Derek Thomas

It's the story of Mrs. Christian, Christiana, and you have a family story, and it's a much more of a corporate story than the more individualistic story of part one. I'll be telling the story of Bunyan himself a little bit as we go along. I won't belabor you with all of the details of Bunyan's life in the first lecture. That would be one way of doing it.

But I thought I would weave in to the narrative of Pilgrim's Progress certain factors from Bunyan's own life. Pilgrim's Progress Part One, for sure, is autobiographical.

But I thought I would weave in to the narrative of Pilgrim's Progress certain factors from Bunyan's own life. Pilgrim's Progress Part One, for sure, is autobiographical.

And many of the problems that arise, and there are a couple of theological problems that arise in the course of Pilgrim's Progress that can only be understood as Bunyan relating something that is deeply biographical in his own experience of salvation.

And many of the problems that arise, and there are a couple of theological problems that arise in the course of Pilgrim's Progress that can only be understood as Bunyan relating something that is deeply biographical in his own experience of salvation.

Now everyone is familiar with certain characters from Pilgrim's Progress, Worldly Wiseman, Lord Hategood, Mr. Legality, Mr. Liveloose, Giant Despair, or place names like the House of Interpreter.

Now everyone is familiar with certain characters from Pilgrim's Progress, Worldly Wiseman, Lord Hategood, Mr. Legality, Mr. Liveloose, Giant Despair, or place names like the House of Interpreter.

Doubting Castle, the Valley of Humiliation, the Delectable Mountains, Bypath Meadow, some of these have weaved their way into English literature generally, and some of them are still used as phrases in common speech to this day, and perhaps even in the secular world, they will use the term Bypath Meadow without realizing that this is from Pilgrim's Progress. Well, let's begin, as they say.

Doubting Castle, the Valley of Humiliation, the Delectable Mountains, Bypath Meadow, some of these have weaved their way into English literature generally, and some of them are still used as phrases in common speech to this day, and perhaps even in the secular world, they will use the term Bypath Meadow without realizing that this is from Pilgrim's Progress. Well, let's begin, as they say.

I used to listen to a BBC children's program when I was very little on the radio before pictures of that sort of generation. And I can remember this very pronounced Oxford accent saying, are you sitting comfortably? Then let's begin. And it begins with these very familiar words.

I used to listen to a BBC children's program when I was very little on the radio before pictures of that sort of generation. And I can remember this very pronounced Oxford accent saying, are you sitting comfortably? Then let's begin. And it begins with these very familiar words.

As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a den, and I laid me down in that place to sleep, and I slept. And I dreamed a dream. And those are very familiar words, aren't they? I'm actually reading from a fairly recent publication of Pilgrim's Progress, published in 2008 by Penguin Classics.

As I walked through the wilderness of this world, I lighted on a certain place where was a den, and I laid me down in that place to sleep, and I slept. And I dreamed a dream. And those are very familiar words, aren't they? I'm actually reading from a fairly recent publication of Pilgrim's Progress, published in 2008 by Penguin Classics.

And this is one in which the notes are given by a Bunyan scholar by the name of Roger Pooley. and he is perhaps today the Bunyan scholar in the world. The name of Roger Sharrock is a well-known name in academic circles, and again, an Oxford scholar, scholar in all things Bunyan, wrote a massive treatment of Bunyan and his theology. And there are various editions.

And this is one in which the notes are given by a Bunyan scholar by the name of Roger Pooley. and he is perhaps today the Bunyan scholar in the world. The name of Roger Sharrock is a well-known name in academic circles, and again, an Oxford scholar, scholar in all things Bunyan, wrote a massive treatment of Bunyan and his theology. And there are various editions.

There are probably a hundred editions of Pilgrim's Progress, but this will be the one that I'll be alluding to as we go along the 2008 Penguin edition edited by Roger Pooley. Well, let's begin at the very beginning, and it's the very first thing that Bunyan notes for us, and that is that here is a man who has in his hands a book.

There are probably a hundred editions of Pilgrim's Progress, but this will be the one that I'll be alluding to as we go along the 2008 Penguin edition edited by Roger Pooley. Well, let's begin at the very beginning, and it's the very first thing that Bunyan notes for us, and that is that here is a man who has in his hands a book.

You discover this man, he's under a great deal of stress, he's carrying this burden upon his back, and he's outside the city of destruction and he's carrying a book and something that you don't actually learn until later on in the narrative that the city is called the city of destruction. It's where his wife is and his children are.

You discover this man, he's under a great deal of stress, he's carrying this burden upon his back, and he's outside the city of destruction and he's carrying a book and something that you don't actually learn until later on in the narrative that the city is called the city of destruction. It's where his wife is and his children are.

Bunyan is telling us the way of salvation and for Bunyan in the 17th century the way of salvation begins with conviction of sin. Unless you understand sin, unless you understand the weightiness of sin, the gravitas of sin, unless you have a conviction of sin and sinfulness, then the doctrine of salvation makes no sense.