ORIGINAL POST:There was a lady you’ve probably never heard of, but she influenced some of the greatest Christian thinkers. Her full name was Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de la Motte-Guyon. You’ll probably find it easier to simply remember her as Madame Guyon. She lived from 1648 until 1717. She was Catholic as most other French people were. If you look her up, you’ll find that she was called a “mystic.” Some called her a heretic. She believed that people could pray silently to God wherever they happened to be. She also believed that salvation came from grace, not works. These things didn’t sit well with the church so you can imagine what they did to her. First she was condemned and shunned. After being driven from the church she eventually was thrown into prison. Prisons weren’t pleasant places back then.
She wrote a biography in prison and that’s how her beliefs have been passed down. While she was alive she influenced some even within the king’s court. Most of her influence was actually on Protestants, the Quakers especially. Some of her best known disciples were C. H. Spurgeon and Watchman Nee.Many of her books are available here.I was drawn to her writings because so many Christian great leaders mentioned her.Along with other books on the deeper christian life.