ABSTRACT

Few Christian authors have been as widely misunderstood and condemned, yet simultaneously celebrated and revered, as Madame Jeanne Guyon. Commentators such as Ronald Knox, in his wellknown book Enthusiasm, reckoned her a madwoman, while John Wesley, Kierkegaard, and Schopenhauer deeply admired her wisdom. Today, Guyon’s influence on the American churches can still be traced through the Holiness movement, as well as prayer conferences of various stripes that focus on her work. Her books continue to be reprinted by a wide variety of publishers in multiple languages. Yet her writings provoke opposition in other corners. While some observers laud her piety, others deride what they consider to be “mindless mysticism.”