The Prisoner Who Kept Saying No

In 1661, John Bunyan sat in a cold Bedford jail cell with a simple offer on the table: stop preaching, and walk free. The magistrates weren't asking him to renounce his faith — just to stay quiet. It seemed reasonable enough. His wife, Elizabeth, was struggling to feed their four children, including a daughter who was blind. Every instinct of self-preservation whispered the same thing: just agree and go home.…