Writings of Great Christians

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 John Huss was a Christian martyr, burned at the stake by the Catholic Church in the year 1415. While in prison, he wrote a series of letters to his loyal friends, and some people who weren't so loyal. His letters were translated into Old English in a work called "The Letters of John Hus" by Herbert Workman and Martin Pope and published in 1904 in London. This edition is a re-edited version of the 1904 book, translated into 21st Century American English. This is a large-print, workbook sized, softcover book. 

 Edited into modern English from the 1926 John C. Winston Company edition of Fox's Book of Martyrs. The beginnings of this book were first published in 1563 by John Fox, who wanted to list specifics concerning the persecutions of Christians, starting with the Romans, and covering the Catholic Church's Inquisition. After his death, more names and situations were added, up until the 1800's. This book receives a bit of condemnation by some who believe that nothing but what John Fox himself wrote should be included. Another reason it is slammed is because a few Catholic Priests are added in the list, when John Fox originally wanted to rebuke the Catholic church for being the instigators of horrible crimes against anyone who didn't follow their teachings. However, there is ample, vigorous condemnation for the Catholic religion contained within, and the book is very informative for historical perspective. 

 13 Discourses by John Wesley on Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, edited into 21st Century American English. Large 16 point print. Read without your glasses! 

John Wesley (1703-1791) was an Anglican priest and theologian. Along with his brother Charles, he led a revival within the Church of England emphasizing a methodical approach to study and devotion, which earned them the nickname "Methodists". He laid the ground work for the Methodist Church.

 Grace Abounding To the Chief of Sinners:

John Bunyan, (1628-1688), was an extraordinary specimen of Christian faith, being dragged, as it were, from the darkness of atheism nearly kicking and screaming, spurred on primarily by his great fear of being lost to the eternal fires of hell. As he tells it in this writing, he spent years in a great struggle to believe that God could love and accept him, because he considered himself the chief of sinners, and he wondered if perhaps he had already committed the unpardonable sin. He set out on a journey of the soul to prove within Scripture that God was truly the Savior he claimed to be, and he found God’s word questionable until the Holy Spirit arrived to continuously affirm within his own heart what he was reading, and what he hoped it meant for his own sinful condition. Bunyan’s manner of processing his spiritual learnings is what made his book, Pilgrim’s Progress, possible, for it truly depicts how his mind viewed the Christian’s journey to the kingdom of God. His mind condensed the years of his struggles into small vignettes that were more easily understood. In this book, Bunyan tells of his sinful youth and how one severe rebuke by a town woman set him on his Christian journey. He tells of his twelve years in prison for teaching God’s word within group home settings, for which he was arrested for preaching without a license, and though he may have been released if he would commit before the court to end his private teaching of God’s word, he chose rather to remain in prison than give up God’s call on his life. A friend, after Bunyan’s death, concludes his autobiography by telling of Bunyan’s passing and commending his service to God. 

 John Bunyan’s allegorical Christian novel, arguably the most influential Christian allegory ever written, was first published in 1678, with the second part appearing in 1684. This is a large 16 point print version, and it has been kept in the Old English style, with light editing and new formatting by Pamela Ayn Austen. 

 Presented as a dream sequence, it uses allegorical characters (e.g., Faithful, Hopeful, Giant Despair) and places (e.g., Slough of Despond, Vanity Fair) to represent spiritual, moral, and psychological struggles.  It explores the Christian life as a "pilgrimage," highlighting the necessity of faith, the burden of sin, and the pursuit of holiness. 

 It consists of two parts: the journey of Christian (Part I) and the journey of his wife, Christiana, and children (Part II).   The book is one of the most widely read, translated, and published books in English, second only to the Bible. 

 115 of Martin Luther's sermons translated into 21st Century American English from the 1905 J.N. Lenker translation. This is a large volume, single book, filled to the brim with Luther's sermons. 

 Martin Luther (1483–1546) was a German theologian, monk, and professor who initiated the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. By challenging the Roman Catholic Church’s sale of indulgences with his 95 Thesis in 1517, he sparked a movement emphasizing salvation through faith alone (sola fide) and the Bible as the supreme authority. 

 His criticisms of church corruption led to a massive split in Western Christianity and the creation of Protestantism.  He argued that Christians are saved by faith rather than deeds and advocated for the "priesthood of all believers".  During his exile at Wartburg Castle, he translated the New Testament into German, making the scriptures accessible to common people.  His theology formed the basis for the Lutheran Church.