November 2011: The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

Share your thoughts

What were your thoughts as you read the book?

What did you know before?

A classic is something everyone thinks they should read, but no one has. Mark Twain. What, if anything, did you know about John Bunyan’s classic, The Pilgrim’s Progress before reading it?

Leaving family behind

How did you feel when Christian left his family?

Off the path

Christian and Hopeful accidentally leave the narrow path and enter By-path Meadow. They hardly knew they had done it until they find themselves in danger. Have you ever been surprised to find yourself walking a different path than the one God put you on?

Ignorance

Why do you think Bunyan chose to end the first part of his book with the damnation of Ignorance, a relatively minor character, rather than the arrival of Christian in the Celestial City?

Caricatures

Bunyan's characters are universal. They are types or caricatures which can be found in all times and places. Can you think of people you know who could step into the shoes of characters like Talkative and Ignorance? Did other characters remind you of people in your real life?

An encouragement to believers?

The Pilgrim’s Progress is not intended as a gospel tract. Most of the story is about Christian’s journey. Bunyan intended for the story of Christian and Christiana’s journey to be an encouragement to believers and to stir the apathetic to take action and to grow in their Christian journey. Do you think he succeeded?