Comments on: The Pilgrim’s Progress

By: jim delver

jim delver — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:57:05 +0000

Hi guys, although not a Presby., i enjoy your podcasts. I was wondering if you could recommend some help for me. i teach college age SS at a reforming baptist church. i would like to teach through a book of the bible.
thanks jim

By: Nicholas T. Batzig

Nicholas T. Batzig — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 11:28:33 +0000

Tom,

Thank you for your comments. Since I was the one who made the statement I suppose I should give a defense. While it might be anachronistic to impose such categories on Bunyan, I thought it was somewhat evident that Bunyan would never be mistaken as being a “cultural transformatist.” The fact that he was a non-conformist, coupled with the fact that the entirety of the Pilgrim’s Progress is built on the Christian’s individual, spiritual experience, makes this evident. While I am not neo-Kuyperian, the statement was not a reasoned attack on “culture transformation” per se. It was supposed to be an attempt to make a humorous observation. 1) I am coming to terms with the fact that I am not funny; and 2) I should tell people before I attempt to make what a joke.

By: Tom Chapman

Tom Chapman — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:49:15 +0000

Enjoyed the podcast. Appreciate how Dr. Horner put the book into perspective by saying that it is an expression of Bunyan’s Christian life. With that in mind it was rather out of context for the hosts to say that Bunyan was obviously not a transformationists. This was said before and after Dr. Horner identified the context and purpose of the book. Whether or not Bunyan was a transformationist (and whether he was or wasn’t wouldn’t make the transformational view right or wrong), that was not the purpose of the book. He was not writing a polemic on how the church should operate in this world. He wrote it about the individual Christian experience, particularly his own. So we can’t say he was or wasn’t a transformationalist based on this book; but it is safe to say that he was not covenantal.

By: Thomas Sullivan

Thomas Sullivan — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 01:30:53 +0000

Wow, I will be anxious to listen to this, I have been on vacation. I discussed, for three hours, on my podcast the charge of whether or not the Puritans taught preparationism. http://reformedpastor.podbean.com/2010/05/03/did-the-puritans-teach-preparationism-part-1-thomas-sullivan/
In our day I don’t think pastors ever counsel persons who are in a “slough of despond” or know how to answer the question of why Evangelist asked Christian “do you see yonder wicket gate,” without wondering why Evangelist didn’t just say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Was Bunyan teaching preparationism? I don’t believe so. I also wonder how pastors in our day would interact with “the man in the iron cage.”

By: The Biblical Theology of the Pilgrim’s Progress - Feeding on Christ

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:33:48 +0000

[…] a doctorate on the theology of Pilgrim’s Progress at WSCAL). You can listen to the episode here. Posted in Feeding on Christ You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 […]

By: Benjamin P. Glaser

Benjamin P. Glaser — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 02:06:24 +0000

“The Life and Death of Mr. Badman” is a must read for our church today. It cannot be forgotten that he writes here of a man who believes that he is a Christian and has convinced himself that he is saved…to his damnation.

By: Tim H.

Tim H. — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:41:00 +0000

Nick- Do you have a website for your friend’s church plant in Asheville?

By: Life (and God’s Providence) with Ambleside Online « Life As It Is

Life (and God’s Providence) with Ambleside Online « Life As It Is — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 06:12:54 +0000

[…] we started reading Pilgrim’s Progress (on this terms reading list at AO) I should be sent this on […]