Devout draws on a long chorus — Fathers of the early Church, medieval mystics, the great reformers, the preachers and theologians of the modern centuries. 67 voices in all, gathered here for browsing. Each has a short life, a tradition, and the words by which their voice has reached us.
Voices of the tradition
The Voices
Early Church (to 600)
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Tertullian 155–220
An early Latin theologian of Carthage, sharp-witted and uncompromising in defence of the faith.
Early Church -
Athanasius of Alexandria 296–373
Bishop of Alexandria and defender of Nicene orthodoxy, whose On the Incarnation shaped the Church's understanding of Christ.
Early Church -
Basil the Great 330–379Patristic
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Ambrose of Milan 340–397Patristic
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John Chrysostom 347–407
Archbishop of Constantinople, called "golden-mouthed" for his preaching and remembered for his care of the poor.
Early Church -
Augustine of Hippo 354–430
Bishop of Hippo and among the most influential theologians of the early Church, whose Confessions remains a landmark of Christian devotion.
Early Church -
Gregory the Great 540–604Patristic
Medieval (600–1500)
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Bede the Venerable 672–735Patristic
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Anselm of Canterbury 1033–1109
Archbishop of Canterbury and philosopher, who described the life of faith as faith seeking understanding.
Scholastic -
Bernard of Clairvaux 1090–1153
A French abbot and reformer of the Cistercian order, known for his contemplative writings on the love of God.
Cistercian -
Julian of Norwich 1342–1416
An English anchoress and mystic whose Revelations of Divine Love is the earliest surviving book in English known to be written by a woman.
English mysticism -
Catherine of Siena 1347–1380Catholic
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Thomas à Kempis 1380–1471
A German-Dutch monk whose devotional classic The Imitation of Christ has shaped Christian piety for six centuries.
Devotio Moderna -
Martin Luther 1483–1546
A German monk whose Ninety-Five Theses sparked the Reformation, and whose translation of the Bible shaped the German language.
Lutheran -
Thomas Cranmer 1489–1556
Archbishop of Canterbury and principal architect of the Book of Common Prayer.
Anglican -
Ignatius of Loyola 1491–1556
A Spanish soldier turned priest, founder of the Society of Jesus and author of the Spiritual Exercises.
Catholic
Reformation (1500–1700)
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John Calvin 1509–1564
A French reformer and theologian whose Institutes of the Christian Religion systematized Reformed theology.
Reformed -
Teresa of Ávila 1515–1582
A Spanish Carmelite nun, mystic, and reformer whose writings on prayer, including The Interior Castle, remain spiritual classics.
Carmelite -
John of the Cross 1542–1591
A Spanish Carmelite mystic and poet, companion of Teresa of Ávila in the reform of their order.
Carmelite -
Francis de Sales 1567–1622
A French bishop and spiritual director whose Introduction to the Devout Life brought devotion within reach of ordinary Christians.
Catholic -
John Donne 1572–1631
An English poet and priest, Dean of St Paul's, whose sermons and devotions probe mortality and grace.
Anglican -
George Herbert 1593–1633
An English priest and metaphysical poet whose collection The Temple is a treasury of devotion.
Anglican -
Samuel Rutherford 1600–1661
A Scottish pastor and theologian whose Letters, written from exile, are a classic of Christian consolation.
Reformed -
Brother Lawrence 1614–1691
A Carmelite lay brother whose collected letters and conversations, The Practice of the Presence of God, teach a life of constant communion with God.
Carmelite -
Richard Baxter 1615–1691
An English Puritan pastor and writer, known for The Saints' Everlasting Rest.
Puritan -
John Owen 1616–1683
An English Puritan theologian, among the most penetrating writers of the Reformed tradition.
Puritan -
Blaise Pascal 1623–1662
A French mathematician and philosopher whose Pensées defends the Christian faith with rare intellectual honesty.
Catholic -
John Bunyan 1628–1688
An English preacher imprisoned for his faith, author of the allegory The Pilgrim's Progress.
Puritan -
Susanna Wesley 1669–1742
The mother of John and Charles Wesley, whose disciplined home life shaped the Methodist revival.
Methodist
Modern (1700–today)
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John Wesley 1703–1791
An English cleric and the founder of Methodism, whose tireless preaching and care for the poor shaped modern evangelicalism.
Methodist -
Jonathan Edwards 1703–1758
An American theologian and preacher of the Great Awakening.
Reformed -
Charles Wesley 1707–1788
An English Methodist leader and the most prolific hymn-writer in the English language.
