian, I would caution you to make sure you are able to use discernment while reading this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Way of the Desert Elders is a thoughtful and accessible introduction to the wisdom of the desert mothers and fathers, framed in a way that speaks honestly to modern spiritual life. Lisa Colón DeLay brings these ancient figures to life with compassion and realism, presenting them not as distant saints but as complex, flawed people who wrestled with the same inner struggles many of us face today.
What I appreciated most is how grounded this book is. DeLay does not romanticize desert spirituality or suggest it as an escape from the world. Instead, she offers it as a companionable path, one rooted in honesty, discipline, and grace. The inclusion of reflection questions, prayers, and guidance for crafting a rule of life makes this book especially useful for individual readers, small groups, or spiritual formation work.
This is a gentle, wise resource for anyone seeking depth, perspective, and faithful companionship in the midst of modern overwhelm.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book for review.
What I appreciated most is how grounded this book is. DeLay does not romanticize desert spirituality or suggest it as an escape from the world. Instead, she offers it as a companionable path, one rooted in honesty, discipline, and grace. The inclusion of reflection questions, prayers, and guidance for crafting a rule of life makes this book especially useful for individual readers, small groups, or spiritual formation work.
This is a gentle, wise resource for anyone seeking depth, perspective, and faithful companionship in the midst of modern overwhelm.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book for review.
March 14, 2026
While I discovered the Desert Mothers and Fathers years ago, I feel like they are being rediscovered by western Christians in the past few years. I've read several books about them recently. This is my favorite. DeLay finds a balance between telling their stories and helping readers pull wisdom for today. She offers guidance but not prescriptions, much as the Desert Elders themselves did. I was nudged towards a deeper walk with God without feeling like I needed to run away to the desert.
April 9, 2026
What amazes me about these stories is how you find glimpses of yourself and your own spiritual journey in each person. We owe a debt to the author for collecting these men and women in church history in one collection for us.
April 10, 2026
Inspiring, encouraging and interesting. One of the best Christian books I’ve read in a while.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews