The Christian Desert Tradition

Christian Desert Spiritual Tradition

Very early in the Christian story as Christianity was becoming more accepted by mainstream society some believers felt the early church was becoming too worldly, and losing its way. It was during this time that many devout Christians withdrew from society, entering into the caves and mountains of the wilderness to purge themselves of worldliness and enter into the depths of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ in prayer. They sought to follow the example of Jesus who often withdrew into the wilderness in order to pray, and who taught us that ‘when you pray you must go into your room and close the door, that is close off the outside world, and pray to your father in secret’. And this is what they did in the caves and deserted places of the wilderness.

This movement of withdrawal from the world into the wilderness developed into what we call ‘the desert fathers and the desert mothers’. It was an influential movement that produced many teachers of prayer. It was out of this movement that the first monasteries were born, where communities of brothers or sisters who had withdrawn from the world gathered together under an Abbott. This was distinct from the parish system in the cities where a more worldly congregation gathered under a priest and a bishop.

However, many of these practices and teachings have become lost in the materialism and rationalism of the modern western church. We seek to reclaim and promote these practices.

The Desert Tradition is a continuance of a spirituality that emerges not just from the New Testament but also way back from the Old Testamant. This audio gives a biblical overview.