Methodist -
George Whitefield 1714–1770Evangelical
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John Newton 1725–1807
A former slave-ship captain turned Anglican clergyman and hymn-writer, author of "Amazing Grace."
Anglican -
John Vianney 1786–1859Catholic
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John Henry Newman 1801–1890Catholic / Anglican
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George Müller 1805–1898
A Prussian-born evangelist in England who cared for thousands of orphans, trusting God for every provision.
Brethren -
Søren Kierkegaard 1813–1855
A Danish philosopher and theologian whose writings probe the inwardness and risk of faith.
Lutheran -
Fanny Crosby 1820–1915
A blind American hymn-writer who composed thousands of hymns, including "Blessed Assurance."
Methodist -
Fyodor Dostoevsky 1821–1881
A Russian novelist whose fiction wrestles with the deepest questions of faith, suffering, and grace.
Russian Orthodox -
George MacDonald 1824–1905
A Scottish author and minister whose imaginative writing deeply influenced C.S. Lewis.
Scottish Congregationalist -
Andrew Murray 1828–1917Reformed
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Catherine Booth 1829–1890
Co-founder of The Salvation Army, called its "Mother," and a forceful preacher on behalf of the poor.
Salvation Army -
Hannah Whitall Smith 1832–1911
An American author and speaker in the Holiness movement, best known for The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life.
Holiness movement -
Hudson Taylor 1832–1905
An English missionary to China and founder of the China Inland Mission.
Evangelical missions -
Charles Haddon Spurgeon 1834–1892Reformed Baptist
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Charles Spurgeon 1834–1892
An English Baptist preacher known as the "Prince of Preachers," whose sermons reached vast Victorian audiences.
Baptist -
Phillips Brooks 1835–1893
An American Episcopal bishop and preacher, author of the carol "O Little Town of Bethlehem."
Episcopal -
D.L. Moody 1837–1899
An American evangelist whose revival campaigns reached millions on both sides of the Atlantic.
Evangelical -
F.B. Meyer 1847–1929Baptist
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Amy Carmichael 1867–1951
An Irish missionary who served fifty-five years in India, rescuing children and writing many devotional books.
Evangelical missions -
Thérèse of Lisieux 1873–1897
A French Carmelite nun whose "little way" of small acts of love is recorded in Story of a Soul.
Carmelite -
G.K. Chesterton 1874–1936
An English writer and apologist whose paradox-loving prose, especially Orthodoxy, has delighted and persuaded readers for a century.
Catholic -
Oswald Chambers 1874–1917
A Scottish minister whose devotional My Utmost for His Highest, compiled by his wife from his teaching, has never gone out of print.
Baptist -
Corrie ten Boom 1892–1983
A Dutch watchmaker who sheltered Jews during the Holocaust and later wrote The Hiding Place, a testimony of forgiveness.
Dutch Reformed -
A.W. Tozer 1897–1963
An American pastor and author whose The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy call readers to a deeper hunger for God.
Christian and Missionary Alliance -
Dorothy Day 1897–1980
An American journalist and social activist, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement.
Catholic -
C.S. Lewis 1898–1963
An Oxford and Cambridge scholar and author of Mere Christianity and The Chronicles of Narnia, among the most widely read Christian writers of the modern age.
Anglican -
Howard Thurman 1899–1981
An American theologian and mystic whose Jesus and the Disinherited shaped the conscience of a generation.
Baptist -
Watchman Nee 1903–1972
A Chinese church leader and author of The Normal Christian Life, imprisoned for two decades for his faith.
Chinese church -
Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1906–1945
A German pastor and theologian executed by the Nazi regime, whose The Cost of Discipleship confronts cheap grace.
Lutheran -
Thomas Merton 1915–1968
An American Trappist monk and writer whose The Seven Storey Mountain drew many toward a contemplative faith.
Catholic -
Elisabeth Elliot 1926–2015
An American missionary and author who, after her husband's martyrdom in Ecuador, wrote widely on faith and obedience.
Evangelical -
Frederick Buechner 1926–2022
An American writer and Presbyterian minister whose memoirs and essays explore grace in ordinary life.
Presbyterian -
Martin Luther King Jr. 1929–1968
An American Baptist minister and leader of the civil-rights movement, whose preaching joined the gospel to justice.
Baptist -
Henri Nouwen 1932–1996
A Dutch priest and writer whose books on the spiritual life, including The Return of the Prodigal Son, are widely loved.
Catholic -
Timothy Keller 1950–2023
An American pastor and author, founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City.
Reformed