John Bunyan: Pilgrim’s Progress

Audience

Bunyan wrote for the sorts of people who attended or were likely to attend congregations not affiliated with the Church of England. Such Dissenters might lack formal education but often knew the Bible well and were familiar, through sermons, with many of the types of imagery Bunyan employed in Pilgrim’s Progress. The book was aimed both at those considering conversion and Christians who needed encouragement to remain faithful.

For many years Pilgrim’s Progress was appreciated as a classic work of English literature. Most English-language readers encounter it today only in the classroom, but Bunyan’s work still reaches an audience through other authors who have incorporated his values and ideas. Today Pilgrim’s Progress remains widely read as a religious work, particularly by Protestants of almost all denominations. Modern Christians particularly appreciate Bunyan’s theological understanding of discouragement as a natural part of faith. The text is also still used by Christian missionaries as a way to introduce Protestant beliefs about conversion and salvation.