In John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, readers take a journey along with a pilgrim whose name is Christian. This adventure takes them to places like the Interpreter’s House, the Cross, Vanity Fair, the Hill of Difficulty, and the Delectable Mountains either to meet their needs or teach them lessons on their way to the Celestial City. Christian meets characters who either help or attempt to obstruct his travel. The names of these characters reflect their inner strengths or weaknesses: such as Faithful and Hopeful and Pliable and Lord Hate-good. Christian’s way is not easy, for while some hinder him, he must also deal with his own faults and failings, like pride and doubt. Here is where the connections happen between Bunyan’s characters and the readers.
The Pilgrim’s Progress has become a classic in Christian literature, influencing biblical scholars like Oswald Chambers and J. I. Packer. Charles Spurgeon commended Bunyan’s work because of its saturation with Scripture. He said of Bunyan, “Prick him anywhere, . . . the very essence of the Bible flows from him.” One of the bestselling Christian books in history, The Pilgrim’s Progress was first published in 1678. Since then it has never been out of print and has been translated into numerous languages.
Bunyan’s masterpiece has the potential to be life-changing, but it must be read and applied. For many it sits on their bookshelf. One could take the book off the shelf, read it, and be satisfied with it as literature. You could even learn some valuable lessons from its images.
So what benefit is my companion book? Journey with Bunyan’s Pilgrim* acts as a guide and integrates Pilgrim’s journey, Scripture, and the reader’s personal life. My resource helps readers get as much out of this classic as possible. Along with studying books and commentaries on Bunyan, I have led church groups through The Pilgrim’s Progress, helping them go deeper than they likely would do on their own.
Journey with Bunyan’s Pilgrim is formatted in thirteen six-day weeks. Each day includes a brief commentary on a portion of Bunyan’s book, a devotion on how this portion connects Scripture to everyday life, and a question for readers to answer in thoughtful journaling.
Because of the format, my book can be used by individuals, but it’s also an effective guide for small group study. Readers will come to value this Christian classic and reflect on the impact of its practical truth for personal spiritual growth.
Prepare yourself for an exciting journey. On this route you’ll encounter obstacles, snags, and people who won’t support you, but you will also have rewarding fellowship with some special travelers. Let’s journey together. You’ll not regret it. This is no usual travel book.
*My companion book is in active process, not yet published.
Ann Coker 
We are doing Pilgrim’s Progress for literature this semester. We are listening to two pastor talk about it on a podcast as our supplement for the class. Thank you for writing the companion book. I look forward to it.
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Give me your name and email address and I’ll add you to my contact list for when my book is available. Also, tell me the names of the two pastors and their podcast names. That would be helpful for research. ~ Ann
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