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Reformation Translation Fellowship

2026-04-11T12:14:11Z

BrantleyRider: Created page with "'''Reformation Translation Fellowship''' is a publishing organization which translates Reformed Christian theological works into other languages."

'''Reformation Translation Fellowship''' is a publishing organization which translates [[Reformed Christian]] theological works into other languages.

Digital physics

2026-04-10T16:38:51Z

BrantleyRider: Changed redirect target from Digital physics arguement for God's existence to Digital physics argument for God's existence

#REDIRECT [[Digital physics argument for God's existence]]

Digital physics argument for God's existence

2026-04-10T16:38:33Z

BrantleyRider: BrantleyRider moved page Digital physics arguement for God's existence to Digital physics argument for God's existence without leaving a redirect

The '''digital physics argument''' is an idea that seeks to prove the existence of God by arguing that our world is like a virtual reality or simulation, and such a simulation ultimately requires a divine mind.

== Premises of Digital Physics Argument ==
Premise 1: Simulations can only exist in a computer or in a mind.

Premise 2: The universe is a simulation.

Premise 3: A simulation on a computer still must be simulated in a mind.

Premise 4: Therefore, the universe is a simulation in a mind.

Premise 5: This mind is what we call God.

Conclusion: Therefore, God exists.

== External links ==
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Xsp4FRgas Inspiring Philosophy's video on Digital Physics Argument for God's Existence]

Reformed Singles Matchmaking

2026-04-09T16:21:39Z

BrantleyRider:

'''Reformed Singles Matchmaking''' is an online [[wikipedia:Facebook|Facebook group]] for matchmaking [[Reformed Christians]] who are single. The group was started by [[Mia Hrishka]] on January 2, 2026. As of April 2026, group has 640+ members.<ref>https://facebook.com/groups/1998211667786435/about</ref>
[[File:Reformed-Matchmaking-Singles-cover-photo.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|The cover photo used for the group, as of April 2026.]]

==References==

File:Reformed-Matchmaking-Singles-cover-photo.jpg

2026-04-09T16:20:41Z

BrantleyRider:

== Licensing ==
{{FU}}

Reformed Singles Matchmaking

2026-04-09T16:20:11Z

BrantleyRider: Created page with "'''Reformed Singles Matchmaking''' is an online Facebook group for matchmaking Reformed Christians who are single. The group was started by Mia Hrishka on January 2, 2026. As of April 2026, group has 640+ members.<ref>https://facebook.com/groups/1998211667786435/about</ref> ==References=="

Reformed Singles Matchmaking (Facebook group)

2026-04-09T16:18:07Z

BrantleyRider: Redirected page to Reformed Singles Matchmaking

#redirect [[Reformed_Singles_Matchmaking]]

Sandbox:Test

2026-04-09T15:25:07Z

BrantleyRider: /* Side-by-Side Template */

This is a sandbox page to test things! Please add below this line or create your own page in the Sandbox project namespace (for example: [[Sandbox:Page name here]]).

==Sandbox (Misc)==
[[creationwiki:Creation|Creationism]]

{{Bible quote| It came to pass also, that seven brethren, together with their mother, were apprehended, and compelled by the king to eat swine's flesh against the law, for which end they were tormented with whips and scourges.|book=2 Maccabees|chap=7|verses=1|version=DRA}}

{{Bible ref|book=1 Corinthians|chap=1|verses=1-18|version=ASV}}

[[britannica:United States|USA]]

==Side-by-Side Template==
{{sbs|The first argument.|The last argument.}}

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==Notes testing==
This is some text.{{note|This is the first note.}} More text here.{{note|Another note here.}}

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==References==

The Pilgrim's Progress (article)

2026-04-08T15:36:16Z

BrantleyRider: /* Foreign-language versions */

{{Infobox book
| name = The Pilgrim's Progress
| image = Pilgrim's Progress first edition 1678.jpg
| author = [[John Bunyan]]
| published_date = 1678 (first volume) 1684 (second volume)
| cover_artist =
| country = [[wikipedia:Kingdom of England|England]]
| language = English
| series =
| genre = [[wikipedia:Religious allegory|Religious allegory]]
| isbn =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| wikisource =
| dewey = 828.407
| congress = PR3330.A2 K43
}}

'''''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come''''' is a 1678 [[Christianity|Christian]] [[allegory]] written by [[John Bunyan]]. It is commonly regarded as one of the most significant works of Protestant [[Christian devotional literature|devotional literature]] and of wider early modern [[English literature]].<ref>"The two parts of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' in reality constitute a whole, and the whole is, without doubt, the most influential religious book ever written in the English language" (Alexander M. Witherspoon in his introduction, John Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' (New York: Pocket Books, 1957), vi.</ref><ref>Bunyan, John, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', W. R. Owens, ed., Oxford World's Classics (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), xiii.</ref><ref>Richardson, Abby Sage, ''Familiar Talks on English Literature: A Manual'' (Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co., 1892), 221.</ref><ref>"For two hundred years or more no other English book was so generally known and read" (James Baldwin, Foreword, ''John Bunyan's Dream Story'' (New York: American Book Co., 1913), 6.</ref><ref name="AFA Journal">{{cite web | title=Pilgrim's Progress – new impact for a new generation | website=AFA Journal | url=https://afajournal.org/past-issues/2019/april/pilgrim-s-progress-new-impact-for-a-new-generation/ | access-date=February 1, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Sullivan 2011 p. 164">{{cite book | last=Sullivan | first=W.F. | title=Prison Religion: Faith-Based Reform and the Constitution | publisher=Princeton University Press | year=2011 | isbn=978-0-691-15253-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qWeYDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA164 | access-date=February 1, 2022 | page=164}}</ref> It has been translated into more than 200 languages and has never been out of print.<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), xiii: "...the book has never been out of print. It has been published in innumerable editions, and has been translated into over two hundred languages."</ref><ref>[[F. L. Cross|Cross, F. L.]], ed., ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983), 1092 ''sub loco''.</ref> It appeared in Dutch in 1681, in German in 1703 and in Swedish in 1727. The first North American edition was issued in 1681.<ref name=":0">Lyons, M. (2011). Books: A Living History. Getty Publications.</ref> It has also been cited as the [[First novel in English|first novel written in English]].<ref>Chapman, J. (1892). ''The Westminster Review'', Volume 138. p. 610.</ref> According to literary editor [[Robert McCrum]], "there's no book in English, apart from the Bible, to equal Bunyan's masterpiece for the range of its readership, or its influence on writers as diverse as [[William Hogarth]], [[C. S. Lewis]], [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]], [[Herman Melville]], [[Charles Dickens]], [[Louisa May Alcott]], [[George Bernard Shaw]], [[William Makepeace Thackeray|William Thackeray]], [[Charlotte Brontë|Charlotte Bronte]], [[Mark Twain]], [[John Steinbeck]] and [[Enid Blyton]]."<ref>{{Cite news |last=McCrum |first=Robert |date=2013-09-23 |title=The 100 best novels: No 1 – The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (1678) |language=en |work=The Guardian |url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/23/100-best-novels-pilgrims-progress |access-date=2021-12-17}}</ref><ref name="auto3">Forrest and Greaves 1982: xii</ref> The lyrics of the [[hymn]] "[[To be a Pilgrim]]" are based on the novel.

Bunyan began his work while in the [[Bedfordshire]] county [[prison]] for violations of the [[Conventicle Act 1664]], which prohibited the holding of religious services outside the auspices of the established [[Church of England]]. Early Bunyan scholars such as [[John Brown (writer)|John Brown]] believed ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' was begun in Bunyan's second, shorter imprisonment for six months in 1675,<ref>Brown, John, ''John Bunyan: His Life, Times and Work'' (1885, revised edition 1928).</ref> but more recent scholars such as Roger Sharrock believe that it was begun during Bunyan's initial, more lengthy imprisonment from 1660 to 1672 right after he had written his spiritual autobiography ''[[Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners]]''.<ref name="Sharrock">Bunyan, John, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. with an introduction by Roger Sharrock (Harmondsworth: Penguins Books, 1965), pp. 10, 59, 94, 326–27, 375.</ref>

The English text comprises 108,260 words and is divided into two parts, each reading as a continuous narrative with no chapter divisions. The first part was completed in 1677 and entered into the [[Stationers' Register]] on 22 December 1677. It was licensed and entered in the "[[Term Catalogue]]" on 18 February 1678, which is looked upon as the date of first publication.<ref>"The copy for the first edition of the First Part of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' was entered in the Stationers' Register on 22 December 1677 ... The book was licensed and entered in the Term Catalogue for the following Hilary Term, 18 February 1678; this date would customarily indicate the time of publication, or only slightly precede it" [John Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', James Blanton Wharey and Roger Sharrock, eds, Second Edition (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1960), xxi].</ref> After the first edition of the first part in 1678, an expanded edition, with additions written after Bunyan was freed, appeared in 1679. The Second Part appeared in 1684. There were eleven editions of the first part in John Bunyan's lifetime, published in successive years from 1678 to 1685 and in 1688, and there were two editions of the second part, published in 1684 and 1686.

== Plot summary ==

=== First Part ===
The entire book is presented as a [[dream sequence]] narrated by an [[omniscient narrator]]. The allegory's protagonist, Christian, is an [[everyman]] character, and the plot centres on his journey from his hometown, the "City of Destruction" ("this world"), to the "Celestial City" ("that which is to come": [[Heaven]]) atop Mount [[Zion]]. Christian is weighed down by a great burden—the knowledge of his sin—which he believed came from his reading "the book in his hand" (the [[Bible]]). This burden, which would cause him to sink into Hell, is so unbearable that Christian must seek deliverance. He meets Evangelist as he is walking out in the fields, who directs him to the "[[Wicket gate|Wicket Gate]]" for deliverance. Since Christian cannot see the "Wicket Gate" in the distance, Evangelist directs him to go to a "shining light", which Christian thinks he sees.<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/2 Peter|2 Peter 1:19: "a lamp shining in a dark place"]]</ref> Christian leaves his home, his wife, and children to save himself: he cannot persuade them to accompany him. Obstinate and Pliable go after Christian to bring him back, but Christian refuses. Obstinate returns disgusted, but Pliable is persuaded to go with Christian, hoping to take advantage of the Paradise that Christian claims lies at the end of his journey. Pliable's journey with Christian is cut short when the two of them fall into the [[Slough of Despond]], a boggy mire-like swamp where pilgrims' doubts, fears, temptations, lusts, shames, guilts, and sins of their present condition of being a sinner are used to sink them into the mud of the swamp. It is there in that bog where Pliable abandons Christian after getting himself out. After struggling to the other side of the slough, Christian is pulled out by Help, who has heard his cries and tells him the swamp is made out of the decadence, scum, and filth of sin, but the ground is good at the narrow Wicket Gate.
[[File:Christian in Pilgrim's Progress.jpg|thumb|left|Burdened Christian flees from home]]

On his way to the Wicket Gate, Christian is diverted by the [[secular ethics]] of Mr. Worldly Wiseman into seeking deliverance from his burden through the Law, supposedly with the help of a Mr. Legality and his son Civility in the village of Morality, rather than through Christ, allegorically by way of the Wicket Gate. Evangelist meets the wayward Christian as he stops before [[Mount Sinai]] on the way to Mr. Legality's home. It hangs over the road and threatens to crush any who would pass it; also the mountain flashes with fire. Evangelist exposes Worldly Wiseman, Legality, and Civility for the frauds they are: they would have the pilgrim leave the true path by trusting in his own good deeds to remove his burden. Evangelist directs Christian to return to the way to the Wicket Gate, and Christian complies.

At the Wicket Gate begins the "straight and narrow" King's Highway, and Christian is directed onto it by the gatekeeper Goodwill who saves him from Beelzebub's archers at Beelzebub's castle near the Wicket Gate and shows him the heavenly way he must go. In the Second Part, Goodwill is shown to be [[Jesus]] Himself.<ref>[[s:The Pilgrim's Progress/Part II/Section 1|Go to section 1.2.3.1 Mr. Sagacity leaves the author]]</ref> To Christian's query about relief from his burden, Goodwill directs him forward to "the place of deliverance".<ref name=Sharrock /><ref>A marginal note indicates, "There is no deliverance from the guilt and burden of sin, but by the death and blood of Christ" cf. Sharrock, p. 59.</ref>

Christian makes his way from there to the House of the Interpreter, where he is shown pictures and [[wikt:tableau|tableaux]] that portray or dramatize aspects of the Christian faith and life. Roger Sharrock denotes them "[[emblem book|emblems]]".<ref name=Sharrock /><ref>"Many of the pictures in the House of the Interpreter seem to be derived from emblem books or to be created in the manner and spirit of the emblem. ... Usually, each emblem occupied a page and consisted of an allegorical picture at the top with underneath it a device or motto, a short Latin verse, and a poem explaining the allegory. Bunyan himself wrote an emblem book, ''A Book for Boys and Girls'' (1688) ...", ''cf''. Sharrock, p. 375.</ref>

From the House of the Interpreter, Christian finally reaches the "place of deliverance" (allegorically, the cross of [[Calvary]] and the open [[Sepulchre, Holy|sepulchre of Christ]]), where the "straps" that bound Christian's burden to him break, and it rolls away into the open sepulchre. This event happens relatively early in the narrative: the immediate need of Christian at the beginning of the story is quickly remedied. After Christian is relieved of his burden, he is greeted by three angels, who give him the greeting of peace, new garments, and a scroll as a passport into the Celestial City. Encouraged by all this, Christian happily continues his journey until he comes upon three men named Simple, Sloth, and Presumption. Christian tries to help them, but they disregard his advice. Before coming to the Hill of Difficulty, Christian meets two well-dressed men named Formality and Hypocrisy who prove to be false Christians that perish in the two dangerous bypasses near the hill, named Danger and Destruction. Christian falls asleep at the arbour above the hill and loses his scroll, forcing him to go back and get it. Near the top of the Hill of Difficulty, he meets two weak pilgrims named Mistrust and Timorous who tell him of the great lions of the Palace Beautiful. Christian fearfully avoids the lions through Watchful the porter who tells them that they are chained and put there to test the faith of pilgrims.

Atop the Hill of Difficulty, Christian makes his first stop for the night at the House of the Palace Beautiful, which is a place built by God for the refreshment of pilgrims and godly travellers. Christian spends three days here, and leaves clothed with the Armour of God (Eph. 6:11–18),<ref>"[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Ephesians#Chapter 6|the whole armour (panoply) of God]]"</ref> which stands him in good stead in his battle against the demonic dragon-like [[Apollyon]] (the lord and god of the City of Destruction) in the Valley of Humiliation. This battle lasts "over half a day" until Christian manages to wound and stab Apollyon with his two-edged sword (a reference to the Bible, Heb. 4:12).<ref>"[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Hebrews#Chapter 4|the whole armor (panoply) of God]]"</ref> "And with that Apollyon spread his dragon wings and sped away."
[[File:William Blake - John Bunyan - Cristian Reading in His Book - Frick Collection New York.jpg|thumb|[[William Blake]]: Christian Reading in His Book (Plate 2, 1824–1827)]]
As night falls, Christian enters the fearful Valley of the Shadow of Death. When he is in the middle of the Valley amidst the gloom, terror, and demons, he hears the words of the [[23rd Psalm|Twenty-third Psalm]], spoken possibly by his friend Faithful: <blockquote>Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. ([[Psalms|Psalm]] 23:4.)</blockquote> As he leaves this valley the sun rises on a new day.

Just outside the Valley of the Shadow of Death he meets Faithful, also a former resident of the City of Destruction, who accompanies him to Vanity Fair, a place built by Beelzebub where every thing to a human's taste, delight, and lust is sold daily, where both are arrested and detained because of their disdain for the wares and business of the Fair. Faithful is put on trial and executed by burning at the stake as a martyr. A celestial chariot then takes Faithful to the Celestial City, martyrdom being a shortcut there. Hopeful, a resident of Vanity Fair, takes Faithful's place to be Christian's companion for the rest of the way.

Christian and Hopeful then come to a hill called Lucre where there is a silver mine. A man called Demas urges them to join in the mining going on, but Christian sees through Demas's trickery and they avoid the mine. Afterward, a false pilgrim named By-Ends and his friends, who followed Christian and Hopeful only to take advantage of them, perish at the Hill Lucre, never to be seen or heard from again. On a rough, stony stretch of road, Christian and Hopeful leave the highway to travel on the easier By-Path Meadow, where a rainstorm forces them to spend the night. In the morning they are captured by Giant Despair, who is known for his savage cruelty, and his wife Diffidence; the pilgrims are taken to the Giant's Doubting Castle, where they are imprisoned, beaten and starved. The Giant and the Giantess want them to commit [[suicide]], but they endure the ordeal until Christian realizes that a key he has, called Promise, will open all the doors and gates of Doubting Castle. Using the key and the Giant's vulnerability to sunlight, they escape.

The Delectable Mountains form the next stage of Christian and Hopeful's journey, where the shepherds show them some of the wonders of the place also known as "Immanuel's Land". The pilgrims are shown sights that strengthen their faith and warn them against sinning, like the Hill Error or the Mountain Caution. On Mount Clear, they are able to see the Celestial City through the shepherd's "perspective glass", which serves as a telescope. (This device is given to Mercy in the Second Part at her request.) The shepherds tell the pilgrims to beware of the Flatterer and to avoid the Enchanted Ground. Soon they come to a crossroad and a man dressed in white comes to help them. Thinking he is a "shining one" (angel), the pilgrims follow the man, but soon get stuck in a net and realize their so-called angelic guide was the Flatterer. A true shining one comes and frees them from the net. The Angel punishes them for following the Flatterer and then puts them back on the right path. The pilgrims meet an Atheist, who tells them Heaven and God do not exist, but Christian and Hopeful remember the shepherds and pay no attention to the man. Christian and Hopeful come to a place where a man named Wanton Professor is chained by the ropes of seven demons who take him to a shortcut to the Lake of Fire (Hell). This reminds them of a man named Little Faith, who had been mugged by thieves that stole his spending money and resulted in him having a hard life, although the thieves did not take Little Faith's scroll or his jewels, which he kept safe through his journey.

On the way, Christian and Hopeful meet a lad named Ignorance, who believes that he will be allowed into the Celestial City through his own good deeds rather than as a gift of God's grace. Christian and Hopeful meet up with him twice and try to persuade him to journey to the Celestial City in the right way. Ignorance persists in his own way that he thinks will lead him into Heaven. After getting over the River of Death on the ferry boat of Vain Hope without overcoming the hazards of wading across it, Ignorance appears before the gates of Celestial City without a passport, which he would have acquired had he gone into the King's Highway through the Wicket Gate. The Lord of the Celestial City orders the shining ones (angels) to take Ignorance to one of the byways of Hell and throw him in.

Christian and Hopeful, with deep discourse about the truth of their glorious salvation, manage to make it through the dangerous Enchanted Ground (a place where the air makes them sleepy and if they fall asleep, they never wake up) into the Land of Beulah, where they ready themselves to cross the dreaded River of Death on foot to Mount Zion and the Celestial City. Christian has a rough time of it because of his past sins wearing him down, but Hopeful helps him over, and they are welcomed into the Celestial City.

=== Second Part ===
[[File:John Bunyan, The Road From the City of Destruction to the Celestial City 1821 Cornell CUL PJM 1038 01.jpg|thumbnail|upright=1.6|A Plan of the Road From the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, Adapted to ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', by John Bunyan, 1821.]]
The Second Part of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' presents the pilgrimage of Christian's wife, Christiana, and their sons, and the maiden, Mercy. They visit the same stopping places that Christian visited, with the addition of Gaius' Inn between the Valley of the Shadow of Death and Vanity Fair, but they take a longer time in order to accommodate marriage and [[birth|childbirth]] for the four sons and their wives. The [[hero]] of the story is Greatheart, a servant of the Interpreter, who is the pilgrims' guide to the Celestial City. He kills four giants called Giant Grim, Giant Maul, Giant Slay-Good, and Giant Despair and participates in the slaying of a monster called Legion that terrorizes the city of Vanity Fair.

When Christiana's party leaves Gaius's Inn and Mr. Feeble-Mind lingers in order to be left behind, he is encouraged to accompany the party by Greatheart. Christiana, Matthew, Samuel, Joseph, James, Mercy, Greatheart, Old Mr. Honest, Mr. Feeble-Mind, Mr. Ready-To-Halt, Phoebe, Grace, and Martha come to Bypath-Meadow and, after much fight and difficulty, slay the cruel Giant Despair and the wicked Giantess Diffidence, and demolish Doubting Castle for Christian and Hopeful who were oppressed there. They free a pale man named Mr. Despondency and his daughter named Much-Afraid from the castle's dungeons.

When the pilgrims end up in the Land of Beulah, they cross over the River of Death by appointment. As a matter of importance to Christians of Bunyan's persuasion reflected in the narrative of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', the last words of the pilgrims as they cross over the River of Death are recorded. The four sons of Christian and their families do not cross but remain for the support of the church in that place.

