Ken Connolly, "The Church in Transition", Page 121: The world into which John Bunyan was born was in a state of upheaval. Fierce political winds were blowing in shifting directions. Though the issue was political, those of Puritan persuasion defended the rights of citizens. When there was conflict between royal authority and the "responsibility" of Parliament, the Puritans always side with Parliament. Hence the debate became also a religious matter. The civil war erupted causing the king first to lose the throne, then his head. It also brought Puritanism, whether bane or benediction, to touch the moral conscience of the nation. These two factors would make the Bunyan years a time of stress. The excesses which normally result from political upheaval would be restrained by the equally…