Christian devotional literature (also called devotionals or Christian living literature) is religious writing that

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

individuals read for their personal growth and

spiritual formation Spiritual formation may refer either to the process and practices by which a person may progress in one's spiritual or religious life or to a movement in Protestant Christianity that emphasizes these processes and practices. The processes may inc ...

. Such literature often takes the form of Christian

daily devotional A daily devotional is a religious publication that provides a specific spiritual reading for each calendar day. Many daily devotionals take the form of one year devotional books, with many being tailored specifically for children, teenagers, stude ...

s. Original excerpts including the ''

Book of Daniel The Book of Daniel is a 2nd-century BC biblical apocalypse with a 6th-century BC setting. It is ostensibly a narrative detailing the experiences and Prophecy, prophetic visions of Daniel, a Jewish Babylonian captivity, exile in Babylon ...

'' and ''Leviticus'' derive from

Ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

(753 BC – 640 AD), Greek and Byzantine (395 AD – 1453 AD) culture – and encompass the past relationship of God's Law through the

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

. Though these are the most significant accounts, the majority of the literature comprises commentaries to the ever changing social and political reforms of human history – including the impact of

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. The most common forms are religious persecution, racism, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these term ...

– the reign of Emperor Nero (54 AD – 68 AD) and

Diocletian Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...

(284 AD – 305 AD) and

martyrdom A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In colloqui ...

on Christian life through the ages (Gregory, 2001). The sources of devotional literature vary across society.

Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...

and

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

s such as ''Agios Paisios (Άγιος Παΐσιος)'', ''St. Ephraim'' and ''

Anthony the Great Anthony the Great (; ; ; ; – 17 January 356) was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is distinguished from other saints named Anthony, such as , by various epithets: , , , , , and . For his importance among t ...

'' follow the Western interpretation of holistic commentary, with a focus on aspects of faith such as

virtue A virtue () is a trait of excellence, including traits that may be morality, moral, social, or intellectual. The cultivation and refinement of virtue is held to be the "good of humanity" and thus is Value (ethics), valued as an Telos, end purpos ...

as both secondary and primary sources; while scholars and philosophers such as Samara Levy (2001) and Christopher Kaczor (2021) break the religio-socio barrier by integrating Eastern,

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

and international culture and ideologies.

History and origins

Old Testament

The oldest forms of devotional literature were manifested as

prophecies In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divi ...

, particularly before

Christ Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...

; and were provided under the dictation of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

as a direct communication of God's "future plans". The Eastern influence of prophecy becomes apparent through Isaiah and Samuel's literature, deriving from the

Judea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the pres ...

n and Israelian province, supported by Hosea and Micah's ministry in the North Kingdom of Israel and Southwest Judah respectively. Literacy in Ancient Israel indicates the influence of the Western Semites.

Canaanites {{Cat main, Canaan See also: * :Ancient Israel and Judah Ancient Levant Hebrew Bible nations Ancient Lebanon 0050 Ancient Syria Wikipedia categories named after regions 0050 0050 Phoenicia Amarna Age civilizations ...

, however, lacked the complexity of the

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

, Babylonian and Assyrian writing systems. This factor increased Israeli literacy rates and allowed large populations to contribute to the amassing prophecies by improving the quantity and quality of public inscription, therefore improving the accessibility of scripture. This is exhibited in findings such as the ''Arad Ostraca'', the ''Haifa grotto'' (2nd century AD), and the ''Broken Seal of Prophet Isaiah'' (7th century AD), and ultimately contributed to the rapid growth of the

Christian doctrine Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Ch ...

in the

Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and state (polity), states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also const ...

New Testament

The turning point occurred within the four canonical gospels ( Matthew,

Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...

