John Bunyan is most famous for his book Pilgrim's Progress, a Christian allegory of the individual soul's travel from sin to salvation, with it Bunyan influenced Puritan theology in Britain and America. The themes of individualism, liberty of conscience, and equality complemented the republican parliamentary cause in England and the Puritan settlements in North America. Seeing a person's life as a journey involving a series of moral choices conformed nicely with modern Protestant political thought and democratic politics.

Born to a poor family in Bedfordshire, England, Bunyan read only the Bible in his youth. He served in the parliamentary army during the English civil war (1644-46), married a pious Christian woman who introduced him to evangelical thought, joined an independent (congregational) church in 1653, and was ordained a minister in 1657. After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 and general persecution of Christian "dissenters" occurred, causing Bunyan to be imprisoned for preaching the Gospel, he spent much of the time between 1660 and 1672 in prison. There he wrote his famous autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (1666). In it and in Pilgrim's Progress Bunyan ties the individual's moral development with spiritual warfare and social turmoil.

The Puritan themes emphasize that "worldly" society--like the corrupt, luxurious, and decadent aristocracy in England--presents temptations that lead to the soul's destruction and damnation and advocate a simple, godly lifestyle that must appeal to poor, simple folks. The hope for a decent, wholesome Christian society that would obey God's laws and prevent God's wrath from destroying the City of Destruction fed into American Puritan society. Puritans fleeing to Massachusetts and Connecticut saw this as leaving "Sodom and Gomorrah" and entering the Promised Land, establishing a city on a hill as a beacon to the lost of the world. Such New Jerusalem theology influenced America's view of itself, including the presidency of Ronald Reagan, who employed Puritan rhetoric in his speeches. Bunyan's Puritan theology underlies many Protestant countries' views of their covenant obligations to God and their destiny.

Free term papers are not written to satisfy your specific instructions. You can use our professional writing services to buy a custom written research paper, term paper, or essay on Christianity at affordable price. CustomTermPapers is the best solution for those who seek help in writing term papers, essays, and research papers related to Christianity and other relevant topics.