A guide for the journey: Pilgrim’s Progress

Lynne Baab • Tuesday November 11 2025

Liz vividly remembers the summer she was 21. She worked full-time as a youth intern at a church in Los Angeles. She, along with the three other interns and the youth pastor, spent an hour, four mornings a week, studying Pilgrim’s Progress. She found that study transformative in several ways, and she still draws on some of the lessons of that summer.

The full title of the book is The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come. John Bunyan, an English preacher, wrote the book in 1678. It has been translated into more than 200 languages and has never been out of print. The book is an allegory, a story about a Christian man, appropriately named Christian, who undergoes many challenges on his journey from the “City of Destruction” to the “Celestial City.” When I write about our faith as a journey, I am drawing a metaphor that was developed and crystallized in Pilgrim’s Progress and has influenced Christians for centuries.

During the academic year before that memorable summer, Liz was a university student. She lived in a house with four other Christian women. All of them were active in their campus Christian group. Liz was joyous in her faith, optimistic about God’s call to love and serve, grateful for her Christian community, and upbeat about the future.

That summer, Liz faithfully read through Pilgrim’s Progress in preparation for each day’s study. When she, the youth pastor, and the other interns gathered, they listened to a recorded talk about the book, looked up all the scriptures in the section they were discussing, and then interacted.

The main character, Christian, faces daunting obstacles, including the Slough of Despond. That made a big impression on Liz. She thought, Wow, that can happen to Christians? Christians can get depressed? One of the other interns, a few years older than Liz, was struggling in his marriage. Really, Christians struggle in that way? The book seemed to be saying that on our Christian journey, we will face challenging, demoralizing obstacles. No one can avoid them, but we will also have adventures. Liz loved backpacking in the Sierras, so she felt comforted by the idea of adventures alongside struggling.

Liz noticed that Christian was seldom alone. He met many different people who companioned him on the journey and who helped him in various struggles and adventures.

One of the overall messages of the book for Liz is that Christian kept walking. Later in life, Liz learned the Latin term solvitur ambulando, which literally means “it is solved by walking.”This refers to the fact that as we walk, our brain often solves the problems we are facing. Liz has adopted this in a concrete way. Whenever someone wants to get together for coffee or lunch, Liz suggests a walk instead. She loves the side-by-side movement, accompanied by the rhythmic slap of feet on the ground, which clarifies thoughts and enriches conversations.

A year after studying Pilgrim’s Progress, Liz and her serious boyfriend broke up. They had made plans together for their future, so, even though the break-up was mutual, she felt adrift and lonely. The study of Pilgrim’s Progress helped her face her sadness, pain, and lack of direction as a part of her journey. She knew her happy-go-lucky days of following Jesus were over, and she also knew what to do.

She kept walking. She left Los Angeles and took a job at a Christian conference center. The Christian community she found there and the new ministry opportunities were a great gift.

Liz is certain she couldn’t have studied this complex and dense book without group input, an example of companionship on the journey. As she and the group pondered the many metaphors in the book and reflected on the scriptures Bunyan used, she realized how much she loved deeper study and reflection about her faith, something new to her. In the discussion group, there was a lot of talk about seminary, which planted seeds for her. After working at the conference center, she pursued adventure by moving to the East Coast. She earned a Master’s degree in ministry at a seminary far from home, always diving into opportunities for Christian community.

I read Pilgrim’s Progress many years ago. As an often melancholy person, I resonated with the Slough of Despond, but the rest of it seemed overwrought and hyperspiritual. I loved hearing Liz talk about her experience studying this timeless classic, what she learned, and how she has drawn on its lessons throughout her adult life.

Keep walking. Expect challenges. We are not alone in them. Rejoice in the companions God gives you for the journey. In fact, seek out community. Embrace the adventures.

Jesus, in your dusty sandals, you walked the Roman roads of Israel with your disciples. Walk with us, we pray, as we face challenges that feel overwhelming. Indeed, we often feel like we are living in the City of Destruction with the Celestial City out of reach. Help us keep walking. Help us keep watching for your presence with us, the companions you bring us, and your gifts to us.

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Next week: Staying present each moment on the journey. Illustration by Dave Baab: Old-growth forest in the middle of Seward Park, Seattle.

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