Fr.Daniel Greeson on the Problem of Discernment

It was a great blessing to talk with Fr. Daniel Greeson about his new AFR blog, "Every Thought Captive" and especially his series on discernment.  Enjoy the show!

Here are my notes:

Interview with Fr. Daniel Greeson.

Rector of St. Anne’s Orthodox Church in Oakridge, TN

Podcaster: “In Heaven and On Earth”

Editor and Author of the Ancient Faith Ministry Blog; “Every Thought Captive”

Greeting.  Tell us about yourself and how found yourself wearing a cassock and cross.

I love your new blog, Every Thought Captive.  In the introductory post, you use aggressive imagery – wrestling, dismantling, boldness, even using El Greco’s Purification of the Temple as the blog banner.  What do and don’t you mean by that – and in general where are you coming from?

New blog (November 2020), but already have several excellent series.  The main one I want to talk about is the series on discernment, but I also love you series on Orthodoxy and the Culture War (which includes a serious reflection on how we, as Christians living in America, should and perhaps should not relate to “The West”.  You also did a beautiful series on the Pandemic of Loneliness.  And you have also recruited a great cast to write on other topics.  How do you choose what to write on and what to publish?  What is the goal of the blog?

Discernment.  The Mother of Virtues – how is that possible?  Why do we need it? (false teachers).

St. Anthony the Great tells us to gain discernment, avoid extremes, and walk always on the royal road”.  How do we do this?

St Moses: “Discern money: scrutiny; reject deceptive thoughts; root out (false authority), and check the weight”

What is the role of asceticism in discernment?

Scripture?