== Characters ==

=== First Part ===
[[File:Pilgrim's Progress 2.JPG|thumb|Christian enters the Wicket Gate, opened by Goodwill. Engraving from a 1778 edition printed in England.]]
[[File:Beelzebub and them with him.jpg|thumb|"[[Beelzebub]] and them that are with him shoot arrows"]]
* '''Christian''', who was born with the name Graceless, the protagonist in the First Part, whose journey to the Celestial City is the [[Plot (narrative)|plot]] of the story.
* '''Evangelist''', the religious man who puts Christian on the path to the Celestial City. He also shows Christian a scroll on which is written: "Flee from the wrath to come", a possible symbol of the [[Bible]].
* '''Obstinate''', one of the two residents of the City of Destruction, who run after Christian when he first sets out, in order to bring him back. Like his name, he is stubborn and is disgusted with Christian and with Pliable for making a journey that he thinks is nonsense.
* '''Pliable''', the other of the two, who goes with Christian until both of them fall into the Slough of Despond, a boggy mire composed of the decadence and filthiness of sin and a swamp that makes the fears and doubts of a present and past sinner real. Pliable escapes from the slough and returns home. Like his name, he is insecure and goes along with some things for a little while but quickly gives up on them.
* '''Help''', Christian's rescuer from the Slough of Despond.
* '''Mr. Worldly Wiseman''', a resident of a place called Carnal Policy, who persuades Christian to go out of his way to being helped by a friend named Mr. Legality and then move to the City of Morality (which focuses salvation on the Law and good deeds instead of faith and love in Jesus Christ). His real advice is from the world and not from God, meaning his advice is flawed and consists of three objectives: getting Christian off the right path, making the cross of Jesus Christ offensive to him, and binding him to the Law so he would die with his sins. Worldly Wiseman has brought down many innocent pilgrims and there will be many more to come.
* '''Goodwill''', the keeper of the [[Wicket Gate]] through which one enters the "straight and narrow way" (also referred to as "the King's Highway") to the Celestial City. In the Second Part, we find that this character is none other than [[Jesus Christ]] Himself.
* '''[[Beelzebub]]''', literally "Lord of the Flies", is one of Satan's companion archdemons, who has erected a fort near the Wicket Gate from which he and his soldiers can shoot arrows of fire at those about to enter the Wicket Gate so they will never enter it. He is also the lord, god, king, master, and prince of Vanity Fair. Christian calls him "captain" of the Foul Fiend Apollyon, who he later met in the Valley of Humiliation.<ref name=Sharrock />
* '''The Interpreter''', the one who has his House along the way as a rest stop for travellers to check in to see pictures and [[diorama]]s to teach them the right way to live the Christian life. He has been identified in the Second Part as the [[Holy Spirit (Christianity)|Holy Spirit]].
* '''Shining Ones''', the messengers and servants of "the Lord of the Hill", [[God]]. They are obviously the holy [[angel]]s.
* '''Formalist''', one of two travelers and false pilgrims on the King's Highway, who do not come in by the Wicket Gate, but climb over the wall that encloses it, at least from the hill and sepulchres up to the Hill Difficulty. He and his companion Hypocrisy come from the land of Vainglory. He takes one of the two bypaths that avoid the Hill Difficulty but is lost.
* '''[[Hypocrisy]]''', the companion of Formalist and the other false pilgrim. He takes the other of the two bypaths and is also lost.
* '''Timorous''', one of two men who try to persuade Christian to go back for fear of the chained lions near the House Beautiful. He is a relative of Mrs. Timorous of the Second Part. His companion is Mistrust.
* '''Mistrust''', the other of the two men who tried to persuade Christian back because of the lions. He is the companion of Timorous. Later, he and Timorous were executed for trying to convince Christian.
* '''Watchful''', the porter of the House Beautiful. He also appears in the Second Part and receives "a gold angel" coin from Christiana for his kindness and service to her and her companions. "Watchful" is also the name of one of the Delectable Mountains' shepherds.
* '''Discretion''', one of the beautiful maids of the house, who decides to allow Christian to stay there.
* '''Prudence''', another of the House Beautiful maidens. She appears in the Second Part.
* '''Piety''', another of the House Beautiful maidens. She appears in the Second Part.
* '''Charity''', another of the House Beautiful maidens. She appears in the Second Part.
* '''[[Abaddon|Apollyon]]''', literally "Destroyer"; the king, lord, god, master, prince, owner, landlord, ruler, governor, and leader of the City of Destruction where Christian was born. He is an image of Satan, who tries to force Christian to return to his domain and service. His battle with Christian takes place in the Valley of Humiliation, just below the House Beautiful. He appears as a huge demonic creature with fish's scales, the mouth of a lion, feet of a bear, second mouth on his belly, and dragon's wings. He takes fiery darts from his body to throw at his opponents. Apollyon is finally defeated when Christian uses the Sword of the Spirit to wound him two times.
* "'''Pope'''" and "'''Pagan'''", giants living in a cave at the end of the fearsome Valley of the Shadow of Death. They are allegories of [[Roman Catholicism]] and [[paganism]] as persecutors of Protestant Christians. "Pagan" is dead, indicating the end of pagan persecution with Antiquity, and "Pope" is alive but decrepit, indicating the then-diminished power and influence of the Roman Catholic pope. In the Second Part, Pagan is resurrected by a demon from the bottomless pit of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, representing the new age of pagan persecution, and Pope is revived of his deadly wounds and is no longer stiff and unable to move, representing the beginning of the Christian's troubles with Roman Catholic popes.
* '''Faithful''', Christian's friend from the City of Destruction, who is also going on pilgrimage. Christian meets Faithful just after getting through the Valley of The Shadow of Death. He dies later in Vanity Fair for his strong faith and first reaches the Celestial City.
* '''Wanton''', a temptress who tries to get Faithful to leave his journey to the Celestial City. She may be the popular resident of the City of Destruction, Madam Wanton, who hosted a house party for friends of Mrs. Timorous.
* '''Adam the First''', "the old man" (representing carnality and deceit) who tries to persuade Faithful to leave his journey and come live with his three daughters: the Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life.
* '''Moses''', the severe, violent avenger (representing the Law, which knows no mercy) who tries to kill Faithful for his momentary weakness in wanting to go with Adam the First out of the way. Moses is sent away by Jesus Christ.
* '''Talkative''', a pilgrim that Faithful and Christian meet after going through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He is known to Christian as a fellow resident of the City of Destruction, living on Prating Row. He is the son of Say-Well and Mrs. Talk-About-The-Right Things. He is said to be better-looking from a distance than close up. His enthusiasm for talking about his faith to Faithful deceives him into thinking that he is a sincere man. Christian lets Faithful know about his unsavoury past, and in a conversation that Faithful strikes up with him, he is exposed as shallow and hypocritical in his Christianity.
* '''Lord Hate-Good''', the evil judge who tries Faithful in Vanity Fair. Lord Hate-Good is the opposite of a judge, he hates right and loves wrong because he does wrong himself. His jury is twelve vicious rogue men.
* '''Envy''', the first witness against Faithful who falsely accuses that Faithful shows no respect for their prince, Lord Beelzebub.
* '''Superstition''', the second witness against Faithful who falsely accuses Faithful of saying that their religion is vain.
* '''Pick-Thank''', the third witness against Faithful who falsely accuses Faithful of going against their prince, their people, their laws, their "honourable" friends, and the judge himself.
* '''Hopeful''', the resident of Vanity Fair, who takes Faithful's place as Christian's fellow traveller. The character Hopeful poses an inconsistency in that there is a necessity imposed on the pilgrims that they enter the "King's Highway" by the Wicket Gate. Hopeful, did not; however, of him, we read "... one died to bear testimony to the truth, and another rises out of his ashes to be a companion with Christian in his pilgrimage." Hopeful assumes Faithful's place by God's design. Theologically and allegorically it would follow in that "faith" is trust in God as far as things present are concerned, and "[[hope]]", biblically the same as "[[faith]]", is [[trust (social sciences)|trust]] in God as far as things of the future are concerned. Hopeful would follow Faithful. The other factor is that Vanity Fair is right on the straight and narrow way. Ignorance, in contrast to Hopeful, was unconcerned about the end times of God, unconcerned with true faith in Jesus Christ, and gave false hope about the future. Ignorance was told by Christian and Hopeful that he should have entered the highway through the Wicket Gate.
* '''Mr. By-Ends''', a false pilgrim met by Christian and Hopeful after they leave Vanity Fair. He makes it his aim to avoid any hardship or persecution that Christians may have to undergo. He supposedly perishes in the Hill Lucre (a dangerous silver mine) with three of his friends, Hold-the-World, Money-Love, and Save-All, at the behest of Demas, who invites passersby to come and see the mine. A "by-end" is a pursuit that is achieved indirectly. For By-Ends and his companions it is the pursuit of financial gain, indirectly through religion.
* '''Demas''', a deceiver, who beckons to pilgrims at the Hill Lucre to come and join in the supposed silver mining going on in it. He is first mentioned in the Book of Second Timothy by the disciple Paul when he said, "Demas has deserted us because he loved the world". Demas tries two ways to trick Christian and Hopeful: first, he claims that the mine is safe and they will be rich, and then he claims that he is a pilgrim and will join them on their journey. Christian, filled with the Holy Spirit, is able to rebuke Demas and expose his lies.
* '''Giant Despair''', the savage owner of Doubting Castle, where pilgrims are imprisoned and tortured. He is slain by Greatheart in the Second Part.
* '''Giantess Diffidence''', Despair's wife, known to be cruel, savage, violent, and evil like her husband. She is slain by Old Honest in the Second Part.
* '''[[Knowledge]]''', one of the shepherds of the Delectable Mountains.
* '''[[Experience]]''', another of the Delectable Mountains shepherds.
* '''Watchful''', another of the Delectable Mountains shepherds.
* '''Sincere''', another of the Delectable Mountains shepherds.
* '''Ignorance''', "the brisk young lad" (representing foolishness and conceit) who joins the "King's Highway" by way of the "crooked lane" that comes from his native country, called "Conceit". He follows Christian and Hopeful and on two occasions talks with them. He believes that he will be received into the Celestial City because of his doing good works in accordance with God's will. For him, Jesus Christ is only an example, not a Saviour. Christian and Hopeful try to set him right, but they fail. He gets a ferryman, Vain-Hope, to ferry him across the River of Death rather than cross it on foot as one is supposed to do. When he gets to the gates of the Celestial City, he is asked for a "certificate" needed for entry, which he does not have. The King upon hearing this, then, orders that he be bound and cast into Hell.
* '''The Flatterer''', a deceiver dressed as an angel who leads Christian and Hopeful out of their way, when they fail to look at the road map given them by the Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains.
* '''Atheist''', a mocker of Christian and Hopeful, who goes the opposite way on the "King's Highway" because he boasts that he knows that God and the Celestial City do not exist.

=== Second Part ===
* '''Mr. Sagacity''', a guest narrator who meets Bunyan himself in his new dream and recounts the events of the Second Part up to the arrival at the Wicket Gate.
* '''Christiana''', wife of Christian, who leads her four sons and neighbour Mercy on pilgrimage.
* '''Matthew''', Christian and Christiana's eldest son, who marries Mercy.
* '''Samuel''', the second son, who marries Grace, Mr. Mnason's daughter.
* '''Joseph''', the third son, who marries Martha, Mr. Mnason's daughter.
* '''James''', fourth and youngest son, who marries Phoebe, Gaius's daughter.
* '''Mercy''', Christiana's neighbour, who goes with her on pilgrimage and marries Matthew.
* '''Mrs. Timorous''', a relative of the Timorous of the First Part, who comes with Mercy to see Christiana before she sets out on pilgrimage.
* '''Mrs. Bat's-Eyes''', a resident of The City of Destruction and friend of Mrs. Timorous. Since she has a bat's eyes, she would be blind or nearly blind, so her characterization of Christiana as blind in her desire to go on pilgrimage is hypocritical.
* '''Mrs. Inconsiderate''', a resident of The City of Destruction and friend of Mrs. Timorous. She characterizes Christiana's departure "a good riddance" as an inconsiderate person would.
* '''Mrs. Light-Mind''', a resident of The City of Destruction and friend of Mrs. Timorous. She changes the subject from Christiana to gossip about being at a bawdy party at Madam Wanton's home.
* '''Mrs. Know-Nothing''', a resident of The City of Destruction and friend of Mrs. Timorous. She wonders if Christiana will actually go on pilgrimage.
* '''Ill-favoured Ones''', two evil characters Christiana sees in her dream, whom she and Mercy actually encounter when they leave the Wicket Gate. The two Ill Ones are driven off by Great-Heart himself.
* '''Innocent''', a young serving maid of the Interpreter, who answers the door of the house when Christiana and her companions arrive; and who conducts them to the garden bath, which signifies Christian [[baptism]].
* '''Mr. Greatheart''', the guide and bodyguard sent by the Interpreter with Christiana and her companions from his house to their journey's end. He proves to be one of the main protagonists in the Second Part.
* '''Giant Grim''', a Giant who "backs the [chained] lions" near the House Beautiful, slain by Great-Heart. He is also known as "Bloody-Man" because he has killed many pilgrims or sent them on mazes of detours, where they were lost forever.
* '''Humble-Mind''', one of the maidens of the House Beautiful, who makes her appearance in the Second Part. She questions Matthew, James, Samuel, and Joseph about their godly faith and their hearts to the Lord God.
* '''Mr. Brisk''', a suitor of Mercy's, who gives up courting her when he finds out that she makes clothing only to give away to the poor. He is shown to be a foppish, worldly-minded person who is double-minded about his beliefs.
* '''Mr. Skill''', the godly physician called to the House Beautiful to cure Matthew of his illness, which is caused by eating the forbidden apples and fruits of Beelzebub which his mother told him not to, but he did it anyway.
* '''Giant Maul''', a Giant whom Greatheart kills as the pilgrims leave the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He holds a grudge against Greatheart for doing his duty of saving pilgrims from damnation and bringing them from darkness to light, from evil to good, and from Satan, the Devil to Jesus Christ, the Saviour.
* '''Old Honest''', a pilgrim from the frozen town of Stupidity who joins them, a welcome companion to Greatheart. Old Honest tells the stories of Mr. Fearing and a prideful villain named Mr. Self-Will.
* '''Mr. Fearing''', a fearful pilgrim from the City of Destruction whom Greatheart had "conducted" to the Celestial City in an earlier pilgrimage. Noted for his timidness of Godly Fears such as temptations and doubts. He is Mr. Feeble-Mind's uncle.
* '''Gaius''', an innkeeper with whom the pilgrims stay for some years after they leave the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He gives his daughter Phoebe to James in marriage. The lodging fee for his inn is paid by the Good Samaritan. Gaius tells them of the wicked Giant Slay-Good.
* '''Giant Slay-Good''', a Giant who enlists the help of evildoers on the King's Highway to abduct, murder, and consume pilgrims before they get to Vanity Fair. He is killed by Greatheart.
* '''Mr. Feeble-Mind''', rescued from Slay-Good by Mr. Greatheart, who joins Christiana's company of pilgrims. He is the nephew of Mr. Fearing.
* '''Phoebe''', Gaius's daughter, who marries James.
* '''Mr. Ready-to-Halt''', a pilgrim who meets Christiana's train of pilgrims at Gaius's door, and becomes the companion of Mr. Feeble-Mind, to whom he gives one of his crutches.
* '''Mr. Mnason''', a resident of the town of Vanity, who puts up the pilgrims for a time, and gives his daughters Grace and Martha in marriage to Samuel and Joseph respectively.
* '''Grace''', Mnason's daughter, who marries Samuel.
* '''Martha''', Mnason's daughter, who marries Joseph.
* '''Christian and Christiana's Grandchildren''', the children of Matthew, Samuel, Joseph, James and their respective wives(Mercy, Grace, Martha, and Phoebe). Born in Vanity Fair, they are left in the care of other pilgrims in a place where the children of pilgrims are raised for a time, due to being at a very tender age. They rejoin their parents by the time the pilgrims reach the Enchanted Ground. The exact number of children per couple, as well as their names and sexes is never disclosed.
* '''Mr. Despondency''', a rescued prisoner from Doubting Castle owned by the miserable Giant Despair.
* '''Much-Afraid''', his daughter.
* '''Mr. Valiant-For-Truth''', a pilgrim they find all bloody, with his sword in his hand, after leaving the Delectable Mountains. He fought and defeated three robbers called Faint-Heart, Mistrust, and Guilt.
* '''Mr. Stand-Fast''', a pilgrim found while praying for deliverance from Madame Bubble.
* '''Madame Bubble''', a witch whose enchantments made the Enchanted Ground enchanted with an air that makes foolish pilgrims sleepy and never wake up again. She is the adulterous woman mentioned in the Biblical ''Book of Proverbs''. Mr. Self-Will went over a bridge to meet her and never came back again.

== Places in ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' ==
[[File:Pilgrim's Progress map small.JPG|thumb|upright=1.5|A map of the places Pilgrim travels through on his progress; a fold-out map from an edition printed in England in 1778]]
* '''City of Destruction''', Christian's home, representative of the world (cf. Isaiah 19:18)
* '''[[Slough of Despond]]''', the miry swamp on the way to the Wicket Gate; one of the hazards of the journey to the Celestial City. In the First Part, Christian, falling into it, sank further under the weight of his sins (his burden) and his sense of their guilt.
* '''[[Mount Sinai]]''', a frightening mountain near the Village of Morality that threatens all who would go there.
* '''[[Wicket gate#Other uses|Wicket Gate]]''', the entry point of the straight and narrow way to the Celestial City. Pilgrims are required to enter by way of the Wicket Gate. Beelzebub's castle was built not very far from the Gate.
* '''House of the Interpreter''', a type of spiritual museum to guide the pilgrims to the Celestial City, emblematic of Calvary and the tomb of Christ.
* '''Hill Difficulty''', both the hill and the road up is called "Difficulty"; it is flanked by two treacherous byways "Danger" and "Destruction". There are three choices: Christian takes "Difficulty" (the right way), and Formalist and Hypocrisy take the two other ways, which prove to be fatal dead ends.
* '''House Beautiful''', a palace that serves as a rest stop for pilgrims to the Celestial City. It apparently sits atop the Hill Difficulty. From the House Beautiful one can see forward to the Delectable Mountains. It represents the Christian congregation, and Bunyan takes its name from a gate of the [[Second Temple]] ([[Acts 3]]:2, 10).
* '''Valley of Humiliation''', the Valley on the other side of the Hill Difficulty, going down into which is said to be extremely slippery by the House Beautiful's damsel Prudence. It is where Christian, protected by God's Armor, meets Apollyon and they had that dreadful, long fight where Christian was victorious over his enemy by impaling Apollyon on his Sword of the Spirit (Word of God) which caused the Foul Fiend to fly away. Apollyon met Christian in the place known as "Forgetful Green". This Valley had been a delight to the "Lord of the Hill", Jesus Christ, in his "state of humiliation".
* '''Valley of the Shadow of Death''', a treacherous, devilish Valley filled with demons, dragons, fiends, satyrs, goblins, hobgoblins, monsters, creatures from the bottomless pit, beasts from the mouth of Hell, darkness, terror, and horror with a [[quicksand]] bog on one side and a deep chasm/ditch on the other side of the King's Highway going through it (cf. [[Psalm 23]]).
* '''Gaius' Inn''', a rest stop in the Second Part of the Pilgrim's Progress.
* '''Vanity Fair''', a city through which the King's Highway passes and the yearlong Fair that is held there.
* '''Plain Ease''', a pleasant area traversed by the pilgrims.
* '''Hill Lucre''', location of a reputed silver mine that proves to be the place where By-Ends and his companions are lost. "Lucre" is a term denoting [[wealth]].
* '''The Pillar of Salt''', which was [[Lot's wife]], who was turned into a pillar of salt when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. The pilgrim's note that its location near the Hill Lucre is a fitting warning to those who are tempted by Demas to go into the Lucre silver mine.
* '''River of God''' or '''River of the Water of Life''', a place of solace for the pilgrims. It flows through a meadow, green all year long and filled with lush fruit trees. In the Second Part the Good Shepherd is found there to whom Christiana's grandchildren are entrusted.
* '''By-Path Meadow''', the place leading to the grounds of Doubting Castle.
* '''Doubting Castle''', the home of Giant Despair and his Giantess wife, Diffidence; only one key could open its doors and gates, the key Promise.
* '''The Delectable Mountains''', known as "[[Immanuel]]'s Land". Lush country from whose heights one can see many delights and curiosities. It is inhabited by sheep and their shepherds, and from Mount Clear one can see the Celestial City.
* '''The Enchanted Ground''', an area through which the King's Highway passes that has air that makes pilgrims want to stop to sleep. If one goes to sleep in this place, one never wakes up. The shepherds of the Delectable Mountains warn pilgrims about this.
* {{anchor|Beulah}} '''[[Beulah (land)|The Land of Beulah]]''', a lush garden area just this side of the River of Death.
* '''The River of Death''', the dreadful river that surrounds Mount Zion, deeper or shallower depending on the faith of the one traversing it.
* '''The Celestial City''', the "Desired Country" of pilgrims, heaven, the dwelling place of the "Lord of the Hill", God. It is situated on '''[[Mount Zion]].'''

