Pilgrim’s missionary progress: Contemporary evangelistic adaptations of John Bunyan’s lingering spiritual classic for a post-secular West

Abstract

This article notes that the way in which John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress has been used in Christian missionary endeavors since its original publication in 1678 lingers in contemporary reception. Two evangelistic adaptation artifacts are examined. These are evangelist J. John’s UK book adaptation and Revelation Media’s CGI movie. Interpretation is offered of how these fit within contemporary missiological emphases on the holistic gospel of the Kingdom of God, rather than a modern individualist orientation. Focusing on each artifact’s treatment of the book’s “Vanity Fair” episode I observe that greater awareness is needed. I argue that post-secular literary developments in the post-Christian West could open the doors of cultural imagination to receive The Pilgrim’s Progress and its message again.