What does the Greatest Metal Vocalist of All Time have in common with a devout Protestant writer of the seventeenth century?<\/p>\n
Led Zeppelin lead singer and lyricist Robert Plant wrote the iconic 1971 rock song Stairway to Heaven<\/em>.\u00a0 This song is every classic rock station\u2019s perennial number one song on the top 500 countdown.\u00a0 Why does it have such durability and popularity?<\/p>\n Stairway to Heaven<\/em> weaves a story of a woman trying to buy her way into paradise.\u00a0 While none of us knows exactly what heaven is like, we know we long for a better place, where things make sense, justice is served, and all our tears will be wiped away.<\/p>\n As Plant\u2019s protagonist yearns for heaven, the song concludes:<\/p>\n Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run<\/em> John Bunyan\u2019s allegory The Pilgrim\u2019s Progress from This World to That Which is to Come<\/em> is considered the most significant religious work of English literature.\u00a0 The allegory\u2019s protagonist, Christian, sets out on a journey to the Celestial City after hearing of its existence.\u00a0 He confronts distractions, detours, and dangers on his way to his destination.<\/p>\n Several of Christian\u2019s way stations have entered our lexicon, including Vanity Fair and the Slough of Despond.\u00a0 Who hasn\u2019t made a stop in Vanity Fair or in the Slough of Despond?\u00a0 They are part of the human experience, and Bunyan\u2019s story has never been out of print.<\/p>\n Both Plant and Bunyan used their creative genius to describe the human condition as a journey on life\u2019s road.<\/p>\n Almost 300 years apart, Plant and Bunyan each produced a work reminding us that we are on a journey, and it is never too late to change direction. \u00a0Both tell a central story that is common to human experience, an awareness that our lives are not complete, our purpose is not fulfilled, and we have not yet made it to our destination.\u00a0 Reactions to this story have varied through different cultures and eras, but the nagging feeling persists that we cannot see through the veil covering the answers to our deepest longings.<\/p>\n The Road You\u2019re On will travel this well worn path, seeking something better.\u00a0\u00a0 We are all on a journey.\u00a0 We will explore faith, politics, and culture along the road we are all on. \u00a0Over time, as we discover that we have slipped into Vanity Fair or the Slough of Despond, we may decide we want to change the road we are on.<\/p>\n Join me on this journey, and we will learn from each other.\u00a0 I\u2019ll share where I\u2019ve been and where I\u2019m heading. I hope you will do the same.<\/p>\n There\u2019s still time to change the road you\u2019re on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What does the Greatest Metal Vocalist of All Time have in common with a devout Protestant writer of the seventeenth century? Led Zeppelin lead singer and lyricist Robert Plant wrote the iconic 1971 rock song Stairway to Heaven.\u00a0 This song is every classic rock station\u2019s perennial number one song on the top 500 countdown.\u00a0 Why…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":448,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5,4,6,3],"class_list":["post-9","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-john-bunyan","tag-led-zeppelin","tag-pilgrims-progress","tag-robert-plant"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nThere\u2019s still time to change the road you\u2019re on.<\/em><\/p>\n