Derek Thomas

We see that story in Korea.

We see that story in China.

We see that story in parts of Africa in the 20th century.

and now emerges Hopeful.

Hopeful will be with Christian right to the end of the story.

Some of you remember how Christian has a little bit of trouble crossing the river that eventually leads to the celestial city, and it is Hopeful who actually almost carries him across that river at the end of the story.

So Hopeful is yet another friend

and the importance of friendship, I think, in Bunyan's understanding of what the Christian life should be like.

Now, hopeful then has been converted through the valiant testimony of faithful, in particular, in vanity.

Now, the two of them walk together and come across Mr. Bayenz, who is from the town of Fair Speech.

He doesn't tell them his name, but he does relate to them some of his kindred, including a Mr. Facing Both Ways, the parson, a Mr. Two Tongues and his wife, My Lady Feining's daughter,

That's, I think, Bunyan cocking a snook a little at the aristocracy.

Bunyan was decidedly blue-collar, I think, and his politics.

Some of Bunyan's great interpreters in the 20th century have been of communist persuasion in political history for entirely different reasons, you understand.

But in the bourgeoisie versus the proletariat politics,

Bunyan was definitely of the proletariat variety rather than the bourgeoisie.

So communist historians in the 20th century have sort of been drawn to Bunyan and have made him out to be something that I don't think he was.

Bynes tells Christian, now unhopeful, tells them eventually that this is not his real name, but a name given to him by someone who did not like him, and he wants to go with Christian, unhopeful, but cannot leave his old principles since they are harmless and profitable.

And as they look back, Christian and hopeful see that three others have joined by ends, Mr. Hold the World, Mr. Money Love, and Mr. Save All.

Bunyan had a thing about preachers who preached that everybody would be saved in whatever way they thought.