"You will go to prison for six months," said the Judge.

So John Bunyan went to prison for nothing worse than preaching in the little Bedford Baptist Church. "Baptist" preaching was against the law. But Bunyan persisted in breaking the law. He told Justice Keeling, "If I was out of prison today, I would preach again tomorrow, by the help of God."

So it was back to prison. This time for twelve years. And again for six months. John Bunyan, who gave us the great classic, Pilgrim’s Progress, spent one fifth of his life in jail.

This was not an easy decision for him, to break the law for the sake of his conscience. John Bunyan was poor. He had a wife and four children who were dependent upon him. He had little political clout and virtually no status. All he had to do to avoid prison was to qu…