Around Bedfordshire you may have spotted the signs with the words ‘John Bunyan Country’. Who was he? And why is he so significant in Bedfordshire?
John Bunyan was born in Elstow in 1628. He was a deeply troubled child and became infamous as a bad influence when a young adult. A Christian life was completely alien to him but one day he came across a group of women who were talking about how Jesus was their Saviour. Bunyan listened in amazement, wondering at their joy. In 1653 he became a Christian and then a popular preacher.
In 1660 freedom of worship ended and Bunyan was imprisoned for 12 years in Bedford Jail. This imprisonment gave us one of the greatest books ever written. The Pilgrim’s Progress was published in February 1678 and tells of a man called Christian who is trying to find the way to heaven. Our lives are full of ups and downs like Bunyan’s. There is only One who can give us ultimate joy and peace. The bible (1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 15) says: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”.