== Geographical and topographical features behind the fictional places ==
Scholars have pointed out that Bunyan may have been influenced in the creation of places in ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' by his own surrounding environment. Albert Foster<ref>Albert J. Foster, ''Bunyan's Country: Studies in the Topography of Pilgrim's Progress'' (London: H. Virtue, 1911).</ref> describes the natural features of [[Bedfordshire]] that apparently turn up in ''The Pilgrim's Progress''. [[Vera Brittain]] in her thoroughly researched biography of Bunyan,<ref>{{cite web|first=Vera |last=Brittain|title=In the Steps of John Bunyan|publisher=London: Rich & Cowan, 1949|url=http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jbrittain.htm|access-date=2012-10-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108050317/http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jbrittain.htm|archive-date=8 November 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> identifies seven locations that appear in the [[allegory]]. Other connections are suggested in books not directly associated with either John Bunyan or ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}

At least twenty-one natural or man-made geographical or topographical features from ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' have been identified—places and structures John Bunyan regularly would have seen as a child and, later, in his travels on foot or horseback. The entire journey from The City of Destruction to the Celestial City may have been based on Bunyan's own usual journey from [[Bedford]], on the main road that runs less than a mile behind his cottage in [[Elstow]], through [[Ampthill]], [[Dunstable]] and [[St Albans]], to London.

In the same sequence as these subjects appear in ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', the geographical realities are as follows:

# The plain (across which Christian fled) is [[Bedford]] Plain, which is 15 miles (about 24 km) wide, with the town of [[Bedford]] in the middle and the [[River Great Ouse]] meandering through the northern half;
# The "[[Slough of Despond]]" (a major obstacle for Christian and Pliable: "a very miry slough") is the large deposits of gray clay, which supplied London Brick's works in [[Stewartby]], which was closed in 2008. On either side of the [[Bedford]] to [[Ampthill]] road these deposits match Bunyan's description exactly. Presumably, the road was built on the "twenty thousand cart loads" of fill mentioned in ''The Pilgrim's Progress'';<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 17.</ref> However, the area beside Elstow brook, where John grew up, may also have been an early inspiration – on the north side of this brook, either side of the path to Elstow was (and still is) boggy and John would have known to avoid straying off the main path.
# "Mount Sinai", the high hill on the way to the village of Morality, whose side "that was next the wayside, did hang so much over",<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 20.</ref> is the red sandy cliffs just north of [[Ridgmont]] (i.e. "Rouge Mont");
# The "Wicket Gate" could be the wooden gate at the entrance to the [[Elstow]] parish church<ref>See article on [[John Bunyan]]</ref> or the [[wicket gate]] (small door) in the northern wooden entrance door at the west end of [[Elstow Abbey]] Church.
# The castle, from which arrows were shot at those who would enter the Wicket Gate, could be the stand-alone belltower, beside Elstow Abbey church.
# The "House of the Interpreter" is the rectory of St John's church in the south side of [[Bedford]], where Bunyan was mentored by the pastor John Gifford;
# The wall "Salvation" that fenced in the King's Highway coming after the House of the Interpreter<ref name="John Bunyan 2003">Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 37.</ref> is the red brick wall, over four miles long, beside the [[Ridgmont]] to [[Woburn, Bedfordshire|Woburn]] road, marking the boundary of the [[Duke of Bedford]]'s estate;
# The "place somewhat ascending ... [with] a cross ... and a sepulchre"<ref name="John Bunyan 2003" /> is the village cross and well that stands by the church at opposite ends of the sloping main street of [[Stevington]], a small village five miles west of [[Bedford]]. Bunyan would often preach in a wood by the River [[River Great Ouse|Ouse]] just outside the village.
# The "Hill Difficulty" is [[Ampthill]] Hill, on the main Bedford road, the steepest hill in the county. A sandy range of hills stretches across Bedfordshire from [[Woburn, Bedfordshire|Woburn]] through [[Ampthill]] to [[Potton]]. These hills are characterized by dark, dense and dismal woods reminiscent of the byways "Danger" and "Destruction", the alternatives to the way "Difficulty" that goes up the hill;<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 41–42.</ref>
# The pleasant arbour on the way up the Hill Difficulty is a small "lay-by", part way up [[Ampthill]] Hill, on the east side. A photo, taken in 1908, shows a cyclist resting there;<ref name=Underwood>Underwood, A., ''Ampthill in Old Picture Postcards'' (Zaltbommel, Netherlands: European Library, 1989).</ref>
# The "very narrow passage" to the "Palace Beautiful"<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 45.</ref> is an entrance cut into the high bank by the roadside to the east at the top of [[Ampthill]] Hill;
# The "Palace Beautiful" is [[Houghton House|Houghton]] (formerly [[Ampthill]]) House, built in 1621 but a ruin since 1800. The house faced north; and, because of the dramatic view over the [[Bedford]] plain, it was a popular [[picnic]] site during the first half of the twentieth century when many families could not travel far afield;<ref name=Underwood /> The entrance on the south side looks out over the town of [[Ampthill]] and towards the [[Chilterns]], the model of "The Delectable Mountains". There was another source of inspiration; as a young boy, Bunyan would have seen, and been impressed by, Elstow Place — a grand mansion behind [[Elstow]] Church, built for Sir Thomas Hillersden from the cloister buildings of [[Elstow Abbey]].
# The "Valley of the Shadow of Death" is Millbrook gorge to the west of [[Ampthill]];
# "Vanity Fair" is probably also drawn from a number of sources. Some argue that local fairs in Elstow, Bedford and Ampthill were too small to fit Bunyan's description<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 85–86.</ref> but [[Elstow]]'s May fairs are known to have been large and rowdy and would certainly have made a big impression on the young Bunyan. [[Stourbridge Fair]], held in [[Cambridge]] during late August and early September fits John Bunyan's account of the fair's antiquity and its vast variety of goods sold<ref>E. South and O. Cook, ''Prospect of Cambridge'' (London: Batsford, 1985).</ref> and sermons were preached each Sunday during Stourbridge Fair in an area called the "Dodderey". John Bunyan preached often in [[Toft, Cambridgeshire|Toft]], just four miles west of [[Cambridge]], and there is a place known as "Bunyan's Barn" in Toft,<ref>Brittain, ''In the Steps of John Bunyan'' (London: Rich & Cowan, 1949).</ref> so it is surmised that Bunyan visited the notable Stourbridge Fair;
# The "pillar of salt", Lot's wife,<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 105.</ref> is a weather-beaten statue that looks much like a person-sized salt pillar. It is on small island in the River Ouse just north of Turvey bridge, eight miles west of Bedford near Stevington;
# The "River of the Water of Life", with trees along each bank<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 107.</ref> is the River Ouse east of Bedford, where John Bunyan as a boy would fish with his sister Margaret. It might also be the valley of the [[river Flit]], flowing through Flitton and Flitwick south of Ampthill;
# "Doubting Castle" is Ampthill Castle, built in the early 15th century and often visited by King Henry VIII as a hunting lodge. Henry, corpulent and dour, may have been considered by Bunyan to be a model for Giant Despair. Amphill Castle was used for the "house arrest" of Queen [[Catherine of Aragon]] and her retinue in 1535–36 before she was taken to [[Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire|Kimbolton]]. The castle was dismantled soon after 1660, so Bunyan could have seen its towers in the 1650s and known of the empty castle plateau in the 1670s.<ref>Foster, A. J., ''Ampthill Towers'' (London: Thomas Nelson, 1910).</ref> Giant Despair was killed and Doubting Castle was demolished in the second part of ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 262–64.</ref>
# The "Delectable Mountains" are the [[Chiltern Hills]] that can be seen from the second floor of Houghton House. "Chalk hills, stretching fifty miles from the Thames to Dunstable Downs, have beautiful blue flowers and butterflies, with glorious beech trees."<ref>Hadfield, J., ''The Shell Guide to England'' (London: Michael Joseph, 1970).</ref> Reminiscent of the possibility of seeing the Celestial City from Mount Clear,<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 119.</ref> on a clear day one can see London's buildings from Dunstable Downs near [[Whipsnade Zoo]];
# The "Land of Beulah" is [[Middlesex]] county north and west of London, which then (over 150 years before modern [[suburban sprawl]] started) had pretty villages, market gardens, and estates containing beautiful parks and gardens): "woods of Islington to the green hills of Hampstead & Highgate";<ref>E. Rutherfurd, ''London: The Novel'' (New York: Crown Publishers, 1997).</ref>
# The "very deep river"<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 147.</ref> is the [[Thames]], one thousand feet (300 m) wide at high tide; however, here Bunyan varied from geographical reality and put the city south of the river, and without a bridge.
# The "Celestial City" is the [[City of London]], the physical centre of John Bunyan's world—most of his neighbours never travelled that far. In the 1670s, after the [[Great Fire of London|Great Fire of 1666]], London sported a new gleaming city centre with forty [[Wren churches]].<ref>[[H. V. Morton]], ''In Search of London'' (London: Methuen & Co., 1952).</ref> In the last decade of Bunyan's life (1678–88), some of his best Christian friends lived in London, including a Lord Mayor.

== Cultural influence ==
[[File:Pilgrim's Progress.JPG|thumb|The frontispiece and title-page from an edition printed in England in 1778]]
{{Wikiquote|John Bunyan}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2017}}

=== Context in Christendom ===
''The Pilgrim's Progress'' was much more popular than its predecessors. Bunyan's plain style breathes life into the abstractions of the [[anthropomorphism|anthropomorphized]] temptations and abstractions that Christian encounters and with whom he converses on his course to Heaven.{{According to whom|date=December 2021}} [[Samuel Johnson]] said that "this is the great merit of the book, that the most cultivated man cannot find anything to praise more highly, and the child knows nothing more amusing". Three years after its publication (1681), it was reprinted in [[Thirteen Colonies|colonial America]], and was widely read in the [[Puritan]] colonies. The book was often divided into smaller parts or individual episodes that could be made into individual sermons, postcards, or wall charts. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Religious Tract Society produced the book into Sunday School prize editions and cheap abridgments. There were also Bunyan inspired jigsaw puzzles, and some followers crafted their landscapes in Bunyan theme parks.<ref name=":0" />

Because of its English Protestant theology, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' shares the then-popular English antipathy toward the [[Catholic Church]]. It was published over the years of the [[Popish Plot]] (1678–1681) and ten years before the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688, and it shows the influence of [[John Foxe]]'s ''[[Foxe's Book of Martyrs|Acts and Monuments]]''. Bunyan presents a decrepit and harmless giant to confront Christian at the end of the Valley of the Shadow of Death that is explicitly named "Pope":<blockquote>Now I saw in my Dream, that at the end of this Valley lay blood, bones, ashes, and mangled bodies of men, even of Pilgrims that had gone this way formerly: And while I was musing what should be the reason, I espied a little before me a Cave, where two Giants, ''Pope'' and ''Pagan'', dwelt in old times, by whose Power and Tyranny the Men whose bones, blood ashes, &c. lay there, were cruelly put to death. But by this place ''Christian'' went without much danger, whereat I somewhat wondered; but I have learnt since, that ''Pagan'' has been dead many a day; and as for the other, though he be yet alive, he is by reason of age, and also of the many shrewd brushes that he met with in his younger dayes, grown so crazy and stiff in his joynts, that he can now do little more than sit in his Caves mouth, grinning at Pilgrims as they go by, and biting his nails, because he cannot come at them.<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 66, 299.</ref></blockquote>

When Christian and Faithful travel through Vanity Fair, Bunyan adds the editorial comment:<blockquote>But as in other ''fairs'', some one Commodity is as the chief of all the ''fair'', so the Ware of ''[[Romanism|Rome]]'' and her Merchandize is greatly promoted in ''this fair'': Only our ''English'' Nation, with some others, have taken a dislike thereat.<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), pp. 86, 301.</ref></blockquote>

In the Second Part, while Christiana and her group of pilgrims led by Greatheart stay for some time in Vanity, the city is terrorized by a seven-headed beast<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Revelation#Chapter 17|Revelation 17:1–18]].</ref> which is driven away by Greatheart and other stalwarts.<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), pp. 258–259.</ref> In his endnotes, W. R. Owens notes about the woman that governs the beast: "This woman was believed by Protestants to represent Antichrist, the Church of Rome. In a posthumously published treatise, ''Of Antichrist, and his Ruine'' (1692), Bunyan gave an extended account of the rise and (shortly expected) fall of Antichrist."<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 318: See ''Misc. Works'', xiii. 421–504.</ref>

=== Foreign-language versions ===
[[Sentebele-Pilgrim-Progress.jpg|thumb|left|African version of ''Pilgrim's Progress'' from 1902]]

"''The Pilgrim's Progress'' has been translated into 200 languages", including Dutch in 1681, German in 1703, and Swedish in 1727, as well as over eighty African languages.{{which|date=October 2021}}<ref>{{Cite book|title=Books : a living history|last=Martyn.|first=Lyons|date=2011|publisher=J. Paul Getty Museum|isbn=978-1606060834|location=Los Angeles|oclc=707023033}}</ref> In 1681, the first North American edition was issued. In addition, there were nine translations in Southeast Asia, twenty four translations in South Asia, and another eleven in Australasia and the Pacific.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Books A Living History|publisher=Thames & Hudson|year=2013|isbn=9780500291153|pages=118–120|language=English}}</ref> Beginning in the 1850s, illustrated versions of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' in Chinese were printed in [[Hong Kong]], [[Shanghai]] and [[Fuzhou]] and widely distributed by Protestant missionaries. [[Hong Xiuquan]], the leader of the Christianity-inspired [[Taiping Rebellion]], declared that the book was his favorite reading.<ref>[[Jonathan D. Spence]], ''God's Chinese Son'', 1996. pp. 280–282</ref>

[[Henry Alfred Krishnapillai]]'s [[magnum opus]], ''Ratchanya Yaathrigam'' (The Journey of Salvation) is an adaptation of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' in the [[Tamil language]] and is considered one of the finest Tamil literary works of the 19th century. ''Paradeshi Mokshayathra'' by Rev. [[Arch Deacon Koshy|K. Koshy]]/Rev. Joseph Peet (1844), and ''Sanchariyude Prayanam'' (1846) by Rev. C. Muller/Rev. P. Chandran are allegorical translations in [[Malayalam]] and are one of the [[Malayalam literature#Early prose literature|earliest prose works]] in the language.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Guptan Nair |first=S. |url=https://catalog.uoc.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=84489&query_desc=kw%252Cwrdl%253A%2520S.%2520Guptan%2520Nair |title=Gadyam Pinnitta Vazhikal |date=2001 |publisher=D. C. Books |isbn=9788126403332 |location=Kottayam |pages=41–42 |authorlink=S. Guptan Nair}}</ref>

In Turkish, translations of the book appeared in Greek script in 1879, and in Armenian script in 1881.

The literal textual meaning of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' was also adapted by young converts and missionaries to make sense in different cultural contexts.<ref name=":1" /> "For example, Kele Protestants in the Congo omitted the sections that explained original sin" since "this idea was incompatible with their cultural assumptions."<ref name=":1" /> ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' was also adapted to be relevant for non-Europeans, by tailoring the story to make sense of their own experiences. Heaven was often a place designed to resemble what they had gone through in life. For example, in the American Southern Black culture, Bunyan was changed to be a black protagonist who "was redeemed not only from sin but also slavery."<ref name=":1" /> Similarly, a version was written where the [[Apartheid|injustices which took place]] in South Africa were reformulated.<ref>Hofmeyr, I. (2002). Dreams, Documents and 'Fetishes': African Christian Interpretations of The Pilgrim's Progress. ''Journal of Religion in Africa'', ''32''(4), pp. 440–455.</ref>

There are collections of old foreign language versions of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' at both the [[Moot Hall, Elstow|Moot Hall Museum]] in Elstow, and at the [[John Bunyan Museum]] in Mill Street in Bedford.

=== The "Third Part" ===
[[File:Tenderconscience in the palace of Carnal Security.jpg|thumb|right|Tender-Conscience, hero of Part Three, awakens from sleep in the palace of Carnal-Security]]''[[The Third Part of the Pilgrim's Progress]]'' was written by an anonymous author; beginning in 1693, it was published with Bunyan's authentic two parts. It continued to be republished with Bunyan's work until 1852.<ref>"A third part falsely attributed to Bunyan appeared in 1693, and was reprinted as late as 1852", ([http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc02.html?term=Bunyan,%20John New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia, vol. 2 under "John Bunyan"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202162947/http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc02.html?term=Bunyan,%20John |date=2 December 2008 }})</ref> This third part presented the pilgrimage of Tender-Conscience and his companions.

=== Dramatic and musical settings ===
The book was the basis of a condensed radio adaptation, originally presented in 1942 and starring [[John Gielgud]], which included, as background music, several excerpts from [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]' orchestral works.{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}

The book was the basis of [[The Pilgrim's Progress (opera)|''The Pilgrim's Progress'' (opera)]] by Vaughan Williams, premiered in 1951.

The radio version was newly recorded by [[Hyperion Records]] in 1990, in a performance conducted by Matthew Best. It again starred Gielgud, and featured [[Richard Pasco]] and [[Ursula Howells]].{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}

English composer [[Ernest Austin]] set the whole story as a huge [[programme music|narrative]] [[tone poem]] for solo [[pipe organ|organ]], with optional 6-part [[choir]] and [[narrator]], lasting approximately {{frac|2|1|2}} hours.{{when|date=April 2014}}{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}

Under the name ''[[The Similitude of a Dream]]'', the progressive rock band of [[Neal Morse]] released a concept album based on ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' in November 2016. A sequel, entitled [[The Great Adventure (The Neal Morse Band album)|The Great Adventure]], focusing on Christian's son Joseph, was released in January 2019. Both albums received critical acclaim.

=== Art and poetry ===
A number of illustrations created by Henry Melville appear in the Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Books under the editorship of [[Letitia Elizabeth Landon]]. Each is accompanied by a poem, either by [[Bernard Barton]] or by Miss Landon herself. These plates are as follows:
* 1835
** {{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835/The River of the Water of Life|The River of the Water of Life]]}} (L. E. L.)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Bzk_AAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA18|section=picture and poetical illustration|year=1834|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
** Christian and Hopeful Escaping from the Doubting Castle (Bernard Barton)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Bzk_AAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA22-IA10|section=poetical illustration and picture|year=1834|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
** Christian Got up at the Gate (Bernard Barton)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Bzk_AAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA34|section=poetical illustration and picture|year=1834|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
** The Shepherd Boy in the Valley of Humiliation as {{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835/The Shepherd Boy|The Shepherd Boy]]}} (L. E. L.)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Bzk_AAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA48|section=poetical illustration and picture|year=1834|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
* 1836
** The Pilgrims (Bernard Barton)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA12-IA14|section=picture|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA13|section=poetical illustration|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
** The Land of Beulah (Bernard Barton)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA54|section=poetical illustration|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA57|section=picture|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
** Destruction of the Doubting Castle (Bernard Barton)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA118|section=picture|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA121|section=poetical illustration|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
** {{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836/The Palace Called Beautiful|The Palace Called Beautiful]]}} (L. E. L.)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA154|section=poetical illustration|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA157|section=picture|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
* 1837
** {{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837/The Delectable Mountains|The Delectable Mountains]]}} (L. E. L.)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=39BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA22|section=picture|year=1836|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=39BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA24|section=poetical illustration|year=1836|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>

''The Pilgrim's Progress'' was a favourite subject among painters in 1840s America, including major figures of the [[Hudson River School]] and others associated with the [[National Academy of Design]]. [[Daniel Huntington (artist)|Daniel Huntington]], [[Jasper Cropsey]], [[Frederic Edwin Church]], [[Jesse Talbot]], [[Edward Harrison May]], and others completed canvases based on the work. [[Thomas Cole's]] ''[[The Voyage of Life]]'' was inspired by ''The Pilgrim's Progress.''<ref>Cole was reading ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' as he worked on this series. Paul D. Schweizer, "The Voyage of Life: A Chronology" in ''Thomas Cole's Voyage of Life'' (Utica, New York: Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, 1985).</ref>

In 1850, Huntington, Cropsey, and Church contributed designs to a [[moving panorama]] based on ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', conceptualized by May and fellow artist Joseph Kyle, which debuted in New York and travelled all over the country.<ref>Jessica Skwire Routhier, Kevin J. Avery, and Thomas Hardiman Jr., ''The Painters' Panorama: Narrative, Art, and Faith in the Moving Panorama of Pilgrim's Progress'' (Hanover: University Press of New England, 2015).</ref> A second version of the panorama, organized by Kyle and artist Jacob Dallas, premiered in 1851.<ref>Routhier et al, ''The Painters' Panorama''.</ref> The second version exists today in the collections of the [[J.G. Deering House|Saco Museum]].

