Page 39 - Masters Sample Courses

The French Revolution: Crash Course European History

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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!

5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bunyan