Book Review:  The Postmodern Pilgrim’s Progress

“The Postmodern Pilgrim’s Progress” is a great Christian allegory, in the tradition of Narnia, Lord of the Rings and Pilgrim’s Progress.

This is a very entertaining and worthwhile read.  It has a meaningful message that is delivered through a dramatic story, sparkling with mirth.  The title correctly suggests that it’s related to the most-loved and most-read book in Christianity (besides the Bible), “(The) Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan.  “The Postmodern Pilgrim’s Progress” does walk down the same path, but it is not a cut-and-paste word substitution from the original book.  It is a new book inspired by the classic.  It stands on its own while honoring the Bunyan masterpiece.  The authors (Kyle Mann and Joel Berry) are the creative minds behind “The Babylon Bee” so don’t be surprised by the vivid and humorous delivery of some very serious points.

The fictional protagonists deal with the problems faced by Christian pilgrims in our era.  In the 350+ years since Bunyan, there have been many scientific and social developments.  These often distract the pilgrims of today.  But the underlying question is still the same:  how can a mere human (burdened by a sin nature and surrounded by temptations and tempters) find his way to the supreme and loving God (and to the rewards that God has promised)?

Read the tale of a modern young man who is appointed unexpectedly to take this journey.  He meets some friends and helpers and even more foes and dangers.  It starts well and builds to a strong conclusion.  The book includes many well-chosen quotations from our time and features a narrator whose humorous perspectives have a style somewhat like that of C.S. Lewis in “The Screwtape Letters.”  Enjoy the book, but pause periodically to think about what you’ve just read.

I recommend that you buy and read this book.  Share it with a friend.  Then read the work by John Bunyan (the 2014 Aneko Press edition is reader-friendly and also includes the story of Christian’s wife Christiana).  If you read both books, you will see how they complement each other.  Reading one of them will help you appreciate the other book even more.