=== References in literature ===
In [[Wole Soyinka]]'s novel ''[[Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth]]'' (2021), the third chapter is entitled 'Pilgrim's Progress'. In describes the travels of the character Dennis Tibidje. He encounters John Bunyan's book ''Pilgrim's Progress'' while detained as an illegal immigrant in New Jersey.

[[Charles Dickens]]' book ''[[Oliver Twist]]'' (1838) is subtitled 'The Parish Boy's Progress'. The titular character of ''[[Nicholas Nickleby|The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby]]'' (1839) and his companion Smike start to read it but are interrupted.

The title of [[William Makepeace Thackeray]]'s 1847–1848 novel ''[[Vanity Fair (novel)|Vanity Fair]]'' alludes to the location in Bunyan's work.

[[Mark Twain]] gave his 1869 travelogue, ''[[The Innocents Abroad]]'', the alternative title ''The New Pilgrims' Progress''. In Twain's later work ''[[Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]'', [[Huckleberry Finn (character)|the titular character]] mentions ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' as he describes the works of literature in the Grangerfords' library. Twain uses this to satirize the Protestant Southern aristocracy.

[[E. E. Cummings]] makes numerous references to it in his prose work, ''[[The Enormous Room]]''.

[[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]'s short story, "[[The Celestial Railroad]]", recreates Christian's journey in Hawthorne's time. Progressive thinkers have replaced the footpath by a railroad, and pilgrims may now travel under steam power. The journey is considerably faster, but somewhat more questionable. Hawthorne's novel ''[[The Scarlet Letter]]'' also makes reference to it, by way of the author [[John Bunyan]] with a metaphor comparing a main character's eyes with the fire depicted in the entrance to Hell in ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.

[[John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir|John Buchan]] was an admirer of Bunyan's, and ''Pilgrim's Progress'' features significantly in his third [[Richard Hannay]] novel, ''[[Mr. Standfast]]'', which also takes its title from one of Bunyan's characters.

[[Alan Moore]], in his ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen|League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'', enlists ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' protagonist, Christian, as a member of the earliest version of this group, ''Prospero's Men'', having become wayward on his journey during his visit in Vanity Fair, stepping down an alleyway and found himself in London in the 1670s, and unable to return to his homeland. This group disbanded in 1690 after Prospero vanished into the [[Blazing World]]; however, some parts of the text seem to imply that Christian resigned from Prospero's League before its disbanding and that Christian travelled to the Blazing World before Prospero himself. The apparent implication is that; within the context of the League stories; the Celestial City Christian seeks and the Blazing World may in fact be one and the same.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}

In [[Louisa May Alcott]]'s ''[[Little Women]]'', the protagonist Jo and her sisters read it at the outset of the novel, and try to follow the good example of Bunyan's Christian. Throughout the novel, the main characters refer many times to ''Pilgrim's Progress'' and liken the events in their own lives to the experiences of the pilgrims. A number of chapter titles directly reference characters and places from ''Pilgrim's Progress''.

The cartoonist [[Winsor McCay]] drew an allegorical comic strip, entitled ''A Pilgrim's Progress'', in the ''[[New York Evening Telegram]]''. The strip ran from 26 June 1905 to 18 December 1910. In it, the protagonist Mr. Bunion is constantly frustrated in his attempts to improve his life by ridding himself of his burdensome valise, "Dull Care".<ref>Canemaker, John (1987), ''Winsor McCay: His Life and Art'', Cross River Press, New York</ref>

[[C. S. Lewis]] wrote a book inspired by ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', called ''[[The Pilgrim's Regress]]'', in which a character named John follows a vision to escape from The Landlord, a less friendly version of The Owner in ''The Pilgrim's Regress''. It is an allegory of C. S. Lewis' own journey from a religious childhood to a pagan adulthood in which he rediscovers his Christian God.

[[Henry Williamson]]'s ''[[The Patriot's Progress]]'' references the title of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' and the symbolic nature of John Bunyan's work. The protagonist of the [[semi-autobiographical]] novel is John Bullock, the quintessential English soldier during World War I.

The character of [[Billy Pilgrim]] in [[Kurt Vonnegut]]'s novel ''[[Slaughterhouse-5]]: The Children's Crusade'' is a clear homage to a similar journey to enlightenment experienced by Christian, although Billy's journey leads him to an [[Existentialism|existential]] acceptance of life and of a [[fatalist]] [[human condition]]. Vonnegut's parallel to ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' is deliberate and evident in Billy's surname.

[[Charlotte Brontë]] refers to ''Pilgrim's Progress'' in most of her novels, including ''[[Jane Eyre]]'',<ref>Brontë, Charlotte. ''Jane Eyre''. Ed. Richard J. Dunn. WW Norton: 2001. p. 385.</ref> ''[[Shirley (novel)|Shirley]]'',<ref>Brontë, Charlotte. ''Shirley''. Oxford University Press: 2008. pp. 48, 236.</ref> and ''[[Villette (novel)|Villette]]''.<ref>Brontë, Charlotte. ''Villette''. Ed. Tim Dolin. Oxford University Press: 2008, pp. 6, 44.</ref> Her alterations to the quest-narrative have led to much critical interest, particular with the ending of ''Jane Eyre''.<ref>Beaty, Jerome. "St. John's Way and the Wayward Reader". Brontë, Charlotte. ''Jane Eyre''. Ed. Richard J. Dunn. WW Norton: 2001. 491–503 [501]</ref>

[[Walt Willis]] and [[Bob Shaw]]'s classic [[science fiction fandom|science fiction fan]] novelette, ''[[The Enchanted Duplicator]]'', is explicitly modeled on ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' and has been repeatedly reprinted over the decades since its first appearance in 1954: in [[science fiction magazine|professional publications]], in [[science fiction fanzine|fanzines]], and as a [[monograph]].

[[Enid Blyton]] wrote ''The Land of Far Beyond'' (1942) as a children's version of ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.

[[John Steinbeck]]'s novel ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'' mentions ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' as one of an (anonymous) character's favorite books. Steinbeck's novel was itself an allegorical spiritual journey by Tom Joad through America during the [[Great Depression]], and often made Christian allusions to sacrifice and redemption in a world of social injustice.

The book was commonly referenced in African American [[slave narratives]], such as "Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom" by [[Ellen and William Craft]], to emphasize the moral and religious implications of slavery.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gould|first=Philip|title=The Cambridge Companion to the African American Slave Narrative|year=2007|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-521-85019-3|pages=20–21|url=http://www.cambridge.org/9780521615266|author-link=The rise, development, and circulation of the slave narrative|editor=Audrey Fisch}}</ref>

[[Hannah Hurnard]]'s novel ''[[Hinds' Feet on High Places]]'' (1955) uses a similar allegorical structure to ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' and takes Bunyan's character Much-Afraid as its protagonist.

In [[Lois McMaster Bujold]]'s ''[[Vorkosigan Saga#The Borders of Infinity (novella)|The Borders of Infinity]]'' (1989), [[Miles Vorkosigan]] uses half a page torn from ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' as a coded message to his fleet to rescue him and 9,000 others from a POW camp.

[[Sir Walter Scott]] uses Bunyan's tale in chapter 32 of his novel ''[[The Heart of Midlothian]]'' (1818) to illustrate the relationship between Madge Wildfire and [[Jeanie Deans]]. Madge explains: "But it is all over now.—But we'll knock at the gate and then the keeper will admit Christiana, but Mercy will be left out—and then I'll stand at the door trembling and crying, and then Christiana—that's you, Jeanie,—will intercede for me. And then Mercy,—that's me, ye ken,—will faint[.]"

In [[Marguerite Young]]'s novel, ''[[Miss MacIntosh, My Darling]]'', the titular character always carries a copy of ''Pilgrim's Progress'' with her. The structure of the novel is inspired by ''Pilgrim's Progress'' too, being composed largely of the narrator's seemingly omniscient reminiscences about other characters' inner lives and dreams.

In [[George Eliot]]'s novel ''[[Middlemarch]]'', a lengthy quotation from the conclusion of the trial of Faithful in Vanity Fair serves as the epigraph to Chapter 85.

== Dramatizations, music, and film ==
{{more citations needed|date=April 2017}}
* In 1850, a moving panorama of ''Pilgrim's Progress'', known as the ''Bunyan Tableuax'' or the ''Grand Moving Panorama of Pilgrim's Progress'' was painted by Joseph Kyle and [[Edward Harrison May]] and displayed in New York; an early copy of this panorama survives and is at the [[Saco Museum]] in Maine.
* The novel was made into a film, ''Pilgrim's Progress'', in 1912.
* In 1950 an hour-long animated version was made by Baptista Films. This version was edited down to 35 minutes and re-released with new music in 1978. As of 2007 the original version is difficult to find, but the 1978 version has been released on both VHS and DVD.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avgeeks.com/bhess/christian_film_history.html#_ftn2 |title=A Brief History of Christian Film: 1918–2002 |publisher=Avgeeks.com |access-date=2012-10-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603135856/http://avgeeks.com/bhess/christian_film_history.html#_ftn2 |archive-date=3 June 2009}}</ref>
* In 1951 the first performance of the opera ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', composed by [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]], was presented at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
* In 1978, another film version was made by [[Ken Anderson (filmmaker)|Ken Anderson]], in which [[Liam Neeson]], in his film debut, played the role of the Evangelist<ref>{{cite web |title=Conversations of Faith with Liam Neeson |url=https://www.movieguide.org/news-articles/conversations-faith-liam-neeson.html |website=Movieguide.org |access-date=21 December 2018|date=21 January 2017 }}</ref> and also appeared as the crucified Christ.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pilgrims Progress (1979) Review |url=https://dove.org/review/9502-pilgrims-progress-1979/ |website=Dove.org |access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref> Maurice O'Callaghan played Appolyon and Worldly Wiseman,<ref name="astralresearch.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.astralresearch.org/mysticalmovieguide/mmlist.pl?exact=Pilgrim:27s%20Progress&year=1979&findwhere=allsyn&index=1 |title=The Mystical Movie Guide |publisher=Astralresearch.org |access-date=2012-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425133301/http://www.astralresearch.org/mysticalmovieguide/mmlist.pl?exact=Pilgrim:27s%20Progress&year=1979&findwhere=allsyn&index=1 |archive-date=25 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and Peter Thomas played The Pilgrim/Christian.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0359836/ |title=Pilgrim's Progress |publisher=[[IMDb]]}}</ref><ref name="astralresearch.org" /> A sequel, ''Christiana'', followed later.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0359075/ |title=Christiana |publisher=[[IMDb]]}}</ref>
* In 1978 a musical based loosely on Bunyan's characters and the story was written by Nick Taylor and Alex Learmont. The musical [originally titled ''Pilgrim''] was produced for the Natal Performing Arts Council under the title ''"Christian!"'' or ''Follow the Man with the Big Bass Drum in the Holy Glory Band'', and ran to capacity houses for the 1979/80 summer season in Durban's Old Alhambra Theatre. The show moved to Johannesburg in March 1980 and ran for a further three months at His Majesty's Theatre. After a substantial re-write ''Christian!'' was again mounted at the new Playhouse in Durban for the 1984 Christmas season. The musical has been performed many times since by schools and amateur theatrical groups in South Africa. After 30 years the show is again attracting attention both locally and abroad and the score and libretto are being updated and made more flexible for large and small productions.<ref>Nick Taylor [singer/songwriter] & Alex Learmont [film maker and lyricist]</ref>
* In 1985 [[Yorkshire Television]] produced a 129-minute nine-part serial presentation of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' with animated stills by Alan Parry and narrated by [[Paul Copley]] entitled ''Dangerous Journey''.
* In 1988, [[Glenn Danzig]] and [[Danzig (band)]] released their controversial music video from their song "[[Mother (Danzig song)|Mother]]" which included the quote "Then I saw there was a way to Hell from the gates of Heaven" in the beginning of the music video from ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.
* In 1989, Orion's Gate, a producer of Biblical / Spiritual audio dramas produced ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' as a six-hour audio dramatization.<ref name="Orionsgate.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.orionsgate.org |title=Orion's Gate |website=Orionsgate.org |date=2007-11-06 |access-date=2012-10-28}}</ref> This production was followed several years later by ''Christiana: Pilgrim's Progress, Part II'', another 8 hour audio dramatization.
* In 1989, [[The Ocean Blue]] released ''[[The Ocean Blue (album)|The Ocean Blue]]'' which includes the song "Vanity Fair" which includes lyrics that reference ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.
* In 1993, the popular Christian radio drama, ''[[Adventures in Odyssey]]'' (produced by [[Focus on the Family]]), featured a two-part story, titled "Pilgrim's Progress: Revisited". This two-parter was written and directed by [[Phil Lollar]].
* The 1993 video game ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'' features a map called "Slough of Despair" (E3M2: episode 3, map 2).
* In the 1990s Kurt and Keith Landaas, composed, directed and performed a compelling stage two-act modern rock opera adaptation of ''Pilgrims Progress''. It involved five principal characters and a cast choral of about 20 members. It was performed in the Lambs theatre in NYC in 1994 and other tri-state venues. A studio recording was also produced and distributed.
* In 1994, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' and the imprisonment of John Bunyan were the subject of the musical ''Celestial City''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newlifefinearts.org/celestialcity |title=Celestial City |publisher=New Life Fine Arts |date=2012-10-07 |access-date=2012-10-28 |archive-date=3 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120903164818/http://newlifefinearts.org/celestialcity |url-status=dead }}</ref> by David MacAdam, with John Curtis, and an album was released in 1997.
* In 2003 the game ''Heaven Bound'' was released by Emerald Studios. The 3D adventure-style game, based on the novel, was only released for the PC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ceganmo.com/2008/07/heaven-bound.html#_ftn2 |title=Heaven Bound {{pipe}} Video Game Information, Trailers, Screenshots |publisher=CEGAnMo.com |access-date=2012-10-28}}</ref>
* ''[[Five Nights at Freddy's]]'' developer [[Scott Cawthon]] directed and narrated a 2005 [[computer animation]] version of the book, and also produced a video game adaptation.
* In 2008, a film version by Danny Carrales, ''[[Pilgrim's Progress: Journey to Heaven]]'', was produced. It received one nomination for best feature length independent film and one nomination for best music score at the 2009 [[San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival]].
* British music band [[Kula Shaker]] released an album called ''[[Pilgrim's Progress (album)|Pilgrim's Progress]]'' on 28 June 2010.
* In 2003 Michael W. Smith wrote a song, called "Signs", which he says on his ''A 20 Year Celebration'' live DVD to be inspired by ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.
* Season 7, episode 16 of ''[[Family Guy]]'' (17 May 2009) is a parody of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' called "[[Peter's Progress]]".
* In 2010, FishFlix.com released ''A Pilgrim's Progress – The Story of John Bunyan'', a DVD documentary about Bunyan's life narrated by Derick Bingham, filmed on location in England.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fishflix.com/products/pilgrims-progress-a-journey-to-heaven-dvd-christian-movies|title=Pilgrim's Progress: A Journey to Heaven|website=FishFlix.com Faith and Family Movies}}</ref>
* In 2010, writer / director Andrew Wiest directed ''The Adventures of Chris Fable'' (aka ''The Wylds'') bringing John Bunyan's novel ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' to life on the screen with this family friendly fantasy adventure about a young runaway on a quest to find his long lost father. The movie was released on video and streaming in 2012.
* In 2013, Puritan Productions<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.puritanproductions.org/|title=Puritan Productions|website=www.puritanproductions.org}}</ref> company announced the premiere of its dramatization with ballet & chorus accompaniment in [[Fort Worth, Texas]] at the W.E. Scott Theatre<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fwcac.com/?calendar%2F2844 |title=Fort Worth Community Arts Center |access-date=3 October 2013 |archive-date=5 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005013053/http://www.fwcac.com/?calendar%2F2844 |url-status=dead }}</ref> on 18–19 October 2013. Subsequent productions by the same company in Garland, Texas at the Granville Arts Center on 24–26 October 2014, and in Austin, Texas, accompanied by ballet & chorus, at Park Hills Baptist Church on 4–5 November 2016.
* In 2014, a [[Kickstarter]]-supported novel called ''The Narrow Road'' was published. It is based on ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', and was written by Erik Yeager and illustrated by Dave dela Gardelle.
* The 2015 [[Terrence Malick]] film ''[[Knight of Cups (film)|Knight of Cups]]'' was inspired by ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.
* In March 2015, director Darren Wilson announced a [[Kickstarter]] campaign to produce a full-length feature film based on ''The Pilgrims Progress'' called ''Heaven Quest: A Pilgrim's Progress Movie''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wpfilm/heavenquest-a-pilgrims-progress-movie?ref=quest.wpfilm.com |title=HeavenQuest: A Pilgrim's Progress Movie |work=Kickstarter}}</ref>
* The [[Neal Morse]] Band released their 2nd album titled ''[[The Similitude of a Dream]]'' on 11 November 2016, a 2 CD concept album based on the book ''The Pilgrim's Progress''. On 25 January 2019, a follow-up 2 CD album, [[The Great Adventure (The Neal Morse Band album)|The Great Adventure]], was released to continue re-telling the story from the perspective of Christian's son.
* In 2019 a computer-animated film adaptation titled ''[[The Pilgrim's Progress (film)|The Pilgrim's Progress]]'' was released and featured the voice of [[John Rhys-Davies]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Howard|first=Courtney|title=Film Review: 'The Pilgrim's Progress'|date=17 April 2019|publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/the-pilgrims-progress-review-1203191406/|access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref>
* The allegory was adapted into a dramatic, serialized podcast, ''High and Silver Presents: The Pilgrim's Progress'', in 2022.
*The album ''[[Odyssey to the West]]'' by [[progressive metal]] [[deathcore]] band Slice the Cake is loosely inspired by The Pilgrim's Progress, and includes a track named after the novel.

== Editions ==
* Bunyan, John ''The Pilgrim's Progress''. Edited by Roger Sharrock and J. B. Wharey. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975) {{ISBN|0198118023}}. The standard critical edition, originally published in 1928 and revised in 1960 by Sharrock.<ref name="English Library" />
* Bunyan, John ''The Pilgrim's Progress''. Edited with an introduction and notes by Roger Sharrrock. (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1987) {{ISBN|0140430040}}. The text is based on the 1975 Clarendon edition (see above), but with modernised spelling and punctuation "to meet the needs of the general reader".<ref name="English Library">{{cite book|last1=Bunyan|first1=John|editor1-last=Sharrock|editor1-first=Roger|title=The Pilgrim's Progress|date=1987|publisher=Penguin|location=Harmondsworth|isbn=0-14-043004-0|page=29|edition=3}}</ref>
* Bunyan, John ''The Pilgrim's Progress''. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003) {{ISBN|978-0-19-280361-0}}.

=== Abridged editions ===
* ''The Children's Pilgrim's Progress''. The story taken from the work by John Bunyan. New York: Sheldon and Company, 1866.
* ''Dangerous Journey: The Story of Pilgrim's Progress'' – abridged by Oliver Hunkin and illustrated by Alan Parry, 1985.

