Page 106 - God's Church through the Ages - Student Textbook

The French Revolution: Crash Course European History

95
John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress – Published in 1678

One of the greatest Christian classics of all time came not from the halls of a great
university, but from a jail cell. John Bunyan lived during the reign of King Charles II. The
King determined that the only acceptable church was the Anglican Church, and dissenters
were jailed. The King had passed laws that prevented any person from preaching without a
state license. Refusing the license, Bunyan was jailed in Bedford from 1661 to 1672 and
was released for a short time. In 1675 Bunyan again found himself in prison where he
wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress. This humbly written work has touched thousands of lives and
become one of the most famous classics of all time.

Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” is one of the most important books you can read besides the Bible.
Have you read it? It is called an allegory. The characters and places described in the book
represent “real life” events in the life of a person who is seeking salvation through Jesus Christ.

The book tells a story of a man called Christian who lives in a city called “Destruction.” The story chronicles
the journey that Christian must make to arrive at the Celestial City (heaven). He must first go to the Cross and
have his sin burden taken away. Then, on his journey, accompanied by other Pilgrims, he faces great
difficulties as he seeks to become more like Christ. If you have not read it, you are really missing out!

95 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bunyan
105