Even secular critics have agreed that this uneducated mender of pots and pans was a writer of uncommon genius. Raised during the turbulent seventeenth century in England, following conversion from an unsavory past, Bunyan began to preach and receive a welcome hearing. His first venture at writing at this time was a vigorous response to Quaker doctrine. Staunchly nonconformist, he was imprisoned for 12 years in the Bedford County jail for refusing to remain silent. 

During imprisonment, Bunyan was not idle. He made shoelaces to raise support for his family and preached to the inmates. His spiritual autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, was written at that time, it becoming one of Bunyan's several classics. However his magnum opus, The Pilgrim's Progress, was also written while a prisoner, and then, following his release in  1672, was published in 1678.

Some eleven editions of The Pilgrim's Progress were published during Bunyan's lifetime, this popularity being stimulated by the enthusiastic readership of the common people. Then in subsequent centuries broader acceptance followed, even by such literary notables such as Cowper, Coleridge, Macaulay, Froude, etc.

In particular, The Pilgrim's Progress has gained extraordinary universal acceptance, its style being both simple yet engaging in its ability to communicate vital biblical truth. However, as with other classic writings, modernity has taken its toll. Hence, there is a need for the communication of the truth, Bunyan so pasionately proclaimed, in a manner that, while not compromising with regard to truth or style, yet addresses this twenty-first century with  clarity and timeless appeal. In this regard Dr. Barry Horner has spent many years in devising a method of communication that does reach the modern man, his  infatuation more with visual media notwithstanding. Hence a seminar ministry, in conjunction with three related volumes, has gained an enthusiastic hearing. As a result, many testimonies have expressed deep gratitude for new found enlightenment concerning what biblical Christianity is all about.

Prior to returning to America in 1991, he was the Executive Secretary of the Bible Union of Australia, an interdenominational agency that proclaims the full authority, inerrancy, and truthfulness of Scripture along with the derived evangelical faith. 

Barry's interest in The Pilgrim's Progress began when he was but five years of age. For the past twenty years he has made a special study of this classic allegory. He is firmly convinced that its balanced and winsome presentation of essential Bible truth has not diminished in significance. What is needed is fresh, contemporary exposure. 

Dr. Barry E. Horner

Hence Dangerous Journey Seminars is but an outgrowth of Barry's specialized study. He agrees with C. H. Spurgeon, who had read The Pilgrim's Progress over one hundred times, when he comments, "Why, this man [Bunyan] is a living Bible! Prick him anywhere, and you will find that his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows through him. He cannot speak without quoting a text, for his soul is full of the Word of God." 

Dr. Horner continues to  teach The Pilgrim's Progress in church, seminar, and camp settings. He also pastors Christ's New Covenant Church, Tucson, Arizona, where he maintains an expository ministry of the Word of God.