=== Retellings ===

*''Pilgrim's Progress retold and shortened for modern readers'' by Mary Godolphin (1884). Drawings by Robert Lawson. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Co., 1939. [a newly illustrated edition of the retelling by Mary Godolphin]
*''The Pilgrim's Progress in Words of One Syllable'' by Mary Godolphin. London: George Routledge and Sons, 1869.
*''The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan Every Child Can Read''. Edited by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut. Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Co., 1909.
*''John Bunyan's Dream Story: the Pilgrim's Progress retold for children and adapted to school reading'' by James Baldwin. New York: American Book Co., 1913.
*''[[The Land of Far-Beyond]]'' by [[Enid Blyton]]. Methuen, 1942.
*{{Cite book|title=Passport to Life City: A Modern Pilgrim's Progress|last=Eliot Wirt|first=Sherwood|publisher=Harper & Row Publishers|year=1969|isbn=9780854212200|location=New York}} The story is set in a 20th-century America, concerned about the threat of World War Three, where the hero turns to Christ as there is a crisis involving China and the places he goes to are more futuristic.
*{{cite book |title=Pilgrim's Progress in Today's English – as retold by James H. Thomas |lccn=64-25255 |isbn= 080246520X |publisher=Moody Publishers |year=1971}}
*''Pilgrim's Progress, from This World to That Which Is to Come''. Rev., 2nd ed., in modern English – Christian Literature Crusade, Fort Washington, Penn., 1981. {{ISBN?}}
*''Little Pilgrim's Progress'' – Helen L. Taylor simplifies the vocabulary and concepts for younger readers, while keeping the storyline intact. Published by Moody Press, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1992, 1993.
*''John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress as retold by Gary D. Schmidt & illustrated by Barry Moser'' published by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Copyright 1994.
*''The Evergreen Wood: An Adaptation of the "Pilgrim's Progress" for Children'' written by Linda Perry, illustrated by Alan Perry. Published by Hunt & Thorpe, 1997.
*''[http://orionsgate.org/store/ The New Amplified Pilgrim's Progress] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505151142/http://orionsgate.org/store/ |date=5 May 2018 }}'' (both book and '''dramatized audio''') – as retold by James Pappas. Published by Orion's Gate (1999). A slightly expanded and highly dramatized version of John Bunyan's original. Large samples of the text are available<ref name="Orionsgate.org" />
* "The Aussie Pilgrim's Progress" by [[Kel Richards]]. Ballarat: Strand Publishing, 2005.
*"Quest for Celestia: A Reimagining of ''The Pilgrim's Progress''" by Steven James, 2006
*'' The Pilgrim's Progress – A 21st Century Re-telling of the John Bunyan Classic'' – Dry Ice Publishing, 2008 directed by Danny Carrales<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1000768/|title=Pilgrim's Progress (2008)|publisher=Imdb.bom|access-date=2012-10-28}}</ref>

==== Graphic novels ====

*''Pilgrim's Progress'' – a [[graphic novel]] by [[Marvel Comics]]. Thomas Nelson, 1993. Includes a sequel story, "Christiana's Progress".
*{{cite book|title="The Pilgrim's Progress" A very graphic novel|author=Stephen T. Moore |url=http://pilgrimsprogressgraphicnovel.weebly.com |year=2011 |isbn= 978-1-4610-3271-7 |pages=150|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |no-pp=yes}}
*{{Cite book|title=マンガ天路歴程|last=Sato|first=Masako|year=2012|isbn=978-4904656075}} A [[manga]] version of ''Pilgrim's Progress''.
*''Pilgrim's Progress the Graphic Novel, written and illustrated by Ralph Sanders, 2018, Whistle Key Books, {{ISBN|978-0-692-96574-0}}''
*{{ Cite web | url= https://m.webtoons.com/en/canvas/run-the-pilgrims-progress-%E3%83%94%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AA%E3%83%A0%E3%81%AE%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9/list?title_no=187097 | title= RUN: The Pilgrim's Progress (ピルグリムのプログレス）| date= 2018| others= Alpha Yu, illustration| publisher= Shonen Bag Studio}} A webmanga retelling the basic framework of the book with contemporary character designs heavily influenced by popular anime, as well as retooling the story to wrap it around [[manga]] tropes and conventions. (The creator has gone on record stating that the character of the Interpreter was designed to resemble a pre-pubescant version of [[Rei Ayanami]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.webtoons.com/en/canvas/run-the-pilgrims-progress-%E3%83%94%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AA%E3%83%A0%E3%81%AE%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9/interpreter-chan/viewer?title_no=187097&episode_no=11|title=Interpreter Chan 11 | series= RUN: The Pilgrim's Progress (ピルグリムのプログレス）|website=www.webtoons.com}}</ref> He has also gone on record saying that the character of Faithful is "best [[wiktionary:waifu|waifu]]"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Faithful's progress 19 |url=https://m.webtoons.com/en/canvas/run-the-pilgrims-progress-%E3%83%94%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AA%E3%83%A0%E3%81%AE%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9/faithfuls-progress/viewer?title_no=187097&episode_no=20 |series= RUN: The Pilgrim's Progress (ピルグリムのプログレス）|website=www.webtoons.com}}</ref> multiple times.) Drastic changes were made to the underlying puritan philosophy of the original text.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.webtoons.com/en/canvas/run-the-pilgrims-progress-%E3%83%94%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AA%E3%83%A0%E3%81%AE%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9/list?title_no=187097 | title= RUN: The Pilgrim's Progress (ピルグリムのプログレス）| date= 2018| others= Alpha Yu, illustration|website=www.webtoons.com}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikisource}}
{{Commons category|Pilgrim's Progress}}
* {{StandardEbooks|Standard Ebooks URL=https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/john-bunyan/the-pilgrims-progress}}
* {{librivox book | title=The Pilgrim's Progress | author=John Bunyan}}
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/131 ''The Pilgrim's Progress''] (Project Gutenberg etext)
* 🔊 [http://pilgrimsprogress.podbean.com ''High & Silver Presents: The Pilgrim's Progress''] Dramatized podcast of the Pilgrim's Progress.
* [http://www.samizdat.qc.ca/arts/lit/Pilgrims_Progress.pdf ''The Pilgrim's Progress'': parts I & II]. (Ebook, PDF layout and fonts inspired by 18th century publications
* [http://samizdat.qc.ca/arts/lit/Voyagedupelerin_JB.pdf ''Voyage du pèlerin''] PDF Ebook – French translation of ''The Pilgrim's Progress''
* [http://pilgrimsprogressgraphicnovel.weebly.com/ ''The Pilgrim's Progress – graphic novel'']
* [http://pilgrimsprogressgraphicnovel.com "Pilgrim's Progress the Graphic Novel"] {{ISBN|978-0-692-96574-0}}
* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/3071000/The_Pilgrims_Progress The Pilgrim's Progress Game] The Pilgrim's Progress game on Steam
{{John Bunyan}}
{{The Pilgrim's Progress|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pilgrim's Progress, The}}
[[Category:John Bunyan]]
[[Category:17th-century Christian texts]]
[[Category:17th-century English novels]]
[[Category:1678 novels]]
[[Category:Beelzebub]]
[[Category:Books by John Bunyan]]
[[Category:British novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:British novels adapted into television shows]]
[[Category:Christian allegory]]
[[Category:Christian apologetic works]]
[[Category:Christian novels]]
[[Category:Fiction about dreams]]
[[Category:English novels]]
[[Category:Everyman]]
[[Category:Novels about religion]]
[[Category:British novels adapted into operas]]
[[Category:Prison writings]]
[[Category:Swamps in fiction]]

The Pilgrim's Progress (article)

2026-04-08T15:35:47Z

BrantleyRider: /* Foreign-language versions */

{{Infobox book
| name = The Pilgrim's Progress
| image = Pilgrim's Progress first edition 1678.jpg
| author = [[John Bunyan]]
| published_date = 1678 (first volume) 1684 (second volume)
| cover_artist =
| country = [[wikipedia:Kingdom of England|England]]
| language = English
| series =
| genre = [[wikipedia:Religious allegory|Religious allegory]]
| isbn =
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| wikisource =
| dewey = 828.407
| congress = PR3330.A2 K43
}}

'''''The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come''''' is a 1678 [[Christianity|Christian]] [[allegory]] written by [[John Bunyan]]. It is commonly regarded as one of the most significant works of Protestant [[Christian devotional literature|devotional literature]] and of wider early modern [[English literature]].<ref>"The two parts of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' in reality constitute a whole, and the whole is, without doubt, the most influential religious book ever written in the English language" (Alexander M. Witherspoon in his introduction, John Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' (New York: Pocket Books, 1957), vi.</ref><ref>Bunyan, John, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', W. R. Owens, ed., Oxford World's Classics (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), xiii.</ref><ref>Richardson, Abby Sage, ''Familiar Talks on English Literature: A Manual'' (Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Co., 1892), 221.</ref><ref>"For two hundred years or more no other English book was so generally known and read" (James Baldwin, Foreword, ''John Bunyan's Dream Story'' (New York: American Book Co., 1913), 6.</ref><ref name="AFA Journal">{{cite web | title=Pilgrim's Progress – new impact for a new generation | website=AFA Journal | url=https://afajournal.org/past-issues/2019/april/pilgrim-s-progress-new-impact-for-a-new-generation/ | access-date=February 1, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Sullivan 2011 p. 164">{{cite book | last=Sullivan | first=W.F. | title=Prison Religion: Faith-Based Reform and the Constitution | publisher=Princeton University Press | year=2011 | isbn=978-0-691-15253-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qWeYDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA164 | access-date=February 1, 2022 | page=164}}</ref> It has been translated into more than 200 languages and has never been out of print.<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), xiii: "...the book has never been out of print. It has been published in innumerable editions, and has been translated into over two hundred languages."</ref><ref>[[F. L. Cross|Cross, F. L.]], ed., ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983), 1092 ''sub loco''.</ref> It appeared in Dutch in 1681, in German in 1703 and in Swedish in 1727. The first North American edition was issued in 1681.<ref name=":0">Lyons, M. (2011). Books: A Living History. Getty Publications.</ref> It has also been cited as the [[First novel in English|first novel written in English]].<ref>Chapman, J. (1892). ''The Westminster Review'', Volume 138. p. 610.</ref> According to literary editor [[Robert McCrum]], "there's no book in English, apart from the Bible, to equal Bunyan's masterpiece for the range of its readership, or its influence on writers as diverse as [[William Hogarth]], [[C. S. Lewis]], [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]], [[Herman Melville]], [[Charles Dickens]], [[Louisa May Alcott]], [[George Bernard Shaw]], [[William Makepeace Thackeray|William Thackeray]], [[Charlotte Brontë|Charlotte Bronte]], [[Mark Twain]], [[John Steinbeck]] and [[Enid Blyton]]."<ref>{{Cite news |last=McCrum |first=Robert |date=2013-09-23 |title=The 100 best novels: No 1 – The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (1678) |language=en |work=The Guardian |url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/23/100-best-novels-pilgrims-progress |access-date=2021-12-17}}</ref><ref name="auto3">Forrest and Greaves 1982: xii</ref> The lyrics of the [[hymn]] "[[To be a Pilgrim]]" are based on the novel.

Bunyan began his work while in the [[Bedfordshire]] county [[prison]] for violations of the [[Conventicle Act 1664]], which prohibited the holding of religious services outside the auspices of the established [[Church of England]]. Early Bunyan scholars such as [[John Brown (writer)|John Brown]] believed ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' was begun in Bunyan's second, shorter imprisonment for six months in 1675,<ref>Brown, John, ''John Bunyan: His Life, Times and Work'' (1885, revised edition 1928).</ref> but more recent scholars such as Roger Sharrock believe that it was begun during Bunyan's initial, more lengthy imprisonment from 1660 to 1672 right after he had written his spiritual autobiography ''[[Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners]]''.<ref name="Sharrock">Bunyan, John, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. with an introduction by Roger Sharrock (Harmondsworth: Penguins Books, 1965), pp. 10, 59, 94, 326–27, 375.</ref>

The English text comprises 108,260 words and is divided into two parts, each reading as a continuous narrative with no chapter divisions. The first part was completed in 1677 and entered into the [[Stationers' Register]] on 22 December 1677. It was licensed and entered in the "[[Term Catalogue]]" on 18 February 1678, which is looked upon as the date of first publication.<ref>"The copy for the first edition of the First Part of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' was entered in the Stationers' Register on 22 December 1677 ... The book was licensed and entered in the Term Catalogue for the following Hilary Term, 18 February 1678; this date would customarily indicate the time of publication, or only slightly precede it" [John Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', James Blanton Wharey and Roger Sharrock, eds, Second Edition (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1960), xxi].</ref> After the first edition of the first part in 1678, an expanded edition, with additions written after Bunyan was freed, appeared in 1679. The Second Part appeared in 1684. There were eleven editions of the first part in John Bunyan's lifetime, published in successive years from 1678 to 1685 and in 1688, and there were two editions of the second part, published in 1684 and 1686.

== Plot summary ==

=== First Part ===
The entire book is presented as a [[dream sequence]] narrated by an [[omniscient narrator]]. The allegory's protagonist, Christian, is an [[everyman]] character, and the plot centres on his journey from his hometown, the "City of Destruction" ("this world"), to the "Celestial City" ("that which is to come": [[Heaven]]) atop Mount [[Zion]]. Christian is weighed down by a great burden—the knowledge of his sin—which he believed came from his reading "the book in his hand" (the [[Bible]]). This burden, which would cause him to sink into Hell, is so unbearable that Christian must seek deliverance. He meets Evangelist as he is walking out in the fields, who directs him to the "[[Wicket gate|Wicket Gate]]" for deliverance. Since Christian cannot see the "Wicket Gate" in the distance, Evangelist directs him to go to a "shining light", which Christian thinks he sees.<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/2 Peter|2 Peter 1:19: "a lamp shining in a dark place"]]</ref> Christian leaves his home, his wife, and children to save himself: he cannot persuade them to accompany him. Obstinate and Pliable go after Christian to bring him back, but Christian refuses. Obstinate returns disgusted, but Pliable is persuaded to go with Christian, hoping to take advantage of the Paradise that Christian claims lies at the end of his journey. Pliable's journey with Christian is cut short when the two of them fall into the [[Slough of Despond]], a boggy mire-like swamp where pilgrims' doubts, fears, temptations, lusts, shames, guilts, and sins of their present condition of being a sinner are used to sink them into the mud of the swamp. It is there in that bog where Pliable abandons Christian after getting himself out. After struggling to the other side of the slough, Christian is pulled out by Help, who has heard his cries and tells him the swamp is made out of the decadence, scum, and filth of sin, but the ground is good at the narrow Wicket Gate.
[[File:Christian in Pilgrim's Progress.jpg|thumb|left|Burdened Christian flees from home]]

On his way to the Wicket Gate, Christian is diverted by the [[secular ethics]] of Mr. Worldly Wiseman into seeking deliverance from his burden through the Law, supposedly with the help of a Mr. Legality and his son Civility in the village of Morality, rather than through Christ, allegorically by way of the Wicket Gate. Evangelist meets the wayward Christian as he stops before [[Mount Sinai]] on the way to Mr. Legality's home. It hangs over the road and threatens to crush any who would pass it; also the mountain flashes with fire. Evangelist exposes Worldly Wiseman, Legality, and Civility for the frauds they are: they would have the pilgrim leave the true path by trusting in his own good deeds to remove his burden. Evangelist directs Christian to return to the way to the Wicket Gate, and Christian complies.

At the Wicket Gate begins the "straight and narrow" King's Highway, and Christian is directed onto it by the gatekeeper Goodwill who saves him from Beelzebub's archers at Beelzebub's castle near the Wicket Gate and shows him the heavenly way he must go. In the Second Part, Goodwill is shown to be [[Jesus]] Himself.<ref>[[s:The Pilgrim's Progress/Part II/Section 1|Go to section 1.2.3.1 Mr. Sagacity leaves the author]]</ref> To Christian's query about relief from his burden, Goodwill directs him forward to "the place of deliverance".<ref name=Sharrock /><ref>A marginal note indicates, "There is no deliverance from the guilt and burden of sin, but by the death and blood of Christ" cf. Sharrock, p. 59.</ref>

Christian makes his way from there to the House of the Interpreter, where he is shown pictures and [[wikt:tableau|tableaux]] that portray or dramatize aspects of the Christian faith and life. Roger Sharrock denotes them "[[emblem book|emblems]]".<ref name=Sharrock /><ref>"Many of the pictures in the House of the Interpreter seem to be derived from emblem books or to be created in the manner and spirit of the emblem. ... Usually, each emblem occupied a page and consisted of an allegorical picture at the top with underneath it a device or motto, a short Latin verse, and a poem explaining the allegory. Bunyan himself wrote an emblem book, ''A Book for Boys and Girls'' (1688) ...", ''cf''. Sharrock, p. 375.</ref>

From the House of the Interpreter, Christian finally reaches the "place of deliverance" (allegorically, the cross of [[Calvary]] and the open [[Sepulchre, Holy|sepulchre of Christ]]), where the "straps" that bound Christian's burden to him break, and it rolls away into the open sepulchre. This event happens relatively early in the narrative: the immediate need of Christian at the beginning of the story is quickly remedied. After Christian is relieved of his burden, he is greeted by three angels, who give him the greeting of peace, new garments, and a scroll as a passport into the Celestial City. Encouraged by all this, Christian happily continues his journey until he comes upon three men named Simple, Sloth, and Presumption. Christian tries to help them, but they disregard his advice. Before coming to the Hill of Difficulty, Christian meets two well-dressed men named Formality and Hypocrisy who prove to be false Christians that perish in the two dangerous bypasses near the hill, named Danger and Destruction. Christian falls asleep at the arbour above the hill and loses his scroll, forcing him to go back and get it. Near the top of the Hill of Difficulty, he meets two weak pilgrims named Mistrust and Timorous who tell him of the great lions of the Palace Beautiful. Christian fearfully avoids the lions through Watchful the porter who tells them that they are chained and put there to test the faith of pilgrims.

Atop the Hill of Difficulty, Christian makes his first stop for the night at the House of the Palace Beautiful, which is a place built by God for the refreshment of pilgrims and godly travellers. Christian spends three days here, and leaves clothed with the Armour of God (Eph. 6:11–18),<ref>"[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Ephesians#Chapter 6|the whole armour (panoply) of God]]"</ref> which stands him in good stead in his battle against the demonic dragon-like [[Apollyon]] (the lord and god of the City of Destruction) in the Valley of Humiliation. This battle lasts "over half a day" until Christian manages to wound and stab Apollyon with his two-edged sword (a reference to the Bible, Heb. 4:12).<ref>"[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Hebrews#Chapter 4|the whole armor (panoply) of God]]"</ref> "And with that Apollyon spread his dragon wings and sped away."
[[File:William Blake - John Bunyan - Cristian Reading in His Book - Frick Collection New York.jpg|thumb|[[William Blake]]: Christian Reading in His Book (Plate 2, 1824–1827)]]
As night falls, Christian enters the fearful Valley of the Shadow of Death. When he is in the middle of the Valley amidst the gloom, terror, and demons, he hears the words of the [[23rd Psalm|Twenty-third Psalm]], spoken possibly by his friend Faithful: <blockquote>Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. ([[Psalms|Psalm]] 23:4.)</blockquote> As he leaves this valley the sun rises on a new day.

Just outside the Valley of the Shadow of Death he meets Faithful, also a former resident of the City of Destruction, who accompanies him to Vanity Fair, a place built by Beelzebub where every thing to a human's taste, delight, and lust is sold daily, where both are arrested and detained because of their disdain for the wares and business of the Fair. Faithful is put on trial and executed by burning at the stake as a martyr. A celestial chariot then takes Faithful to the Celestial City, martyrdom being a shortcut there. Hopeful, a resident of Vanity Fair, takes Faithful's place to be Christian's companion for the rest of the way.

Christian and Hopeful then come to a hill called Lucre where there is a silver mine. A man called Demas urges them to join in the mining going on, but Christian sees through Demas's trickery and they avoid the mine. Afterward, a false pilgrim named By-Ends and his friends, who followed Christian and Hopeful only to take advantage of them, perish at the Hill Lucre, never to be seen or heard from again. On a rough, stony stretch of road, Christian and Hopeful leave the highway to travel on the easier By-Path Meadow, where a rainstorm forces them to spend the night. In the morning they are captured by Giant Despair, who is known for his savage cruelty, and his wife Diffidence; the pilgrims are taken to the Giant's Doubting Castle, where they are imprisoned, beaten and starved. The Giant and the Giantess want them to commit [[suicide]], but they endure the ordeal until Christian realizes that a key he has, called Promise, will open all the doors and gates of Doubting Castle. Using the key and the Giant's vulnerability to sunlight, they escape.

The Delectable Mountains form the next stage of Christian and Hopeful's journey, where the shepherds show them some of the wonders of the place also known as "Immanuel's Land". The pilgrims are shown sights that strengthen their faith and warn them against sinning, like the Hill Error or the Mountain Caution. On Mount Clear, they are able to see the Celestial City through the shepherd's "perspective glass", which serves as a telescope. (This device is given to Mercy in the Second Part at her request.) The shepherds tell the pilgrims to beware of the Flatterer and to avoid the Enchanted Ground. Soon they come to a crossroad and a man dressed in white comes to help them. Thinking he is a "shining one" (angel), the pilgrims follow the man, but soon get stuck in a net and realize their so-called angelic guide was the Flatterer. A true shining one comes and frees them from the net. The Angel punishes them for following the Flatterer and then puts them back on the right path. The pilgrims meet an Atheist, who tells them Heaven and God do not exist, but Christian and Hopeful remember the shepherds and pay no attention to the man. Christian and Hopeful come to a place where a man named Wanton Professor is chained by the ropes of seven demons who take him to a shortcut to the Lake of Fire (Hell). This reminds them of a man named Little Faith, who had been mugged by thieves that stole his spending money and resulted in him having a hard life, although the thieves did not take Little Faith's scroll or his jewels, which he kept safe through his journey.

