| abstract |
The play, Bunyan, tells the story of John Bunyan's arrest and how he faced
adversity and challenges during his first year-and-a-half of imprisonment. Those
first years proved key in shaping the man and his faith, and molding him into the
dynamic husband, father, and preacher that he would become. He was imprisoned
because he ignored a warning from authorities not to preach at a religious meeting.
Like Daniel in the Lions' Den, Bunyan would not allow any earthly king to tell him that
he could not worship his heavenly king as his conscience guided him.
The play is historical fiction. It is largely a factual account of Bunyan's early prison years, containing numerous people, places, and events that are real. Based on research, these elements have been rounded out and brought to life through the playwright's imagination as she has filled in details and connected the dots. The time is 1660-1662. Charles II has just reclaimed the Stuart throne and the Restoration is poised to begin. The displaced cavaliers and priests are returning to power. Retribution is in the air. The Anglican Church is determined to reign in those independents who seek freedom of worship outside of the church while keeping the poor under control inside the church.
Bunyan's spiritual and emotional struggles in prison and in his home are already causing doubts to creep into his thinking. Complications arise that he must face. Daily realities weaken his resolve, and still he sits in prison with no opportunity for a trial. What Bunyan does not realize, is that God is preparing him for an amazing ministry as a preacher and also preparing him to soon begin writing his most powerful work, Pilgrim's Progress.
Research shows that the allegory is about Christian's journey through life as he heads toward the Celestial City. More research reveals that Christian is really John Bunyan. The play is about John Bunyan's writing of Pilgrim's Progress, how he intertwined his own experiences and doubts with innovative use of metaphor and symbols to show how faith can become real as he experiences Jesus's love and care in the midst of heartache.
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