Folks....It has been my contention over the ten plus years of these posts that the church is mired in modernism in the form of a contemporary evangelicalism that though often faithful to the creeds lacks a certain wisdom and discernment that the 'old paths' provided. There is no way that anyone can understand what I mean without knowing something of what the past was like. I'm not pointing to a golden age....there was no golden age....but there were far better times in the church than what we have morphed into today. If you would at least want to explore more of what I'm trying to say then there are many resources of which I'll mention but one.....ligonier.org.....or refnet.fm....which is basically the same thing. I'm not speaking here to the Christian that knows it all....they are much too smart for me.....I try to reach in these posts those who need a helping hand and are not to proud to admit it. Today.....Saturday February 23....would be a double blessing along these lines.....for ligonier.org is near the end of a series on John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress....which the post below explains a little bit:
The book begins with the author's 'apology'....or as we would call it today....his 'introduction'....but the story begins with this....."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 as I slept I dreamed a dream. I dreamed, and behold I saw a man clothed with rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. I looked, and saw him open the book, and read therein; and as he read, he wept and trembled; and not being able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry; saying, "What shall I do?" Thus essentially begins the second most sold book in the English language....first published in 1678....John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon....(to those who may not be familiar with him, he was the great 19th century preacher out of London.....known and respected today in just about all Christian churches).....Spurgeon wrote that he had read The Pilgrim's Progress 100 times....which would be at least twice a year if they were spaced out evenly over his life....but my guess is that many years he read it three or four times."
The book is an allegory. One character's name was Faithful....another was Pliable.....the main character was Christian. I may have read the book a dozen times.....and listened to it on tape an equal number of times.....I'm just guessing here. Our son had the book indelibly etched in his mind as we as a family would listen to it on the long drive to church on Lord's Days. The above words were the original but there are numerous modern translations. If we talk....Vanity Fair.....or....the Celestial City....or if we describe in detail the Christian's armor from Ephesians....we are probably....maybe even unwittingly....either referring back to Bunyan's book or relating some of Bunyan's original thoughts. The book has been referenced throughout history in many ways since it was written....in literature....from Mark Twain to E. E. Cummings....and from Nathaniel Hawthorne to Louis May Alcott....and from Charlotte Bronte to John Steinbeck....I have to stop here for I can go on and on. One last thing....British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery.....Monty....carried the Bible and a copy of The Pilgrim's Progress with him wherever he went.
It's a wonderful book.....and what a blessing for the church....and the world.....to be given it. Enough of that.....why am I bringing this up? Ligonier Ministries....the ministry of R. C. Sproul....who had gone on to be with his Lord a year ago....has been broadcasting.....on Saturdays....a teaching series on The Pilgrim's Progress....by British....what else....pastor and theologian Derek Thomas. The Pilgrim's Progress is divided into Part One and Part Two. Ligonier just completed Part One and this Saturday will continue on into Part Two. If you give this a try....you will love it. Just type in ligonier.org on Saturday and it will be right in front of you. They are two distinct stories so you can jump in right here. You may even want to Google John Bunyan and The Pilgrim's Progress for some historical context.
The book begins with the author's 'apology'....or as we would call it today....his 'introduction'....but the story begins with this....."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 as I slept I dreamed a dream. I dreamed, and behold I saw a man clothed with rags, standing in a certain place, with his face from his own house, a book in his hand, and a great burden upon his back. I looked, and saw him open the book, and read therein; and as he read, he wept and trembled; and not being able longer to contain, he brake out with a lamentable cry; saying, "What shall I do?" Thus essentially begins the second most sold book in the English language....first published in 1678....John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon....(to those who may not be familiar with him, he was the great 19th century preacher out of London.....known and respected today in just about all Christian churches).....Spurgeon wrote that he had read The Pilgrim's Progress 100 times....which would be at least twice a year if they were spaced out evenly over his life....but my guess is that many years he read it three or four times."
The book is an allegory. One character's name was Faithful....another was Pliable.....the main character was Christian. I may have read the book a dozen times.....and listened to it on tape an equal number of times.....I'm just guessing here. Our son had the book indelibly etched in his mind as we as a family would listen to it on the long drive to church on Lord's Days. The above words were the original but there are numerous modern translations. If we talk....Vanity Fair.....or....the Celestial City....or if we describe in detail the Christian's armor from Ephesians....we are probably....maybe even unwittingly....either referring back to Bunyan's book or relating some of Bunyan's original thoughts. The book has been referenced throughout history in many ways since it was written....in literature....from Mark Twain to E. E. Cummings....and from Nathaniel Hawthorne to Louis May Alcott....and from Charlotte Bronte to John Steinbeck....I have to stop here for I can go on and on. One last thing....British Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery.....Monty....carried the Bible and a copy of The Pilgrim's Progress with him wherever he went.
It's a wonderful book.....and what a blessing for the church....and the world.....to be given it. Enough of that.....why am I bringing this up? Ligonier Ministries....the ministry of R. C. Sproul....who had gone on to be with his Lord a year ago....has been broadcasting.....on Saturdays....a teaching series on The Pilgrim's Progress....by British....what else....pastor and theologian Derek Thomas. The Pilgrim's Progress is divided into Part One and Part Two. Ligonier just completed Part One and this Saturday will continue on into Part Two. If you give this a try....you will love it. Just type in ligonier.org on Saturday and it will be right in front of you. They are two distinct stories so you can jump in right here. You may even want to Google John Bunyan and The Pilgrim's Progress for some historical context.