On the way, Christian and Hopeful meet a lad named Ignorance, who believes that he will be allowed into the Celestial City through his own good deeds rather than as a gift of God's grace. Christian and Hopeful meet up with him twice and try to persuade him to journey to the Celestial City in the right way. Ignorance persists in his own way that he thinks will lead him into Heaven. After getting over the River of Death on the ferry boat of Vain Hope without overcoming the hazards of wading across it, Ignorance appears before the gates of Celestial City without a passport, which he would have acquired had he gone into the King's Highway through the Wicket Gate. The Lord of the Celestial City orders the shining ones (angels) to take Ignorance to one of the byways of Hell and throw him in.

Christian and Hopeful, with deep discourse about the truth of their glorious salvation, manage to make it through the dangerous Enchanted Ground (a place where the air makes them sleepy and if they fall asleep, they never wake up) into the Land of Beulah, where they ready themselves to cross the dreaded River of Death on foot to Mount Zion and the Celestial City. Christian has a rough time of it because of his past sins wearing him down, but Hopeful helps him over, and they are welcomed into the Celestial City.

=== Second Part ===
[[File:John Bunyan, The Road From the City of Destruction to the Celestial City 1821 Cornell CUL PJM 1038 01.jpg|thumbnail|upright=1.6|A Plan of the Road From the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, Adapted to ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', by John Bunyan, 1821.]]
The Second Part of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' presents the pilgrimage of Christian's wife, Christiana, and their sons, and the maiden, Mercy. They visit the same stopping places that Christian visited, with the addition of Gaius' Inn between the Valley of the Shadow of Death and Vanity Fair, but they take a longer time in order to accommodate marriage and [[birth|childbirth]] for the four sons and their wives. The [[hero]] of the story is Greatheart, a servant of the Interpreter, who is the pilgrims' guide to the Celestial City. He kills four giants called Giant Grim, Giant Maul, Giant Slay-Good, and Giant Despair and participates in the slaying of a monster called Legion that terrorizes the city of Vanity Fair.

When Christiana's party leaves Gaius's Inn and Mr. Feeble-Mind lingers in order to be left behind, he is encouraged to accompany the party by Greatheart. Christiana, Matthew, Samuel, Joseph, James, Mercy, Greatheart, Old Mr. Honest, Mr. Feeble-Mind, Mr. Ready-To-Halt, Phoebe, Grace, and Martha come to Bypath-Meadow and, after much fight and difficulty, slay the cruel Giant Despair and the wicked Giantess Diffidence, and demolish Doubting Castle for Christian and Hopeful who were oppressed there. They free a pale man named Mr. Despondency and his daughter named Much-Afraid from the castle's dungeons.

When the pilgrims end up in the Land of Beulah, they cross over the River of Death by appointment. As a matter of importance to Christians of Bunyan's persuasion reflected in the narrative of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', the last words of the pilgrims as they cross over the River of Death are recorded. The four sons of Christian and their families do not cross but remain for the support of the church in that place.

== Characters ==

=== First Part ===
[[File:Pilgrim's Progress 2.JPG|thumb|Christian enters the Wicket Gate, opened by Goodwill. Engraving from a 1778 edition printed in England.]]
[[File:Beelzebub and them with him.jpg|thumb|"[[Beelzebub]] and them that are with him shoot arrows"]]
* '''Christian''', who was born with the name Graceless, the protagonist in the First Part, whose journey to the Celestial City is the [[Plot (narrative)|plot]] of the story.
* '''Evangelist''', the religious man who puts Christian on the path to the Celestial City. He also shows Christian a scroll on which is written: "Flee from the wrath to come", a possible symbol of the [[Bible]].
* '''Obstinate''', one of the two residents of the City of Destruction, who run after Christian when he first sets out, in order to bring him back. Like his name, he is stubborn and is disgusted with Christian and with Pliable for making a journey that he thinks is nonsense.
* '''Pliable''', the other of the two, who goes with Christian until both of them fall into the Slough of Despond, a boggy mire composed of the decadence and filthiness of sin and a swamp that makes the fears and doubts of a present and past sinner real. Pliable escapes from the slough and returns home. Like his name, he is insecure and goes along with some things for a little while but quickly gives up on them.
* '''Help''', Christian's rescuer from the Slough of Despond.
* '''Mr. Worldly Wiseman''', a resident of a place called Carnal Policy, who persuades Christian to go out of his way to being helped by a friend named Mr. Legality and then move to the City of Morality (which focuses salvation on the Law and good deeds instead of faith and love in Jesus Christ). His real advice is from the world and not from God, meaning his advice is flawed and consists of three objectives: getting Christian off the right path, making the cross of Jesus Christ offensive to him, and binding him to the Law so he would die with his sins. Worldly Wiseman has brought down many innocent pilgrims and there will be many more to come.
* '''Goodwill''', the keeper of the [[Wicket Gate]] through which one enters the "straight and narrow way" (also referred to as "the King's Highway") to the Celestial City. In the Second Part, we find that this character is none other than [[Jesus Christ]] Himself.
* '''[[Beelzebub]]''', literally "Lord of the Flies", is one of Satan's companion archdemons, who has erected a fort near the Wicket Gate from which he and his soldiers can shoot arrows of fire at those about to enter the Wicket Gate so they will never enter it. He is also the lord, god, king, master, and prince of Vanity Fair. Christian calls him "captain" of the Foul Fiend Apollyon, who he later met in the Valley of Humiliation.<ref name=Sharrock />
* '''The Interpreter''', the one who has his House along the way as a rest stop for travellers to check in to see pictures and [[diorama]]s to teach them the right way to live the Christian life. He has been identified in the Second Part as the [[Holy Spirit (Christianity)|Holy Spirit]].
* '''Shining Ones''', the messengers and servants of "the Lord of the Hill", [[God]]. They are obviously the holy [[angel]]s.
* '''Formalist''', one of two travelers and false pilgrims on the King's Highway, who do not come in by the Wicket Gate, but climb over the wall that encloses it, at least from the hill and sepulchres up to the Hill Difficulty. He and his companion Hypocrisy come from the land of Vainglory. He takes one of the two bypaths that avoid the Hill Difficulty but is lost.
* '''[[Hypocrisy]]''', the companion of Formalist and the other false pilgrim. He takes the other of the two bypaths and is also lost.
* '''Timorous''', one of two men who try to persuade Christian to go back for fear of the chained lions near the House Beautiful. He is a relative of Mrs. Timorous of the Second Part. His companion is Mistrust.
* '''Mistrust''', the other of the two men who tried to persuade Christian back because of the lions. He is the companion of Timorous. Later, he and Timorous were executed for trying to convince Christian.
* '''Watchful''', the porter of the House Beautiful. He also appears in the Second Part and receives "a gold angel" coin from Christiana for his kindness and service to her and her companions. "Watchful" is also the name of one of the Delectable Mountains' shepherds.
* '''Discretion''', one of the beautiful maids of the house, who decides to allow Christian to stay there.
* '''Prudence''', another of the House Beautiful maidens. She appears in the Second Part.
* '''Piety''', another of the House Beautiful maidens. She appears in the Second Part.
* '''Charity''', another of the House Beautiful maidens. She appears in the Second Part.
* '''[[Abaddon|Apollyon]]''', literally "Destroyer"; the king, lord, god, master, prince, owner, landlord, ruler, governor, and leader of the City of Destruction where Christian was born. He is an image of Satan, who tries to force Christian to return to his domain and service. His battle with Christian takes place in the Valley of Humiliation, just below the House Beautiful. He appears as a huge demonic creature with fish's scales, the mouth of a lion, feet of a bear, second mouth on his belly, and dragon's wings. He takes fiery darts from his body to throw at his opponents. Apollyon is finally defeated when Christian uses the Sword of the Spirit to wound him two times.
* "'''Pope'''" and "'''Pagan'''", giants living in a cave at the end of the fearsome Valley of the Shadow of Death. They are allegories of [[Roman Catholicism]] and [[paganism]] as persecutors of Protestant Christians. "Pagan" is dead, indicating the end of pagan persecution with Antiquity, and "Pope" is alive but decrepit, indicating the then-diminished power and influence of the Roman Catholic pope. In the Second Part, Pagan is resurrected by a demon from the bottomless pit of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, representing the new age of pagan persecution, and Pope is revived of his deadly wounds and is no longer stiff and unable to move, representing the beginning of the Christian's troubles with Roman Catholic popes.
* '''Faithful''', Christian's friend from the City of Destruction, who is also going on pilgrimage. Christian meets Faithful just after getting through the Valley of The Shadow of Death. He dies later in Vanity Fair for his strong faith and first reaches the Celestial City.
* '''Wanton''', a temptress who tries to get Faithful to leave his journey to the Celestial City. She may be the popular resident of the City of Destruction, Madam Wanton, who hosted a house party for friends of Mrs. Timorous.
* '''Adam the First''', "the old man" (representing carnality and deceit) who tries to persuade Faithful to leave his journey and come live with his three daughters: the Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life.
* '''Moses''', the severe, violent avenger (representing the Law, which knows no mercy) who tries to kill Faithful for his momentary weakness in wanting to go with Adam the First out of the way. Moses is sent away by Jesus Christ.
* '''Talkative''', a pilgrim that Faithful and Christian meet after going through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He is known to Christian as a fellow resident of the City of Destruction, living on Prating Row. He is the son of Say-Well and Mrs. Talk-About-The-Right Things. He is said to be better-looking from a distance than close up. His enthusiasm for talking about his faith to Faithful deceives him into thinking that he is a sincere man. Christian lets Faithful know about his unsavoury past, and in a conversation that Faithful strikes up with him, he is exposed as shallow and hypocritical in his Christianity.
* '''Lord Hate-Good''', the evil judge who tries Faithful in Vanity Fair. Lord Hate-Good is the opposite of a judge, he hates right and loves wrong because he does wrong himself. His jury is twelve vicious rogue men.
* '''Envy''', the first witness against Faithful who falsely accuses that Faithful shows no respect for their prince, Lord Beelzebub.
* '''Superstition''', the second witness against Faithful who falsely accuses Faithful of saying that their religion is vain.
* '''Pick-Thank''', the third witness against Faithful who falsely accuses Faithful of going against their prince, their people, their laws, their "honourable" friends, and the judge himself.
* '''Hopeful''', the resident of Vanity Fair, who takes Faithful's place as Christian's fellow traveller. The character Hopeful poses an inconsistency in that there is a necessity imposed on the pilgrims that they enter the "King's Highway" by the Wicket Gate. Hopeful, did not; however, of him, we read "... one died to bear testimony to the truth, and another rises out of his ashes to be a companion with Christian in his pilgrimage." Hopeful assumes Faithful's place by God's design. Theologically and allegorically it would follow in that "faith" is trust in God as far as things present are concerned, and "[[hope]]", biblically the same as "[[faith]]", is [[trust (social sciences)|trust]] in God as far as things of the future are concerned. Hopeful would follow Faithful. The other factor is that Vanity Fair is right on the straight and narrow way. Ignorance, in contrast to Hopeful, was unconcerned about the end times of God, unconcerned with true faith in Jesus Christ, and gave false hope about the future. Ignorance was told by Christian and Hopeful that he should have entered the highway through the Wicket Gate.
* '''Mr. By-Ends''', a false pilgrim met by Christian and Hopeful after they leave Vanity Fair. He makes it his aim to avoid any hardship or persecution that Christians may have to undergo. He supposedly perishes in the Hill Lucre (a dangerous silver mine) with three of his friends, Hold-the-World, Money-Love, and Save-All, at the behest of Demas, who invites passersby to come and see the mine. A "by-end" is a pursuit that is achieved indirectly. For By-Ends and his companions it is the pursuit of financial gain, indirectly through religion.
* '''Demas''', a deceiver, who beckons to pilgrims at the Hill Lucre to come and join in the supposed silver mining going on in it. He is first mentioned in the Book of Second Timothy by the disciple Paul when he said, "Demas has deserted us because he loved the world". Demas tries two ways to trick Christian and Hopeful: first, he claims that the mine is safe and they will be rich, and then he claims that he is a pilgrim and will join them on their journey. Christian, filled with the Holy Spirit, is able to rebuke Demas and expose his lies.
* '''Giant Despair''', the savage owner of Doubting Castle, where pilgrims are imprisoned and tortured. He is slain by Greatheart in the Second Part.
* '''Giantess Diffidence''', Despair's wife, known to be cruel, savage, violent, and evil like her husband. She is slain by Old Honest in the Second Part.
* '''[[Knowledge]]''', one of the shepherds of the Delectable Mountains.
* '''[[Experience]]''', another of the Delectable Mountains shepherds.
* '''Watchful''', another of the Delectable Mountains shepherds.
* '''Sincere''', another of the Delectable Mountains shepherds.
* '''Ignorance''', "the brisk young lad" (representing foolishness and conceit) who joins the "King's Highway" by way of the "crooked lane" that comes from his native country, called "Conceit". He follows Christian and Hopeful and on two occasions talks with them. He believes that he will be received into the Celestial City because of his doing good works in accordance with God's will. For him, Jesus Christ is only an example, not a Saviour. Christian and Hopeful try to set him right, but they fail. He gets a ferryman, Vain-Hope, to ferry him across the River of Death rather than cross it on foot as one is supposed to do. When he gets to the gates of the Celestial City, he is asked for a "certificate" needed for entry, which he does not have. The King upon hearing this, then, orders that he be bound and cast into Hell.
* '''The Flatterer''', a deceiver dressed as an angel who leads Christian and Hopeful out of their way, when they fail to look at the road map given them by the Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains.
* '''Atheist''', a mocker of Christian and Hopeful, who goes the opposite way on the "King's Highway" because he boasts that he knows that God and the Celestial City do not exist.

=== Second Part ===
* '''Mr. Sagacity''', a guest narrator who meets Bunyan himself in his new dream and recounts the events of the Second Part up to the arrival at the Wicket Gate.
* '''Christiana''', wife of Christian, who leads her four sons and neighbour Mercy on pilgrimage.
* '''Matthew''', Christian and Christiana's eldest son, who marries Mercy.
* '''Samuel''', the second son, who marries Grace, Mr. Mnason's daughter.
* '''Joseph''', the third son, who marries Martha, Mr. Mnason's daughter.
* '''James''', fourth and youngest son, who marries Phoebe, Gaius's daughter.
* '''Mercy''', Christiana's neighbour, who goes with her on pilgrimage and marries Matthew.
* '''Mrs. Timorous''', a relative of the Timorous of the First Part, who comes with Mercy to see Christiana before she sets out on pilgrimage.
* '''Mrs. Bat's-Eyes''', a resident of The City of Destruction and friend of Mrs. Timorous. Since she has a bat's eyes, she would be blind or nearly blind, so her characterization of Christiana as blind in her desire to go on pilgrimage is hypocritical.
* '''Mrs. Inconsiderate''', a resident of The City of Destruction and friend of Mrs. Timorous. She characterizes Christiana's departure "a good riddance" as an inconsiderate person would.
* '''Mrs. Light-Mind''', a resident of The City of Destruction and friend of Mrs. Timorous. She changes the subject from Christiana to gossip about being at a bawdy party at Madam Wanton's home.
* '''Mrs. Know-Nothing''', a resident of The City of Destruction and friend of Mrs. Timorous. She wonders if Christiana will actually go on pilgrimage.
* '''Ill-favoured Ones''', two evil characters Christiana sees in her dream, whom she and Mercy actually encounter when they leave the Wicket Gate. The two Ill Ones are driven off by Great-Heart himself.
* '''Innocent''', a young serving maid of the Interpreter, who answers the door of the house when Christiana and her companions arrive; and who conducts them to the garden bath, which signifies Christian [[baptism]].
* '''Mr. Greatheart''', the guide and bodyguard sent by the Interpreter with Christiana and her companions from his house to their journey's end. He proves to be one of the main protagonists in the Second Part.
* '''Giant Grim''', a Giant who "backs the [chained] lions" near the House Beautiful, slain by Great-Heart. He is also known as "Bloody-Man" because he has killed many pilgrims or sent them on mazes of detours, where they were lost forever.
* '''Humble-Mind''', one of the maidens of the House Beautiful, who makes her appearance in the Second Part. She questions Matthew, James, Samuel, and Joseph about their godly faith and their hearts to the Lord God.
* '''Mr. Brisk''', a suitor of Mercy's, who gives up courting her when he finds out that she makes clothing only to give away to the poor. He is shown to be a foppish, worldly-minded person who is double-minded about his beliefs.
* '''Mr. Skill''', the godly physician called to the House Beautiful to cure Matthew of his illness, which is caused by eating the forbidden apples and fruits of Beelzebub which his mother told him not to, but he did it anyway.
* '''Giant Maul''', a Giant whom Greatheart kills as the pilgrims leave the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He holds a grudge against Greatheart for doing his duty of saving pilgrims from damnation and bringing them from darkness to light, from evil to good, and from Satan, the Devil to Jesus Christ, the Saviour.
* '''Old Honest''', a pilgrim from the frozen town of Stupidity who joins them, a welcome companion to Greatheart. Old Honest tells the stories of Mr. Fearing and a prideful villain named Mr. Self-Will.
* '''Mr. Fearing''', a fearful pilgrim from the City of Destruction whom Greatheart had "conducted" to the Celestial City in an earlier pilgrimage. Noted for his timidness of Godly Fears such as temptations and doubts. He is Mr. Feeble-Mind's uncle.
* '''Gaius''', an innkeeper with whom the pilgrims stay for some years after they leave the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He gives his daughter Phoebe to James in marriage. The lodging fee for his inn is paid by the Good Samaritan. Gaius tells them of the wicked Giant Slay-Good.
* '''Giant Slay-Good''', a Giant who enlists the help of evildoers on the King's Highway to abduct, murder, and consume pilgrims before they get to Vanity Fair. He is killed by Greatheart.
* '''Mr. Feeble-Mind''', rescued from Slay-Good by Mr. Greatheart, who joins Christiana's company of pilgrims. He is the nephew of Mr. Fearing.
* '''Phoebe''', Gaius's daughter, who marries James.
* '''Mr. Ready-to-Halt''', a pilgrim who meets Christiana's train of pilgrims at Gaius's door, and becomes the companion of Mr. Feeble-Mind, to whom he gives one of his crutches.
* '''Mr. Mnason''', a resident of the town of Vanity, who puts up the pilgrims for a time, and gives his daughters Grace and Martha in marriage to Samuel and Joseph respectively.
* '''Grace''', Mnason's daughter, who marries Samuel.
* '''Martha''', Mnason's daughter, who marries Joseph.
* '''Christian and Christiana's Grandchildren''', the children of Matthew, Samuel, Joseph, James and their respective wives(Mercy, Grace, Martha, and Phoebe). Born in Vanity Fair, they are left in the care of other pilgrims in a place where the children of pilgrims are raised for a time, due to being at a very tender age. They rejoin their parents by the time the pilgrims reach the Enchanted Ground. The exact number of children per couple, as well as their names and sexes is never disclosed.
* '''Mr. Despondency''', a rescued prisoner from Doubting Castle owned by the miserable Giant Despair.
* '''Much-Afraid''', his daughter.
* '''Mr. Valiant-For-Truth''', a pilgrim they find all bloody, with his sword in his hand, after leaving the Delectable Mountains. He fought and defeated three robbers called Faint-Heart, Mistrust, and Guilt.
* '''Mr. Stand-Fast''', a pilgrim found while praying for deliverance from Madame Bubble.
* '''Madame Bubble''', a witch whose enchantments made the Enchanted Ground enchanted with an air that makes foolish pilgrims sleepy and never wake up again. She is the adulterous woman mentioned in the Biblical ''Book of Proverbs''. Mr. Self-Will went over a bridge to meet her and never came back again.

