Bunyan Questions

ENGL 520

 

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners and The Pilgrim's Progress 

  1. How do we know from this text that Bunyan is a Protestant?

  2. How does Bunyan’s conversion differ from St. Augustine’s? 

  3. How is Grace Abounding a Pauline document? 

  4. How is Grace Abounding a record of a psychological experience?

  5. What are the nature, shape, and causes of Bunyan’s conversion experience?

  6. What images strengthen Bunyan’s account of his conversion?

  7. How does Grace Abounding relate to The Pilgrim’s Progress?  Does the latter work illustrate the former?  See if you can complete the following chart.

 

Grace Abounding

Pilgrim’s Progress

Vanity (956)

 

“my old custom of sports and gaming” (956)

 

Conversion in Protestant terms

 

Temptation to despair

 

Despair

 

Pride (958)

 

Delight

 

Bunyan strugglesto affirm the truth; he slowly achieves metanoia.

 

Bunyan himself was imprisoned for winning others to his side.

 

Superstition—Bunyan’s attitude toward priests (955)