Date
5-25-2023
Department
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Chair
Andrew Smith
Keywords
creative nonfiction, nonfiction, memoir, spiritual memoir, Christian memoir, Holy Spirit, God as protagonist
Disciplines
Creative Writing
Recommended Citation
Peters, Ananda E.G., "We Are Your Epistles: How Christian Writers Communicate the Work of the Holy Spirit Through the Art of Spiritual Memoir" (2023). Masters Theses. 994.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/994
Abstract
Within the nonfiction genre of memoir lies the spiritual memoir, which emphasizes a divine element at work in the lives of mortal beings. Christian tradition, beginning with the Bible, is rich with accounts of God intervening in people’s lives. By writing and preserving their stories, our spiritual forebearers left behind relics of encouragement and instruction for future generations. This thesis aims to inspire Christians to continue the tradition of preserving personal stories in written form. This thesis is presented in three parts. The Artist’s Statement explains the author’s connection to this sub-genre of creative writing. The Critical Research essay is a literature review of Christian memoirs, examining common biblical elements therein. While there is a variety of styles and experiences within these narratives, there are many commonalities as they are written by followers of the same Master Teacher. The Creative Selection portion of this thesis, which holds the bulk, is a selection of original true stories written with the aim of glorifying God.
