This is a comprehensive commentary on The Pilgrim's Progress that is based upon the ourline contained in the Outlined Study Manual that Dr. Horner uses in his seminar ministry.
Doc: The link connects to a site put together by Dr. Barry Horner who authored "Future Israel." Dr. Horner is a hugh admirer of Bunyan and has studied Pilgrim's Progress and even has seminars and study guides built around it. He has insightul commentary on each chapter. Just follow the chapter headings out to the right and it's not necessary to download if you want to read.
Thanks good folks. I'm just letting you know it's there if you ever want to take a look.
http://www.bunyanministries.org/commentary_pp.htm
(From Dr. Horner)
The Legacy of John Bunyan, the Bedford Tinker…
“Well then sinner, what sayest thou? Where is thy heart? Wilt thou run? Art thou resolved to strip? Get into the way; run apace and hold out to the end; and the Lord give thee a prosperous journey. Farewell,” John Bunyan
John Bunyan (1628-88) was arguably one of the most influential writers in human history. Consider the fact that after the undoubted supremacy in circulation of the English Bible, Bunyan’s classic allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress, has commonly ranked second. This has led it to be called “the second best book in all the world.”
Even secular critics have agreed that this uneducated mender of pots and pans was a writer of uncommon genius. Raised during the turbulent seventeenth century in England, following conversion from an unsavory past, Bunyan began to preach and receive a welcome hearing. His first venture at writing at this time was a vigorous response to Quaker doctrine. Staunchly nonconformist, he was imprisoned for 12 years in the Bedford County jail for refusing to remain silent.
During imprisonment, Bunyan was not idle. He made shoelaces to raise support for his family and preached to the inmates. His spiritual autobiography, "Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners", was written at that time, it becoming one of Bunyan’s several classics. However his magnum opus, "The Pilgrim’s Progress", was also written while a prisoner, and then, following his release in 1672, was published in 1678.
Some eleven editions of The Pilgrim’s Progress were published during Bunyan’s lifetime, this popularity being stimulated by the enthusiastic readership of the common people. Then in subsequent centuries broader acceptance followed, even by such literary notables such as Cowper, Coleridge, Macaulay, Froude, etc.
In particular, The Pilgrim’s Progress has gained extraordinary universal acceptance, its style being both simple yet engaging in its ability to communicate vital biblical truth. However, as with other classic writings, modernity has taken its toll. Hence, there is a need for the communication of the truth, Bunyan so pasionately proclaimed, in a manner that, while not compromising with regard to truth or style, yet addresses this twenty-first century with clarity and timeless appeal. In this regard Dr. Barry Horner has spent many years in devising a method of communication that does reach the modern man, his infatuation more with visual media notwithstanding. Hence a seminar ministry, in conjunction with three related volumes, has gained an enthusiastic hearing. As a result, many testimonies have expressed deep gratitude for new found enlightenment concerning what biblical Christianity is all about
_________________
David Winter
|