== Places in ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' ==
[[File:Pilgrim's Progress map small.JPG|thumb|upright=1.5|A map of the places Pilgrim travels through on his progress; a fold-out map from an edition printed in England in 1778]]
* '''City of Destruction''', Christian's home, representative of the world (cf. Isaiah 19:18)
* '''[[Slough of Despond]]''', the miry swamp on the way to the Wicket Gate; one of the hazards of the journey to the Celestial City. In the First Part, Christian, falling into it, sank further under the weight of his sins (his burden) and his sense of their guilt.
* '''[[Mount Sinai]]''', a frightening mountain near the Village of Morality that threatens all who would go there.
* '''[[Wicket gate#Other uses|Wicket Gate]]''', the entry point of the straight and narrow way to the Celestial City. Pilgrims are required to enter by way of the Wicket Gate. Beelzebub's castle was built not very far from the Gate.
* '''House of the Interpreter''', a type of spiritual museum to guide the pilgrims to the Celestial City, emblematic of Calvary and the tomb of Christ.
* '''Hill Difficulty''', both the hill and the road up is called "Difficulty"; it is flanked by two treacherous byways "Danger" and "Destruction". There are three choices: Christian takes "Difficulty" (the right way), and Formalist and Hypocrisy take the two other ways, which prove to be fatal dead ends.
* '''House Beautiful''', a palace that serves as a rest stop for pilgrims to the Celestial City. It apparently sits atop the Hill Difficulty. From the House Beautiful one can see forward to the Delectable Mountains. It represents the Christian congregation, and Bunyan takes its name from a gate of the [[Second Temple]] ([[Acts 3]]:2, 10).
* '''Valley of Humiliation''', the Valley on the other side of the Hill Difficulty, going down into which is said to be extremely slippery by the House Beautiful's damsel Prudence. It is where Christian, protected by God's Armor, meets Apollyon and they had that dreadful, long fight where Christian was victorious over his enemy by impaling Apollyon on his Sword of the Spirit (Word of God) which caused the Foul Fiend to fly away. Apollyon met Christian in the place known as "Forgetful Green". This Valley had been a delight to the "Lord of the Hill", Jesus Christ, in his "state of humiliation".
* '''Valley of the Shadow of Death''', a treacherous, devilish Valley filled with demons, dragons, fiends, satyrs, goblins, hobgoblins, monsters, creatures from the bottomless pit, beasts from the mouth of Hell, darkness, terror, and horror with a [[quicksand]] bog on one side and a deep chasm/ditch on the other side of the King's Highway going through it (cf. [[Psalm 23]]).
* '''Gaius' Inn''', a rest stop in the Second Part of the Pilgrim's Progress.
* '''Vanity Fair''', a city through which the King's Highway passes and the yearlong Fair that is held there.
* '''Plain Ease''', a pleasant area traversed by the pilgrims.
* '''Hill Lucre''', location of a reputed silver mine that proves to be the place where By-Ends and his companions are lost. "Lucre" is a term denoting [[wealth]].
* '''The Pillar of Salt''', which was [[Lot's wife]], who was turned into a pillar of salt when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. The pilgrim's note that its location near the Hill Lucre is a fitting warning to those who are tempted by Demas to go into the Lucre silver mine.
* '''River of God''' or '''River of the Water of Life''', a place of solace for the pilgrims. It flows through a meadow, green all year long and filled with lush fruit trees. In the Second Part the Good Shepherd is found there to whom Christiana's grandchildren are entrusted.
* '''By-Path Meadow''', the place leading to the grounds of Doubting Castle.
* '''Doubting Castle''', the home of Giant Despair and his Giantess wife, Diffidence; only one key could open its doors and gates, the key Promise.
* '''The Delectable Mountains''', known as "[[Immanuel]]'s Land". Lush country from whose heights one can see many delights and curiosities. It is inhabited by sheep and their shepherds, and from Mount Clear one can see the Celestial City.
* '''The Enchanted Ground''', an area through which the King's Highway passes that has air that makes pilgrims want to stop to sleep. If one goes to sleep in this place, one never wakes up. The shepherds of the Delectable Mountains warn pilgrims about this.
* {{anchor|Beulah}} '''[[Beulah (land)|The Land of Beulah]]''', a lush garden area just this side of the River of Death.
* '''The River of Death''', the dreadful river that surrounds Mount Zion, deeper or shallower depending on the faith of the one traversing it.
* '''The Celestial City''', the "Desired Country" of pilgrims, heaven, the dwelling place of the "Lord of the Hill", God. It is situated on '''[[Mount Zion]].'''

== Geographical and topographical features behind the fictional places ==
Scholars have pointed out that Bunyan may have been influenced in the creation of places in ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' by his own surrounding environment. Albert Foster<ref>Albert J. Foster, ''Bunyan's Country: Studies in the Topography of Pilgrim's Progress'' (London: H. Virtue, 1911).</ref> describes the natural features of [[Bedfordshire]] that apparently turn up in ''The Pilgrim's Progress''. [[Vera Brittain]] in her thoroughly researched biography of Bunyan,<ref>{{cite web|first=Vera |last=Brittain|title=In the Steps of John Bunyan|publisher=London: Rich & Cowan, 1949|url=http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jbrittain.htm|access-date=2012-10-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108050317/http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jbrittain.htm|archive-date=8 November 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> identifies seven locations that appear in the [[allegory]]. Other connections are suggested in books not directly associated with either John Bunyan or ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}

At least twenty-one natural or man-made geographical or topographical features from ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' have been identified—places and structures John Bunyan regularly would have seen as a child and, later, in his travels on foot or horseback. The entire journey from The City of Destruction to the Celestial City may have been based on Bunyan's own usual journey from [[Bedford]], on the main road that runs less than a mile behind his cottage in [[Elstow]], through [[Ampthill]], [[Dunstable]] and [[St Albans]], to London.

In the same sequence as these subjects appear in ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', the geographical realities are as follows:

# The plain (across which Christian fled) is [[Bedford]] Plain, which is 15 miles (about 24 km) wide, with the town of [[Bedford]] in the middle and the [[River Great Ouse]] meandering through the northern half;
# The "[[Slough of Despond]]" (a major obstacle for Christian and Pliable: "a very miry slough") is the large deposits of gray clay, which supplied London Brick's works in [[Stewartby]], which was closed in 2008. On either side of the [[Bedford]] to [[Ampthill]] road these deposits match Bunyan's description exactly. Presumably, the road was built on the "twenty thousand cart loads" of fill mentioned in ''The Pilgrim's Progress'';<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 17.</ref> However, the area beside Elstow brook, where John grew up, may also have been an early inspiration – on the north side of this brook, either side of the path to Elstow was (and still is) boggy and John would have known to avoid straying off the main path.
# "Mount Sinai", the high hill on the way to the village of Morality, whose side "that was next the wayside, did hang so much over",<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 20.</ref> is the red sandy cliffs just north of [[Ridgmont]] (i.e. "Rouge Mont");
# The "Wicket Gate" could be the wooden gate at the entrance to the [[Elstow]] parish church<ref>See article on [[John Bunyan]]</ref> or the [[wicket gate]] (small door) in the northern wooden entrance door at the west end of [[Elstow Abbey]] Church.
# The castle, from which arrows were shot at those who would enter the Wicket Gate, could be the stand-alone belltower, beside Elstow Abbey church.
# The "House of the Interpreter" is the rectory of St John's church in the south side of [[Bedford]], where Bunyan was mentored by the pastor John Gifford;
# The wall "Salvation" that fenced in the King's Highway coming after the House of the Interpreter<ref name="John Bunyan 2003">Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 37.</ref> is the red brick wall, over four miles long, beside the [[Ridgmont]] to [[Woburn, Bedfordshire|Woburn]] road, marking the boundary of the [[Duke of Bedford]]'s estate;
# The "place somewhat ascending ... [with] a cross ... and a sepulchre"<ref name="John Bunyan 2003" /> is the village cross and well that stands by the church at opposite ends of the sloping main street of [[Stevington]], a small village five miles west of [[Bedford]]. Bunyan would often preach in a wood by the River [[River Great Ouse|Ouse]] just outside the village.
# The "Hill Difficulty" is [[Ampthill]] Hill, on the main Bedford road, the steepest hill in the county. A sandy range of hills stretches across Bedfordshire from [[Woburn, Bedfordshire|Woburn]] through [[Ampthill]] to [[Potton]]. These hills are characterized by dark, dense and dismal woods reminiscent of the byways "Danger" and "Destruction", the alternatives to the way "Difficulty" that goes up the hill;<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 41–42.</ref>
# The pleasant arbour on the way up the Hill Difficulty is a small "lay-by", part way up [[Ampthill]] Hill, on the east side. A photo, taken in 1908, shows a cyclist resting there;<ref name=Underwood>Underwood, A., ''Ampthill in Old Picture Postcards'' (Zaltbommel, Netherlands: European Library, 1989).</ref>
# The "very narrow passage" to the "Palace Beautiful"<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 45.</ref> is an entrance cut into the high bank by the roadside to the east at the top of [[Ampthill]] Hill;
# The "Palace Beautiful" is [[Houghton House|Houghton]] (formerly [[Ampthill]]) House, built in 1621 but a ruin since 1800. The house faced north; and, because of the dramatic view over the [[Bedford]] plain, it was a popular [[picnic]] site during the first half of the twentieth century when many families could not travel far afield;<ref name=Underwood /> The entrance on the south side looks out over the town of [[Ampthill]] and towards the [[Chilterns]], the model of "The Delectable Mountains". There was another source of inspiration; as a young boy, Bunyan would have seen, and been impressed by, Elstow Place — a grand mansion behind [[Elstow]] Church, built for Sir Thomas Hillersden from the cloister buildings of [[Elstow Abbey]].
# The "Valley of the Shadow of Death" is Millbrook gorge to the west of [[Ampthill]];
# "Vanity Fair" is probably also drawn from a number of sources. Some argue that local fairs in Elstow, Bedford and Ampthill were too small to fit Bunyan's description<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 85–86.</ref> but [[Elstow]]'s May fairs are known to have been large and rowdy and would certainly have made a big impression on the young Bunyan. [[Stourbridge Fair]], held in [[Cambridge]] during late August and early September fits John Bunyan's account of the fair's antiquity and its vast variety of goods sold<ref>E. South and O. Cook, ''Prospect of Cambridge'' (London: Batsford, 1985).</ref> and sermons were preached each Sunday during Stourbridge Fair in an area called the "Dodderey". John Bunyan preached often in [[Toft, Cambridgeshire|Toft]], just four miles west of [[Cambridge]], and there is a place known as "Bunyan's Barn" in Toft,<ref>Brittain, ''In the Steps of John Bunyan'' (London: Rich & Cowan, 1949).</ref> so it is surmised that Bunyan visited the notable Stourbridge Fair;
# The "pillar of salt", Lot's wife,<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 105.</ref> is a weather-beaten statue that looks much like a person-sized salt pillar. It is on small island in the River Ouse just north of Turvey bridge, eight miles west of Bedford near Stevington;
# The "River of the Water of Life", with trees along each bank<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 107.</ref> is the River Ouse east of Bedford, where John Bunyan as a boy would fish with his sister Margaret. It might also be the valley of the [[river Flit]], flowing through Flitton and Flitwick south of Ampthill;
# "Doubting Castle" is Ampthill Castle, built in the early 15th century and often visited by King Henry VIII as a hunting lodge. Henry, corpulent and dour, may have been considered by Bunyan to be a model for Giant Despair. Amphill Castle was used for the "house arrest" of Queen [[Catherine of Aragon]] and her retinue in 1535–36 before she was taken to [[Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire|Kimbolton]]. The castle was dismantled soon after 1660, so Bunyan could have seen its towers in the 1650s and known of the empty castle plateau in the 1670s.<ref>Foster, A. J., ''Ampthill Towers'' (London: Thomas Nelson, 1910).</ref> Giant Despair was killed and Doubting Castle was demolished in the second part of ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 262–64.</ref>
# The "Delectable Mountains" are the [[Chiltern Hills]] that can be seen from the second floor of Houghton House. "Chalk hills, stretching fifty miles from the Thames to Dunstable Downs, have beautiful blue flowers and butterflies, with glorious beech trees."<ref>Hadfield, J., ''The Shell Guide to England'' (London: Michael Joseph, 1970).</ref> Reminiscent of the possibility of seeing the Celestial City from Mount Clear,<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 119.</ref> on a clear day one can see London's buildings from Dunstable Downs near [[Whipsnade Zoo]];
# The "Land of Beulah" is [[Middlesex]] county north and west of London, which then (over 150 years before modern [[suburban sprawl]] started) had pretty villages, market gardens, and estates containing beautiful parks and gardens): "woods of Islington to the green hills of Hampstead & Highgate";<ref>E. Rutherfurd, ''London: The Novel'' (New York: Crown Publishers, 1997).</ref>
# The "very deep river"<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 147.</ref> is the [[Thames]], one thousand feet (300 m) wide at high tide; however, here Bunyan varied from geographical reality and put the city south of the river, and without a bridge.
# The "Celestial City" is the [[City of London]], the physical centre of John Bunyan's world—most of his neighbours never travelled that far. In the 1670s, after the [[Great Fire of London|Great Fire of 1666]], London sported a new gleaming city centre with forty [[Wren churches]].<ref>[[H. V. Morton]], ''In Search of London'' (London: Methuen & Co., 1952).</ref> In the last decade of Bunyan's life (1678–88), some of his best Christian friends lived in London, including a Lord Mayor.

== Cultural influence ==
[[File:Pilgrim's Progress.JPG|thumb|The frontispiece and title-page from an edition printed in England in 1778]]
{{Wikiquote|John Bunyan}}
{{more citations needed|date=April 2017}}

=== Context in Christendom ===
''The Pilgrim's Progress'' was much more popular than its predecessors. Bunyan's plain style breathes life into the abstractions of the [[anthropomorphism|anthropomorphized]] temptations and abstractions that Christian encounters and with whom he converses on his course to Heaven.{{According to whom|date=December 2021}} [[Samuel Johnson]] said that "this is the great merit of the book, that the most cultivated man cannot find anything to praise more highly, and the child knows nothing more amusing". Three years after its publication (1681), it was reprinted in [[Thirteen Colonies|colonial America]], and was widely read in the [[Puritan]] colonies. The book was often divided into smaller parts or individual episodes that could be made into individual sermons, postcards, or wall charts. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Religious Tract Society produced the book into Sunday School prize editions and cheap abridgments. There were also Bunyan inspired jigsaw puzzles, and some followers crafted their landscapes in Bunyan theme parks.<ref name=":0" />

Because of its English Protestant theology, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' shares the then-popular English antipathy toward the [[Catholic Church]]. It was published over the years of the [[Popish Plot]] (1678–1681) and ten years before the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688, and it shows the influence of [[John Foxe]]'s ''[[Foxe's Book of Martyrs|Acts and Monuments]]''. Bunyan presents a decrepit and harmless giant to confront Christian at the end of the Valley of the Shadow of Death that is explicitly named "Pope":<blockquote>Now I saw in my Dream, that at the end of this Valley lay blood, bones, ashes, and mangled bodies of men, even of Pilgrims that had gone this way formerly: And while I was musing what should be the reason, I espied a little before me a Cave, where two Giants, ''Pope'' and ''Pagan'', dwelt in old times, by whose Power and Tyranny the Men whose bones, blood ashes, &c. lay there, were cruelly put to death. But by this place ''Christian'' went without much danger, whereat I somewhat wondered; but I have learnt since, that ''Pagan'' has been dead many a day; and as for the other, though he be yet alive, he is by reason of age, and also of the many shrewd brushes that he met with in his younger dayes, grown so crazy and stiff in his joynts, that he can now do little more than sit in his Caves mouth, grinning at Pilgrims as they go by, and biting his nails, because he cannot come at them.<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 66, 299.</ref></blockquote>

When Christian and Faithful travel through Vanity Fair, Bunyan adds the editorial comment:<blockquote>But as in other ''fairs'', some one Commodity is as the chief of all the ''fair'', so the Ware of ''[[Romanism|Rome]]'' and her Merchandize is greatly promoted in ''this fair'': Only our ''English'' Nation, with some others, have taken a dislike thereat.<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), pp. 86, 301.</ref></blockquote>

In the Second Part, while Christiana and her group of pilgrims led by Greatheart stay for some time in Vanity, the city is terrorized by a seven-headed beast<ref>[[s:Bible (American Standard)/Revelation#Chapter 17|Revelation 17:1–18]].</ref> which is driven away by Greatheart and other stalwarts.<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), pp. 258–259.</ref> In his endnotes, W. R. Owens notes about the woman that governs the beast: "This woman was believed by Protestants to represent Antichrist, the Church of Rome. In a posthumously published treatise, ''Of Antichrist, and his Ruine'' (1692), Bunyan gave an extended account of the rise and (shortly expected) fall of Antichrist."<ref>Bunyan, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', ed. Owens (2003), 318: See ''Misc. Works'', xiii. 421–504.</ref>

=== Foreign-language versions ===
[[Image:Sentebele-Pilgrim-Progress.jpg|thumb|left|African version of ''Pilgrim's Progress'' from 1902]]

"''The Pilgrim's Progress'' has been translated into 200 languages", including Dutch in 1681, German in 1703, and Swedish in 1727, as well as over eighty African languages.{{which|date=October 2021}}<ref>{{Cite book|title=Books : a living history|last=Martyn.|first=Lyons|date=2011|publisher=J. Paul Getty Museum|isbn=978-1606060834|location=Los Angeles|oclc=707023033}}</ref> In 1681, the first North American edition was issued. In addition, there were nine translations in Southeast Asia, twenty four translations in South Asia, and another eleven in Australasia and the Pacific.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Books A Living History|publisher=Thames & Hudson|year=2013|isbn=9780500291153|pages=118–120|language=English}}</ref> Beginning in the 1850s, illustrated versions of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' in Chinese were printed in [[Hong Kong]], [[Shanghai]] and [[Fuzhou]] and widely distributed by Protestant missionaries. [[Hong Xiuquan]], the leader of the Christianity-inspired [[Taiping Rebellion]], declared that the book was his favorite reading.<ref>[[Jonathan D. Spence]], ''God's Chinese Son'', 1996. pp. 280–282</ref>

[[Henry Alfred Krishnapillai]]'s [[magnum opus]], ''Ratchanya Yaathrigam'' (The Journey of Salvation) is an adaptation of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' in the [[Tamil language]] and is considered one of the finest Tamil literary works of the 19th century. ''Paradeshi Mokshayathra'' by Rev. [[Arch Deacon Koshy|K. Koshy]]/Rev. Joseph Peet (1844), and ''Sanchariyude Prayanam'' (1846) by Rev. C. Muller/Rev. P. Chandran are allegorical translations in [[Malayalam]] and are one of the [[Malayalam literature#Early prose literature|earliest prose works]] in the language.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Guptan Nair |first=S. |url=https://catalog.uoc.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=84489&query_desc=kw%252Cwrdl%253A%2520S.%2520Guptan%2520Nair |title=Gadyam Pinnitta Vazhikal |date=2001 |publisher=D. C. Books |isbn=9788126403332 |location=Kottayam |pages=41–42 |authorlink=S. Guptan Nair}}</ref>

In Turkish, translations of the book appeared in Greek script in 1879, and in Armenian script in 1881.

The literal textual meaning of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' was also adapted by young converts and missionaries to make sense in different cultural contexts.<ref name=":1" /> "For example, Kele Protestants in the Congo omitted the sections that explained original sin" since "this idea was incompatible with their cultural assumptions."<ref name=":1" /> ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' was also adapted to be relevant for non-Europeans, by tailoring the story to make sense of their own experiences. Heaven was often a place designed to resemble what they had gone through in life. For example, in the American Southern Black culture, Bunyan was changed to be a black protagonist who "was redeemed not only from sin but also slavery."<ref name=":1" /> Similarly, a version was written where the [[Apartheid|injustices which took place]] in South Africa were reformulated.<ref>Hofmeyr, I. (2002). Dreams, Documents and 'Fetishes': African Christian Interpretations of The Pilgrim's Progress. ''Journal of Religion in Africa'', ''32''(4), pp. 440–455.</ref>

There are collections of old foreign language versions of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' at both the [[Moot Hall, Elstow|Moot Hall Museum]] in Elstow, and at the [[John Bunyan Museum]] in Mill Street in Bedford.

=== The "Third Part" ===
[[File:Tenderconscience in the palace of Carnal Security.jpg|thumb|right|Tender-Conscience, hero of Part Three, awakens from sleep in the palace of Carnal-Security]]''[[The Third Part of the Pilgrim's Progress]]'' was written by an anonymous author; beginning in 1693, it was published with Bunyan's authentic two parts. It continued to be republished with Bunyan's work until 1852.<ref>"A third part falsely attributed to Bunyan appeared in 1693, and was reprinted as late as 1852", ([http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc02.html?term=Bunyan,%20John New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia, vol. 2 under "John Bunyan"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202162947/http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc02.html?term=Bunyan,%20John |date=2 December 2008 }})</ref> This third part presented the pilgrimage of Tender-Conscience and his companions.

=== Dramatic and musical settings ===
The book was the basis of a condensed radio adaptation, originally presented in 1942 and starring [[John Gielgud]], which included, as background music, several excerpts from [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]]' orchestral works.{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}

The book was the basis of [[The Pilgrim's Progress (opera)|''The Pilgrim's Progress'' (opera)]] by Vaughan Williams, premiered in 1951.

The radio version was newly recorded by [[Hyperion Records]] in 1990, in a performance conducted by Matthew Best. It again starred Gielgud, and featured [[Richard Pasco]] and [[Ursula Howells]].{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}

English composer [[Ernest Austin]] set the whole story as a huge [[programme music|narrative]] [[tone poem]] for solo [[pipe organ|organ]], with optional 6-part [[choir]] and [[narrator]], lasting approximately {{frac|2|1|2}} hours.{{when|date=April 2014}}{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}

Under the name ''[[The Similitude of a Dream]]'', the progressive rock band of [[Neal Morse]] released a concept album based on ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' in November 2016. A sequel, entitled [[The Great Adventure (The Neal Morse Band album)|The Great Adventure]], focusing on Christian's son Joseph, was released in January 2019. Both albums received critical acclaim.