, Luke, and

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

) of the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

, where Jesus' ministry drove the theme of Apostolic influence over the Eastern civilisations, subverting the previous doctrine of justice with newfound humility. Contemporary excerpts from ''Agios Paisios'' (1994) related the New Testament as "God's will to increase the scope of the Christian, to not stop at justice but look for humility", as a parallel to God's desire to reach non-Christians. For example, Matthew 8:5–13 highlights Jesus's contentment with the

Gentile ''Gentile'' () is a word that today usually means someone who is not Jewish. Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, have historically used the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is used as a synony ...

s, "Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel," as a nod to progression in the spiritual, as well as the progression of the literature. Further literature was developed under the doctrine of the

Ecumenical council An ecumenical council, also called general council, is a meeting of bishops and other church authorities to consider and rule on questions of Christian doctrine, administration, discipline, and other matters in which those entitled to vote are ...

: the

Nicene Creed The Nicene Creed, also called the Creed of Constantinople, is the defining statement of belief of Nicene Christianity and in those Christian denominations that adhere to it. The original Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Council of N ...

(325 AD,

First Council of Nicaea The First Council of Nicaea ( ; ) was a council of Christian bishops convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the Roman Emperor Constantine I. The Council of Nicaea met from May until the end of July 325. This ec ...

), the Apostolic and Athanasian (late fifth to early sixth century AD) Creeds, as well as the Epistolic accounts to the provinces of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

and

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

. Davis (1990), comments on the "growing affiliation with Western civilization" throughout history to highlight the propagation of Christian Literature with globalization; contrasting from the primarily "repetitive" distribution of literature in Eastern provinces such as East-Asia and Ancient Assyria that were a result of anti-religious dictatorship and Christian persecution.

By denomination

Eastern Orthodox literature

The Seventh Ecumenical Council marked the period of religio-political hostility between the Roman and Byzantine roots of Christianity, embarking many theological and literature-based differences between the two Churches, most prominent being the sacramental use of unleavened bread, as well as the origins and

procession of the Holy Spirit Most Christian denominations believe the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, to be the third divine Person of the Trinity, a triune god manifested as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each being God. Nontrinitarian Christians, wh ...

(monoprocessionism, ''filioque'') in the

Holy Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...

Monoprocessionism of the Holy Spirit and the Creed

Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as a direct proceeding from the Father as is made clear with literature such as the accounts of the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

s. This ideology is exhibited in John 15:26, Jesus says of the Holy Spirit: "But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me" (Lossky, 1976). This idea of forbearance is recurrently idealised both throughout Eastern Liturgical and sacramental worship to "enrich the value of the intercessions of the Father" according to the Eastern Theological Teachings (Lossky, 1976). During the

divine liturgy Divine Liturgy () or Holy Liturgy is the usual name used in most Eastern Christian rites for the Eucharistic service. The Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Lutheranism, Eastern Lutheran Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church believe the Divi ...

, the line "Father of light, from whom every good gift comes, send your Spirit into our lives..." as well as the

, "begotten of the Father, through Him all things were made..." addresses the centrality of the Father as the Forebear; whilst Western theologians understand the value of the Godhead, "Spirit uncreateth" (Athanasian Creed, 5th century AD) but portray the Trinity as begetters of one-another, "Light from Light, true God from true God". Eastern Orthodoxy refers to the Nicene Creed (from the

also known as the Council of Constantinople, 325 AD) in liturgical writing, affirming the monoprocessional understanding as seen in "who proceedeth from the Father" as widely accepted theologically by the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Oriental Orthodox The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysitism, Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 50 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches adhere to the Nicene Christian ...

, and

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

(such as

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

and

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

) churches. However, recent Vatican Councils (1995), argued that including the words () would indeed be an act of "heresy of the literature" if used with the Greek word (meaning , ) as to highlight the relevance of the ''

filioque ( ; ), a Latin term meaning "and from the Son", was added to the original Nicene Creed, and has been the subject of great controversy between Eastern and Western Christianity. The term refers to the Son, Jesus Christ, with the Father, as th ...

'' in Catholic Literature (Cameron et al., 2016).

