John Bunyan
Recommendation: 5/5
Description of author: John Bunyan (1628-1688) was an English Purtian / Baptist writer and preacher.
Comments: This book is perhaps the greatest Christian classic ever written. Every believer will find him or herself described in this allegory about the Christian life. The book is divided into two parts. The first half is an allegory about a man named Christian who fled from the City of Destruction in search of the Celestial Country. The second half is an allegory about Christian’s wife, Christiana, and her sons who flee the City of Destruction after Chritian crosses the river into the Celestial Country. Along the way they meet many who seek to discourage, mislead, and even destroy them, like Obstinate, Mr. Worldly Wiseman, and Apollyon. They travel through a variety of dangerous places including the Slough of Despond, Morality, Vanity Fair, and Doubting Castle. And, of course, they are helped by a plethora of good characters such as Evangelist and Interpreter. They meet many types of Christians (Great-Heart, Faithful, Mr. Honest, Little-Faith, Feeble-mind, Mr. Fearing, Valiant-for-Truth) and many types of apostates (Talkative, Mr. By-ends, and Simple) on their journey. Bunyan reminds us of the daily dangers and the need for constant vigilance in the Christian life. We are also reminded of the many blessings and provisions available to all pilgrims.