EPISODE · Jun 9, 2026 · 17 MIN
Why Our Desires Control Us
from Autopsy: How Theology Explains the Christian Life · host Chris Ruwaldt
Why do we keep returning to the same sins, habits, and distractions even when we know better?Augustine believed the problem is not primarily ignorance. We often know exactly what we should do. The deeper problem is that our desires have become disordered. What begins as a choice can become a craving, what becomes a craving can become a habit, and what becomes a habit can eventually become a form of slavery.In this episode of Autopsy: How Theology Explains the Christian Life, we explore Augustine's diagnosis of the human heart, why knowledge alone cannot change us, and why every lesser god eventually fails to satisfy.Topics discussed:• Augustine and disordered love• Why desire is stronger than information• The four stages of spiritual slavery• Idolatry and the search for satisfaction• Freedom through rightly ordered lovesAutopsy examines how theology helps us understand the realities of the Christian life, exposing the hidden causes beneath our struggles, fears, desires, and hopes.
What this episode covers
Why do we keep returning to the same sins, habits, and distractions even when we know better?Augustine believed the problem is not primarily ignorance. We often know exactly what we should do. The deeper problem is that our desires have become disordered. What begins as a choice can become a craving, what becomes a craving can become a habit, and what becomes a habit can eventually become a form of slavery.In this episode of Autopsy: How Theology Explains the Christian Life, we explore Augustine's diagnosis of the human heart, why knowledge alone cannot change us, and why every lesser god eventually fails to satisfy.Topics discussed:• Augustine and disordered love• Why desire is stronger than information• The four stages of spiritual slavery• Idolatry and the search for satisfaction• Freedom through rightly ordered lovesAutopsy examines how theology helps us understand the realities of the Christian life, exposing the hidden causes beneath our struggles, fears, desires, and hopes.
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Why Our Desires Control Us
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