Iconography

Christian iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

is another theological aspect discussed in literature. Parry (2007), comments on the idea of "reverence rather than worship," for the icons; to affirm its role as a "spiritual reflection" of those worshipped. Furthermore, the canonization of Saints and those depicted in Eastern iconography include the foundational figures of this Church, such as the disciples

Mathew Mathew is a masculine given name and a variant of Matthew. It is also used as a surname. As a given name Notable people with the given name include: * Mathew Baynton (born 1980), English actor and comedian * Mat Erpelding (born 1975), Americ ...

, Luke and

, and prophets such as

Elijah Elijah ( ) or Elias was a prophet and miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC), according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worsh ...

and

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

as to reflect the

image of God The "image of God" (; ; ) is a concept and theological doctrine in Judaism and Christianity. It is a foundational aspect of Judeo-Christian belief with regard to the fundamental understanding of human nature. It stems from the primary text in Gen ...

as an aid for spiritual reverence and reflection. Didron (1885) and Weitzmann (1960) comment on the importance of

Byzantine art Byzantine art comprises the body of artistic products of the Eastern Roman Empire, as well as the nations and states that inherited culturally from the empire. Though the empire itself emerged from the decline of Rome, decline of western Rome and ...

, noting its direct Christian inspiration and motives that characterized Western industrial, and religious use of icons in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. In further history, this increased value of these works due to their scarcity and veneration, benefiting the communal growth and exposure of Christianity throughout Europe, contributing further to a " Christian Boom". Colossians 1:15, "He is the image of the invisible God" supports the ideology of spiritual inheritance, whereby Christians of the Orthodox Church are born into the spirit, and through reverence, such as with iconography, model the actions of higher spiritual figures to preserve their own spiritual integrity. This is to contrast from

paganism Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

, where Ephesians 5:5 states, "he who is covetous (an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ," as to account for the immoral act of "carving your own god," which would displace the teachings of the Trinity, and the Godhead seen in Eastern ministries, therefore rejecting Orthodox teachings.

Roman Catholic literature

The

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

acts as the sister branch to the East–West Schism of 1054 AD as a split-off from the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

(Koandreas, 2021).

Christian literature Christian literature is the literary aspect of Christian media, and it constitutes a huge body of extremely varied writing. History The Christian genre spans a variety of media and art forms that highlight Christian beliefs, narratives, and m ...

follows the understanding of the filioque as an element of the Trinity under the ordination of

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

and

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest, the foremost Scholasticism, Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the W ...

as is present in the variations of their literature, such as the

Nicene The Nicene Creed, also called the Creed of Constantinople, is the defining statement of belief of Nicene Christianity and in those Christian denominations that adhere to it. The original Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Council of N ...

and

Apostles' Creed The Apostles' Creed (Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith". "Its title is first found c.390 (Ep. 42.5 of Ambro ...

s. Furthermore, the presence of a

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

in Catholicism differs from Eastern Orthodox beliefs, indicating a change present in their respective spiritual hierarchies as well as the acceptance of

papal infallibility Papal infallibility is a Dogma in the Catholic Church, dogma of the Catholic Church which states that, in virtue of the promise of Jesus to Saint Peter, Peter, the Pope when he speaks is preserved from the possibility of error on doctrine "in ...

Filioque, the Holy Spirit and the Catholic Creed

Bennet (2018) admits the Catholic Church's "dissociation from the original text of the

First Council of Constantinople The First Council of Constantinople (; ) was a council of Christian bishops convened in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) in AD 381 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. This second ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the ...

," which is evident in the addition of the phrase (corresponding to the ''filioque'') as the Catholic Creed differed from the Greek text of the Creed (879 AD–880 AD), even in the liturgical instances (Bennet, 2018). Likewise, the text "We believe..." (Greek: ) underwent a later change to "I believe..." (Greek: ) in

, as well as

(such as

and

) Churches; which highlights the literature as "ultimately an individual

confession A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of people – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information that ...

of belief," but, may undermine the "expression of collective beliefs of the Church".

