Pilgrim's Progress

The setting of “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” demonstrates it does not matter where sinners are they can still go to Christ. When Edwards speaks how the door to go to Christ is open he says, “Are not your souls as precious as the souls of the people at Suffield, where they are flocking from day to day to Christ” (435). Edwards compares the people of Enfield to another town to demonstrate how easy it is to repent for their

Faithful is just a guy who, like Christian, escapes his past life and pursues a life that is down the straight and narrow path of Christianity. A Righteous man, ridiculed, tortured, and finally burnt at the stake for his faith, Faithful lives up to his name and is the martyr of The Pilgrim's Progress—the one who suffers and dies for what he believes in. Before Christian meets Faithful on the road from the Palace Beautiful, Christian seems to be the only real pilgrim on the journey to the Celestial City. The others pilgrims he has met on his journey (Formalist and Hypocrisy, Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, Mr. Pliable) have either abandoned the journey for its extreme struggles or for being shown the hollowness of their faith. But Faithful is different unlike his friends he did not have a hollow faith so when he faced the trials and tribulations he did not deal with them because of his strong faith in the Lord.

In Thomas C. Foster’s guide, How to Read Literature Like a Professor Revised Edition, Foster presents readers with the knowledge that a trip in literature has the potential to become something much deeper, a quest for self-knowledge. Foster lists five very important aspects that every quest will have which are, a quester, a place to go, a stated reason to go there, challenges and trials en route, and a real reason to go there. The distinction between stated reason to go there and real reason to go there are that typically the quester goes along their journey and discovers an intimate detail about themselves that relates nothing to the stated reason. It gives the quester a better sense

The path of the modern pilgrim can be as self-realizing as those who follow the path of saints. Matt says he has come to know himself intimately by walking in the shoes of over 8.4 million New Yorkers. Dalya has found peace and freedom that lies within her, irrespective of worldly comforts. Indeed, the message of these pilgrims is that life itself can be a pilgrimage—if we just surrender to it.

In life, we have to make choices. We make choices on what we eat, what we wear, and how we are going to live our lives. Choices are what make us, us. As we grow older, the choices become more difficult, as we struggle to find our way on the path of life. Often we are searching for a light to lead us in the right direction. For some of us, the light shines brightly in the distance and helps us find our way along the long and bumpy path of life, while for others the light seems to never come, and we struggle along, battling the darkness. We are consistently looking for an escape, a place where we find who we are, what our role is in the world and the meaning of life. Rodrick Nash states in Wilderness and the American Mind, “Wilderness appealed

John Noyes took his beliefs elsewhere and set up shop in Oneida, New York. Noyes only had a few dozen followers originally. His community was based on a doctrine that he wrote saying that no man could sin in his community because Christ has already pre-saved them (America and the Utopian Dream). Noyes also believed that when Jesus died he lifted all of the sins of those who truly believed in him. Therefor, a ‘true Christian’ is perfect (Martin).

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis suggests that choices made on earth have a consequential effect towards our acceptance into heaven or our plummet into hell. In this book pride manifests itself in a hundred subtle ways as souls whine about perceived injustices or irrational motives. Thankfully, a few tourists do humble themselves, become transformed into marvelously real beings, and remain in heaven. But most don't, about which the great Scottish author George MacDonald, Lewis' heavenly guide, says, “They may not be rejecting the truth of heaven now. They may be reenacting the rejection they made while on earth”.

In the eighth stanza of A Psalm of LIfe, this quote is used; “A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again”. This quote interprets living a life everyone will remember and set an example.“ Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. This quote from the text “Self- Reliance” shows how he didn’t care what anyone thought of his ways. The journey helped Chris clear his head by falling in love with nature around him. That is why Chris’s journey into the wild symbolizes his quest for starting

In Pilgrims progress, the Characters go through many temptations, and have to remember not to lose hope in Christ. the book is told in a dream, the dream can relate to real life, in life we have to make many choices in our daily lives, that could determine our future. In Pilgrims Progress there are many trials and tribulations, times where Christian (the main Character) almost gave up, but, then looked towards Christ for his strength.

Everyman tries to talk to his friends to accompany him on the long journey, but they abandon him in time of need. In fact, Fellowship responds to Everyman by saying, “Whether ye have loved me or no, by Saint John, I will not with thee go” (Line 287). Even a close cousin also not willing to go along with you, she makes excuse of having a pain in her toe (Lines 356). In this respect, Julian Paulson notes,

The author of The Pilgrim's Progress is well described by Coleridge's remark: "His piety was baffled by his genius; and Bunyan the dreamer overcame the Bunyan of the conventicle." This remark points out the difficulty that Bunyan faces when he attempts to write a religious piece of work in the style of allegory. The Pilgrim's Progress is "pious" because it is a piece written in dedication to God. It contains important religious teachings -- what a good Christian should do and what he should not do. What Coleridge means by Bunyan's "genius" is basically the story itself. The story is so well written that people become so interested in the story and forget the whole spiritual truth behind and this worry Bunyan.

Many in this category are walking among us today. We might call them the “unsaved,” or giving them the benefit of the doubt, might consider them “searching.” However, if they die without embracing the true way, if their hearts have never turned to God, they are lost. And for that reason, they have been condemned to an eternal life that is deserving and seen as fit by the Lord on high. These people might be our next-door neighbors.

In M. Scott Peck’s work, The Road Less Traveled, he says “Love is too large, too deep ever to be truly understood or measured or limited within the framework of words” (81). He also seeks to define love as “The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's personal growth” (81). For Peck, he recognizes that the nature of love is so mysterious that a true satisfactory definition of love has yet to be created and suspects his own definition to be inadequate. He also recognizes that love is categorically vast in that it is divided into eros, philia, agape, and others.

Sir Thomas Mallory’s Le Morte d'Arthur is a classic piece of literate that reveals the depths of mankind in numerous ways. Man is a complicated creature, greatly influenced by a variety of circumstances and often the choices made in those times mold man into who he or she will become. The lens for which one views beauty and goodness can be greatly affected by these experiences. As I have spent time reflecting on Mallory’s writing, it is apparent that he used several key themes to explain his views of man; those being identity, fate, love, family, and redemption. These themes parallel much of scripture and when paid attention to, can help one understand the truths of Scripture on their Christian journey.

I had to choose between playing a full-time summer sport or going on family vacations in the summer. Sports enriched my life in many ways such as creating more memories with my friends, allowing my pitching to improve, and gaining valuable team experience. Family vacations also could have changed my life as it allows for more family time, memories, and adventures. In the end, I chose to play a summer sport because it increased my games per year, practices per year, and a significant increase in game experience. I am happy with my decision because it gave me lifelong experiences.