total depravity

    Sagrada Familia Stained Glass, for Batter my heart, three person'd God

    Batter My Heart, Three-Person’d God: A Reading of John Donne’s Holy Sonnet XIV

    Posted on April 15, 2026
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    “Batter My Heart, Three-Person’d God,” also known as Holy Sonnet XIV, is the 17th-century poet-priest John Donne’s brilliant and controversial poem on the primacy of God’s grace in our salvation. Using both martial and marital metaphors, Donne calls God to action, pleading for rescue from our spiritual enemy. Theologically, the poem reflects the reformed principle…