The Pope in Catholicism

The admission of a

in Catholic Literature undertakes a position of ''

magisterium The magisterium of the Catholic Church is the church's authority or office to give authentic interpretation of the word of God, "whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition". According to the 1992 ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' ...

'' (a position of authority in the Roman Catholic Church), whereby spiritual authority and interpretation occurs through him (Douthat, 2018). The role of the Pope is to operate as an infallible example of the religion, meaning he is unable to fall into sin and manifests all matters of the Catholic Doctrine. This differs from the beliefs of the Orthodox, who reject the idea of infallibility, instead accepting that "all humans too are subject to error and sin" (Kerr, 1979). This rejection of infallibility originates from the teachings of the Messiah in the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy, whereby Jesus is the only one to embody the infallibility of a human as he is also part God. This ideology is further exhibited in James 3:2, "If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man," rejecting the infallibility of all humans, extending to those in the Catholic patriarchy. This highlights the preservation of a spiritual order, which, in Catholicism involves

papal The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...

and apostolic election as a God-given selection (Holland and Wills, 2015). The earliest accounts of

Papal conclave A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Concerns around ...

(the gathering of College Cardinals to elect a bishop of Rome) began as early as 1059 AD, aligning with the split of Eastern Orthodoxy after the

East-West Schism East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

. Baumgartner (2003) comments on the timing of the split, noting that the Catholic Ministers aimed to uphold a notable figurehead to retain both the integrity and premise of the Church, as well as the ideology of Jesus who himself was infallible. Similarly, the role of the Pope is also to produce literature. As the ''magisterium'', works of writing such as ''The Name of God is Mercy'' (2016) and ''Walking with Jesus'' (2015) are widely regarded forms of devotional literature in Catholicism; investigating the roles of

reconciliation Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to: Accounting * Reconciliation (accounting) Arts, entertainment, and media Books * Reconciliation (Under the North Star), ''Reconciliation'' (''Under the North Star''), the third volume of the ''Under the ...

mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French , from Medieval Latin , "price paid, wages", from Latin , "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts. In the social and le ...

and charitability as measures of achieving sainthood and spiritual closeness with Christ.

Lutheran literature

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

, '' The Cost of Discipleship'' is widely read as Christian devotional literature. Daily devotionals (especially those published for the liturgical seasons of Advent and Lent) are made by Lutheran Hour Ministries for the use of Christians in their sanctification.

Anglican literature

Anglicanism Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

, devotional books have been written such as ''Holy Living'' and ''Holy Dying'', both authored by the cleric

Jeremy Taylor Jeremy Taylor (1613–1667) was a cleric in the Church of England who achieved fame as an author during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. He is sometimes known as the "Shakespeare of Divines" for his poetic style of expression, and he is fr ...

, which are read by Anglicans for edification. ''

Mere Christianity ''Mere Christianity'' is a Christian apologetical book by the British author C. S. Lewis. It was adapted from a series of BBC radio talks made between 1941 and 1944, originally published as three separate volumes: ''Broadcast Talks'' (1942), ' ...

'', authored by Anglican author

C. S. Lewis Clive Staples Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963) was a British writer, literary scholar and Anglican lay theologian. He held academic positions in English literature at both Magdalen College, Oxford (1925–1954), and Magdalen ...

, is popular among Anglicans and also outside the denomination.

Methodist literature

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

, various authors have written devotional books that are used to help believers grow in grace after the

New Birth To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

, including ''Mottoes of Methodism'' by Jesse T. Whitley, a daily devotional book. '' My Utmost for His Highest'' by Oswald Chambers is widely read in Methodist circles, especially those involved in the

holiness movement The Holiness movement is a Christianity, Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent influenced other traditions such as Quakers, Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. Churches aligned with ...

References

{{Authority control Religious literature Christian personal development