The Pilgrim's Progress

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan has been in continuous print since its publication in 1678 and has been translated into more than 200 languages. I've read it more than once, but to be honest, I found it difficult to follow the entrance and exits of the various characters and to grasp their significance. It perplexed me as to why it continued to be so popular around the world, except for the possibility that it had been propelled by God to be used to further the gospel.

Over the weekend, however, My Beloved and I watched a dramatization of Pilgrim's Progress on Amazon Prime, and the simple manner in which the way of salvation was portrayed was quite compelling. (Perhaps I had just needed more visual cues to help me understand.) While the publication date for the movie was 2006, the cinematography and acting were noticeably backseat to the story that was being told. Which, actually, may have been a good thing since it drew me into the storyline and not the scenery. The movie is also available on YouTube.

Amazon Prime also has a documentary on John Bunyan that we've enjoyed watching: John Bunyan, The Journey of a Pilgrim.

I recommend both--a good way to spend one of these Covid-19 evenings.

Recommending ~ John Bunyan, The Journey of a Pilgrim

As I was recently re-reading The Pilgrim's Progress, we came across this documentary on Amazon Video. I had very little prior knowledge about John Bunyan's life except to know that he had written Pilgrim's Progress during his years in prison for preaching the gospel. Since its publication in 1678, the book has never been out of print and is outsold only by the Bible.

Part of the documentary is dramatization, and part was filmed at the John Bunyan Museum in Bedford, England. It follows Bunyan's call to faith and depicts the religious/political climate of the day. It tells how Pilgrim's Progress came to be written. I now have a far greater appreciation for not only his Pilgrim's Progress, but have also gained an interest in Bunyan's other writings, which I hope to read by and by.