Christian spiritual memoir has existed as a genre since St. Augustine wrote his Confessions between 397-400 C.E. Other early spiritual memoirists include Margery Kempe (1373-ca. 1438) and St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582). More modern writers include American monk Thomas Merton (1915-1968), author of The Seven Storey Mountain: An Autobiography of Faith (1948), and Dutch priest Henri Nouwen (1932-1996).

Spiritual memoirs in general tell a story about the author’s life or part of their life with a particular focus on their spiritual growth and enlightenment. Elizabeth Jarrett Andrew, an author who often writes on the spiritual memoir genre, says that “The writing itself becomes a means for spiritual growth” (Writing the Sacred Journey. Skinner House Books, 2005). A person can introduce large questions about life through their writing that allow them to do more than take religious tenets at face value. She writes that these memoirs often utilize heavy symbolism from the author’s life, which they discover through the act of penning the book. In reflection, they can connect these motifs in their experiences to their religious journey.