Narrow way

TO BE A PILGRIM:
40 days with The Pilgrim’s Progress
By Peter Morden and Ruth Broomhall
CWR. 140 pages. £4.99
ISBN 978 1 782 595 861
(Also in DVD £10.29)

The Pilgrim’s Progress is a classic of not only of Christian publishing but of English literature. I was introduced to it as a child through Helen L. Taylor’s retelling of the story and, like others before me, I was drawn into its powerful allegorical world. Although lots of the symbolism was lost on me, Pilgrim’s journey to the Celestial City with all its hazards along the way had me gripped.

I introduced my own children to this story through Geraldine McCaughrean’s beautifully illustrated picture book and confess that it was only in the last few years that I read the original as part of a literature study group at Liverpool University. This group had no Christian background and although they could identify with Pilgrim’s struggles and considered Bunyan’s language deeply moving the symbolism was even more alien to them than it had been to me as a child. In our post-Christian culture, biblical allusions are not recognised even by academics! Pilgrim’s Progress is not easily accessible unless the imagery is unpacked.

Peter Morden and Ruth Broomhall are seeking to do just that and open up the world of John Bunyan to the next generation. To Be A Pilgrim breaks down the original story into 40 daily readings for Christian meditation. It is an ambitious task. Each day there is a Bible reading linked with a short extract from The Pilgrim’s Progress, a meditation and responsive prayer.

Preacher’s heart

The preacher’s heart pulses through each daily meditation. If there is a weakness, it is that the extracts are too short to get into the depths of the story. I tried a couple of these readings with my 16-year-old, whose main comment was that he wanted more of the original book, which is not a bad result if he goes on to read it. I found myself dipping again into the original. If you have never read Pilgrim’s Progress this might just be the introduction and encouragement you need. Alongside this book, CWR has produced a short documentary on the life of John Bunyan which highlights the furnace of suffering from which Pilgrim’s Progress was forged, which could be a helpful resource for some youth groups.