John Bunyan lived in England in the seventeenth century. He was the author of "The Pilgrim's Progress," an allegorical work that is sometimes described as the second most widely-read Christian book in all of history, after the Bible. Email: (My C.SE UserName + "1684") at GMail.

Excerpts from chapter two of Second Timothy, English Standard Version:

Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene...

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

Links to some preferred resources:

• Desiring God
• Reformed.org -- The Center for Reformed Theology and Apologetics
• CCEL -- The Christian Classics Ethereal Library
• Ligonier
• Bible Gateway
• John Piper on YouTube: Channel 1; Channel 2; Channel 3.
• e-Sword