Saint Francis De Sales' Trademark Themes of Douceur, Devotion and Freedom of Spirit: A Paradigm Shift in the Early Modern Era's Ideals of Christian Piety and Zeal.

Fraancis de Sales adopts a new vocabulary using three terms: devotion, liberté d’esprit, and douceur in response to underlying issues of his day. Each of these three trademark Salesian themes is tied to a mentality of the Early Modern world view that I wish to briefly outline in this essay, and all three represent a lasting paradigmatic shift in the idea of what is authentic Christianity and its relationship to society during times of civil war and militant Catholicism with its severe ascetical spirituality that de Sales separates from political conflict.