The Uncertainty Principle

Abstract John Bunyan and the Puritans gave the modern world two gifts, one of which was unintended. The first was a robust faith in Christ; the second was an equally robust uncertainty with regard to personal salvation. Bunyan’s Grace Abounding is riddled with Puritanism’s Big Question: How do I know I am saved? Bunyan hears voices. They tell him he is unsavable. In response, hopeful passages of scripture fly to his defense. Uncertainty is a near pathology that runs through his autobiography from start to finish. Puritan self-analysis laid the groundwork for introspective theology and modern analysis. Succeeding generations are its heirs. A despised tinker, Bunyan’s spiritual and social standing are mirror images of each other. Yet he writes with a native, untutored energy that has captivated readers for generations. In the after-story to his memoir, he is arrested and becomes the longest-serving nonconformist in England. With the assurance of the gospel, he writes and preaches and becomes a legend.