"...Introduction
The Pilgrim's Progress
by John Bunyan
~The book is writ in such a dialect as may the minds of listless men affect, it seems a novelty, and yet contains nothing but sound and honest Gospel strains.
( "The Author's apologie for his book")
We learn better, and our faith becomes more personal and solid when we are delighted or drawn into truth rather than talked at. That John Bunyan understood this seems clear from these words written as an introduction to his unforgettable work Pilgrim's Progress. In a poetic "apologie" he expresses the twofold purpose of his brilliant allegory. He wanted to both affect the minds of the listless, those who had grown bored and lazy in their faith (in this work those who sleep when it is not appropriate), and to present the gospel with such urgency and warning that the lost would fall on their knees at the cross.
He chose a novel approach, an extended metaphor of the Christian life as a journey with a geography and weather, an approach so original he felt he had to cover himself with an opening poem of defense. Furthermore, he did not want to write to just entertain; he wanted to move readers' hearts to recognition and repentance by dramatizing the principles outlined in Scripture what will keep a man and woman true until they pass through the river of death to their eternal home....
...It is a story that contains a program for action, not just for meditation. As was once said of another writer, Bunyan warns his readers that God has a terrible plan for their lives if they don't wake up and smell the coffee. Besides, those readers contented with the merely devotional or artistic would be incapable of enduring a trail like Vanity Fair. What Bunyan tried to show is that the Christian life is not for the lazy or the cowardly; knowledge of Scripture and doctrine and the practice of obedience and attentiveness are central in the life of the growing child of God. A pilgrimage is an arduous walk, not a cross-continental flight. What is also true is that while Bunyan's protagonist, Christian, has the most difficulties to face, he also has the most adventure, the most exhilaration....
....The path from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City is essentially the same for everyone, with similar landmarks along the way.
The struggle to live out one's life in a world unwelcoming to the Christian faith is becoming more and more of a reality. We need the help of a Christian who has been there before us, a Christian who never avoided theology, who loved and knew the Word of God, who presented suffering in all its rawness and joy in all its exuberance, who in the midst of failure knew who he was and who he belonged to. "This book," Bunyan said, "will make a traveler of thee." And... there is wonder in this journey.
Rosalie De Rosset..."
I had already seen the movie version of it, and now reading it is another exciting moment for me, thus this is the reason why I had decided to set up another page just for this. To enjoy each section of Christian's journey.
I pray it will be the same for you.
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