=== Art and poetry ===
A number of illustrations created by Henry Melville appear in the Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Books under the editorship of [[Letitia Elizabeth Landon]]. Each is accompanied by a poem, either by [[Bernard Barton]] or by Miss Landon herself. These plates are as follows:
* 1835
** {{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835/The River of the Water of Life|The River of the Water of Life]]}} (L. E. L.)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Bzk_AAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA18|section=picture and poetical illustration|year=1834|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
** Christian and Hopeful Escaping from the Doubting Castle (Bernard Barton)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Bzk_AAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA22-IA10|section=poetical illustration and picture|year=1834|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
** Christian Got up at the Gate (Bernard Barton)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Bzk_AAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA34|section=poetical illustration and picture|year=1834|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
** The Shepherd Boy in the Valley of Humiliation as {{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835/The Shepherd Boy|The Shepherd Boy]]}} (L. E. L.)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=Bzk_AAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA48|section=poetical illustration and picture|year=1834|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
* 1836
** The Pilgrims (Bernard Barton)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA12-IA14|section=picture|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA13|section=poetical illustration|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
** The Land of Beulah (Bernard Barton)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA54|section=poetical illustration|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA57|section=picture|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
** Destruction of the Doubting Castle (Bernard Barton)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA118|section=picture|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA121|section=poetical illustration|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
** {{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836/The Palace Called Beautiful|The Palace Called Beautiful]]}} (L. E. L.)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA154|section=poetical illustration|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1836|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=2dBbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA157|section=picture|year=1835|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>
* 1837
** {{ws|[[s:Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837/The Delectable Mountains|The Delectable Mountains]]}} (L. E. L.)<ref>{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=39BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA22|section=picture|year=1836|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}{{cite book|last =Landon|first=Letitia Elizabeth|title=Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1837|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=39BbAAAAQAAJ&pg=GBS.PA24|section=poetical illustration|year=1836|publisher=Fisher, Son & Co.}}</ref>

''The Pilgrim's Progress'' was a favourite subject among painters in 1840s America, including major figures of the [[Hudson River School]] and others associated with the [[National Academy of Design]]. [[Daniel Huntington (artist)|Daniel Huntington]], [[Jasper Cropsey]], [[Frederic Edwin Church]], [[Jesse Talbot]], [[Edward Harrison May]], and others completed canvases based on the work. [[Thomas Cole's]] ''[[The Voyage of Life]]'' was inspired by ''The Pilgrim's Progress.''<ref>Cole was reading ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' as he worked on this series. Paul D. Schweizer, "The Voyage of Life: A Chronology" in ''Thomas Cole's Voyage of Life'' (Utica, New York: Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute, 1985).</ref>

In 1850, Huntington, Cropsey, and Church contributed designs to a [[moving panorama]] based on ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', conceptualized by May and fellow artist Joseph Kyle, which debuted in New York and travelled all over the country.<ref>Jessica Skwire Routhier, Kevin J. Avery, and Thomas Hardiman Jr., ''The Painters' Panorama: Narrative, Art, and Faith in the Moving Panorama of Pilgrim's Progress'' (Hanover: University Press of New England, 2015).</ref> A second version of the panorama, organized by Kyle and artist Jacob Dallas, premiered in 1851.<ref>Routhier et al, ''The Painters' Panorama''.</ref> The second version exists today in the collections of the [[J.G. Deering House|Saco Museum]].

=== References in literature ===
In [[Wole Soyinka]]'s novel ''[[Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth]]'' (2021), the third chapter is entitled 'Pilgrim's Progress'. In describes the travels of the character Dennis Tibidje. He encounters John Bunyan's book ''Pilgrim's Progress'' while detained as an illegal immigrant in New Jersey.

[[Charles Dickens]]' book ''[[Oliver Twist]]'' (1838) is subtitled 'The Parish Boy's Progress'. The titular character of ''[[Nicholas Nickleby|The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby]]'' (1839) and his companion Smike start to read it but are interrupted.

The title of [[William Makepeace Thackeray]]'s 1847–1848 novel ''[[Vanity Fair (novel)|Vanity Fair]]'' alludes to the location in Bunyan's work.

[[Mark Twain]] gave his 1869 travelogue, ''[[The Innocents Abroad]]'', the alternative title ''The New Pilgrims' Progress''. In Twain's later work ''[[Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]'', [[Huckleberry Finn (character)|the titular character]] mentions ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' as he describes the works of literature in the Grangerfords' library. Twain uses this to satirize the Protestant Southern aristocracy.

[[E. E. Cummings]] makes numerous references to it in his prose work, ''[[The Enormous Room]]''.

[[Nathaniel Hawthorne]]'s short story, "[[The Celestial Railroad]]", recreates Christian's journey in Hawthorne's time. Progressive thinkers have replaced the footpath by a railroad, and pilgrims may now travel under steam power. The journey is considerably faster, but somewhat more questionable. Hawthorne's novel ''[[The Scarlet Letter]]'' also makes reference to it, by way of the author [[John Bunyan]] with a metaphor comparing a main character's eyes with the fire depicted in the entrance to Hell in ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.

[[John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir|John Buchan]] was an admirer of Bunyan's, and ''Pilgrim's Progress'' features significantly in his third [[Richard Hannay]] novel, ''[[Mr. Standfast]]'', which also takes its title from one of Bunyan's characters.

[[Alan Moore]], in his ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen|League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'', enlists ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' protagonist, Christian, as a member of the earliest version of this group, ''Prospero's Men'', having become wayward on his journey during his visit in Vanity Fair, stepping down an alleyway and found himself in London in the 1670s, and unable to return to his homeland. This group disbanded in 1690 after Prospero vanished into the [[Blazing World]]; however, some parts of the text seem to imply that Christian resigned from Prospero's League before its disbanding and that Christian travelled to the Blazing World before Prospero himself. The apparent implication is that; within the context of the League stories; the Celestial City Christian seeks and the Blazing World may in fact be one and the same.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}

In [[Louisa May Alcott]]'s ''[[Little Women]]'', the protagonist Jo and her sisters read it at the outset of the novel, and try to follow the good example of Bunyan's Christian. Throughout the novel, the main characters refer many times to ''Pilgrim's Progress'' and liken the events in their own lives to the experiences of the pilgrims. A number of chapter titles directly reference characters and places from ''Pilgrim's Progress''.

The cartoonist [[Winsor McCay]] drew an allegorical comic strip, entitled ''A Pilgrim's Progress'', in the ''[[New York Evening Telegram]]''. The strip ran from 26 June 1905 to 18 December 1910. In it, the protagonist Mr. Bunion is constantly frustrated in his attempts to improve his life by ridding himself of his burdensome valise, "Dull Care".<ref>Canemaker, John (1987), ''Winsor McCay: His Life and Art'', Cross River Press, New York</ref>

[[C. S. Lewis]] wrote a book inspired by ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', called ''[[The Pilgrim's Regress]]'', in which a character named John follows a vision to escape from The Landlord, a less friendly version of The Owner in ''The Pilgrim's Regress''. It is an allegory of C. S. Lewis' own journey from a religious childhood to a pagan adulthood in which he rediscovers his Christian God.

[[Henry Williamson]]'s ''[[The Patriot's Progress]]'' references the title of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' and the symbolic nature of John Bunyan's work. The protagonist of the [[semi-autobiographical]] novel is John Bullock, the quintessential English soldier during World War I.

The character of [[Billy Pilgrim]] in [[Kurt Vonnegut]]'s novel ''[[Slaughterhouse-5]]: The Children's Crusade'' is a clear homage to a similar journey to enlightenment experienced by Christian, although Billy's journey leads him to an [[Existentialism|existential]] acceptance of life and of a [[fatalist]] [[human condition]]. Vonnegut's parallel to ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' is deliberate and evident in Billy's surname.

[[Charlotte Brontë]] refers to ''Pilgrim's Progress'' in most of her novels, including ''[[Jane Eyre]]'',<ref>Brontë, Charlotte. ''Jane Eyre''. Ed. Richard J. Dunn. WW Norton: 2001. p. 385.</ref> ''[[Shirley (novel)|Shirley]]'',<ref>Brontë, Charlotte. ''Shirley''. Oxford University Press: 2008. pp. 48, 236.</ref> and ''[[Villette (novel)|Villette]]''.<ref>Brontë, Charlotte. ''Villette''. Ed. Tim Dolin. Oxford University Press: 2008, pp. 6, 44.</ref> Her alterations to the quest-narrative have led to much critical interest, particular with the ending of ''Jane Eyre''.<ref>Beaty, Jerome. "St. John's Way and the Wayward Reader". Brontë, Charlotte. ''Jane Eyre''. Ed. Richard J. Dunn. WW Norton: 2001. 491–503 [501]</ref>

[[Walt Willis]] and [[Bob Shaw]]'s classic [[science fiction fandom|science fiction fan]] novelette, ''[[The Enchanted Duplicator]]'', is explicitly modeled on ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' and has been repeatedly reprinted over the decades since its first appearance in 1954: in [[science fiction magazine|professional publications]], in [[science fiction fanzine|fanzines]], and as a [[monograph]].

[[Enid Blyton]] wrote ''The Land of Far Beyond'' (1942) as a children's version of ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.

[[John Steinbeck]]'s novel ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'' mentions ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' as one of an (anonymous) character's favorite books. Steinbeck's novel was itself an allegorical spiritual journey by Tom Joad through America during the [[Great Depression]], and often made Christian allusions to sacrifice and redemption in a world of social injustice.

The book was commonly referenced in African American [[slave narratives]], such as "Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom" by [[Ellen and William Craft]], to emphasize the moral and religious implications of slavery.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gould|first=Philip|title=The Cambridge Companion to the African American Slave Narrative|year=2007|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-521-85019-3|pages=20–21|url=http://www.cambridge.org/9780521615266|author-link=The rise, development, and circulation of the slave narrative|editor=Audrey Fisch}}</ref>

[[Hannah Hurnard]]'s novel ''[[Hinds' Feet on High Places]]'' (1955) uses a similar allegorical structure to ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' and takes Bunyan's character Much-Afraid as its protagonist.

In [[Lois McMaster Bujold]]'s ''[[Vorkosigan Saga#The Borders of Infinity (novella)|The Borders of Infinity]]'' (1989), [[Miles Vorkosigan]] uses half a page torn from ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' as a coded message to his fleet to rescue him and 9,000 others from a POW camp.

[[Sir Walter Scott]] uses Bunyan's tale in chapter 32 of his novel ''[[The Heart of Midlothian]]'' (1818) to illustrate the relationship between Madge Wildfire and [[Jeanie Deans]]. Madge explains: "But it is all over now.—But we'll knock at the gate and then the keeper will admit Christiana, but Mercy will be left out—and then I'll stand at the door trembling and crying, and then Christiana—that's you, Jeanie,—will intercede for me. And then Mercy,—that's me, ye ken,—will faint[.]"

In [[Marguerite Young]]'s novel, ''[[Miss MacIntosh, My Darling]]'', the titular character always carries a copy of ''Pilgrim's Progress'' with her. The structure of the novel is inspired by ''Pilgrim's Progress'' too, being composed largely of the narrator's seemingly omniscient reminiscences about other characters' inner lives and dreams.

In [[George Eliot]]'s novel ''[[Middlemarch]]'', a lengthy quotation from the conclusion of the trial of Faithful in Vanity Fair serves as the epigraph to Chapter 85.

== Dramatizations, music, and film ==
{{more citations needed|date=April 2017}}
* In 1850, a moving panorama of ''Pilgrim's Progress'', known as the ''Bunyan Tableuax'' or the ''Grand Moving Panorama of Pilgrim's Progress'' was painted by Joseph Kyle and [[Edward Harrison May]] and displayed in New York; an early copy of this panorama survives and is at the [[Saco Museum]] in Maine.
* The novel was made into a film, ''Pilgrim's Progress'', in 1912.
* In 1950 an hour-long animated version was made by Baptista Films. This version was edited down to 35 minutes and re-released with new music in 1978. As of 2007 the original version is difficult to find, but the 1978 version has been released on both VHS and DVD.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.avgeeks.com/bhess/christian_film_history.html#_ftn2 |title=A Brief History of Christian Film: 1918–2002 |publisher=Avgeeks.com |access-date=2012-10-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603135856/http://avgeeks.com/bhess/christian_film_history.html#_ftn2 |archive-date=3 June 2009}}</ref>
* In 1951 the first performance of the opera ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', composed by [[Ralph Vaughan Williams]], was presented at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
* In 1978, another film version was made by [[Ken Anderson (filmmaker)|Ken Anderson]], in which [[Liam Neeson]], in his film debut, played the role of the Evangelist<ref>{{cite web |title=Conversations of Faith with Liam Neeson |url=https://www.movieguide.org/news-articles/conversations-faith-liam-neeson.html |website=Movieguide.org |access-date=21 December 2018|date=21 January 2017 }}</ref> and also appeared as the crucified Christ.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pilgrims Progress (1979) Review |url=https://dove.org/review/9502-pilgrims-progress-1979/ |website=Dove.org |access-date=21 December 2018}}</ref> Maurice O'Callaghan played Appolyon and Worldly Wiseman,<ref name="astralresearch.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.astralresearch.org/mysticalmovieguide/mmlist.pl?exact=Pilgrim:27s%20Progress&year=1979&findwhere=allsyn&index=1 |title=The Mystical Movie Guide |publisher=Astralresearch.org |access-date=2012-10-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425133301/http://www.astralresearch.org/mysticalmovieguide/mmlist.pl?exact=Pilgrim:27s%20Progress&year=1979&findwhere=allsyn&index=1 |archive-date=25 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and Peter Thomas played The Pilgrim/Christian.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0359836/ |title=Pilgrim's Progress |publisher=[[IMDb]]}}</ref><ref name="astralresearch.org" /> A sequel, ''Christiana'', followed later.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0359075/ |title=Christiana |publisher=[[IMDb]]}}</ref>
* In 1978 a musical based loosely on Bunyan's characters and the story was written by Nick Taylor and Alex Learmont. The musical [originally titled ''Pilgrim''] was produced for the Natal Performing Arts Council under the title ''"Christian!"'' or ''Follow the Man with the Big Bass Drum in the Holy Glory Band'', and ran to capacity houses for the 1979/80 summer season in Durban's Old Alhambra Theatre. The show moved to Johannesburg in March 1980 and ran for a further three months at His Majesty's Theatre. After a substantial re-write ''Christian!'' was again mounted at the new Playhouse in Durban for the 1984 Christmas season. The musical has been performed many times since by schools and amateur theatrical groups in South Africa. After 30 years the show is again attracting attention both locally and abroad and the score and libretto are being updated and made more flexible for large and small productions.<ref>Nick Taylor [singer/songwriter] & Alex Learmont [film maker and lyricist]</ref>
* In 1985 [[Yorkshire Television]] produced a 129-minute nine-part serial presentation of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' with animated stills by Alan Parry and narrated by [[Paul Copley]] entitled ''Dangerous Journey''.
* In 1988, [[Glenn Danzig]] and [[Danzig (band)]] released their controversial music video from their song "[[Mother (Danzig song)|Mother]]" which included the quote "Then I saw there was a way to Hell from the gates of Heaven" in the beginning of the music video from ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.
* In 1989, Orion's Gate, a producer of Biblical / Spiritual audio dramas produced ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' as a six-hour audio dramatization.<ref name="Orionsgate.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.orionsgate.org |title=Orion's Gate |website=Orionsgate.org |date=2007-11-06 |access-date=2012-10-28}}</ref> This production was followed several years later by ''Christiana: Pilgrim's Progress, Part II'', another 8 hour audio dramatization.
* In 1989, [[The Ocean Blue]] released ''[[The Ocean Blue (album)|The Ocean Blue]]'' which includes the song "Vanity Fair" which includes lyrics that reference ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.
* In 1993, the popular Christian radio drama, ''[[Adventures in Odyssey]]'' (produced by [[Focus on the Family]]), featured a two-part story, titled "Pilgrim's Progress: Revisited". This two-parter was written and directed by [[Phil Lollar]].
* The 1993 video game ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'' features a map called "Slough of Despair" (E3M2: episode 3, map 2).
* In the 1990s Kurt and Keith Landaas, composed, directed and performed a compelling stage two-act modern rock opera adaptation of ''Pilgrims Progress''. It involved five principal characters and a cast choral of about 20 members. It was performed in the Lambs theatre in NYC in 1994 and other tri-state venues. A studio recording was also produced and distributed.
* In 1994, ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' and the imprisonment of John Bunyan were the subject of the musical ''Celestial City''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newlifefinearts.org/celestialcity |title=Celestial City |publisher=New Life Fine Arts |date=2012-10-07 |access-date=2012-10-28 |archive-date=3 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120903164818/http://newlifefinearts.org/celestialcity |url-status=dead }}</ref> by David MacAdam, with John Curtis, and an album was released in 1997.
* In 2003 the game ''Heaven Bound'' was released by Emerald Studios. The 3D adventure-style game, based on the novel, was only released for the PC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ceganmo.com/2008/07/heaven-bound.html#_ftn2 |title=Heaven Bound {{pipe}} Video Game Information, Trailers, Screenshots |publisher=CEGAnMo.com |access-date=2012-10-28}}</ref>
* ''[[Five Nights at Freddy's]]'' developer [[Scott Cawthon]] directed and narrated a 2005 [[computer animation]] version of the book, and also produced a video game adaptation.
* In 2008, a film version by Danny Carrales, ''[[Pilgrim's Progress: Journey to Heaven]]'', was produced. It received one nomination for best feature length independent film and one nomination for best music score at the 2009 [[San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival]].
* British music band [[Kula Shaker]] released an album called ''[[Pilgrim's Progress (album)|Pilgrim's Progress]]'' on 28 June 2010.
* In 2003 Michael W. Smith wrote a song, called "Signs", which he says on his ''A 20 Year Celebration'' live DVD to be inspired by ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.
* Season 7, episode 16 of ''[[Family Guy]]'' (17 May 2009) is a parody of ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' called "[[Peter's Progress]]".
* In 2010, FishFlix.com released ''A Pilgrim's Progress – The Story of John Bunyan'', a DVD documentary about Bunyan's life narrated by Derick Bingham, filmed on location in England.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fishflix.com/products/pilgrims-progress-a-journey-to-heaven-dvd-christian-movies|title=Pilgrim's Progress: A Journey to Heaven|website=FishFlix.com Faith and Family Movies}}</ref>
* In 2010, writer / director Andrew Wiest directed ''The Adventures of Chris Fable'' (aka ''The Wylds'') bringing John Bunyan's novel ''The Pilgrim's Progress'' to life on the screen with this family friendly fantasy adventure about a young runaway on a quest to find his long lost father. The movie was released on video and streaming in 2012.
* In 2013, Puritan Productions<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.puritanproductions.org/|title=Puritan Productions|website=www.puritanproductions.org}}</ref> company announced the premiere of its dramatization with ballet & chorus accompaniment in [[Fort Worth, Texas]] at the W.E. Scott Theatre<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fwcac.com/?calendar%2F2844 |title=Fort Worth Community Arts Center |access-date=3 October 2013 |archive-date=5 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005013053/http://www.fwcac.com/?calendar%2F2844 |url-status=dead }}</ref> on 18–19 October 2013. Subsequent productions by the same company in Garland, Texas at the Granville Arts Center on 24–26 October 2014, and in Austin, Texas, accompanied by ballet & chorus, at Park Hills Baptist Church on 4–5 November 2016.
* In 2014, a [[Kickstarter]]-supported novel called ''The Narrow Road'' was published. It is based on ''The Pilgrim's Progress'', and was written by Erik Yeager and illustrated by Dave dela Gardelle.
* The 2015 [[Terrence Malick]] film ''[[Knight of Cups (film)|Knight of Cups]]'' was inspired by ''The Pilgrim's Progress''.
* In March 2015, director Darren Wilson announced a [[Kickstarter]] campaign to produce a full-length feature film based on ''The Pilgrims Progress'' called ''Heaven Quest: A Pilgrim's Progress Movie''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wpfilm/heavenquest-a-pilgrims-progress-movie?ref=quest.wpfilm.com |title=HeavenQuest: A Pilgrim's Progress Movie |work=Kickstarter}}</ref>
* The [[Neal Morse]] Band released their 2nd album titled ''[[The Similitude of a Dream]]'' on 11 November 2016, a 2 CD concept album based on the book ''The Pilgrim's Progress''. On 25 January 2019, a follow-up 2 CD album, [[The Great Adventure (The Neal Morse Band album)|The Great Adventure]], was released to continue re-telling the story from the perspective of Christian's son.
* In 2019 a computer-animated film adaptation titled ''[[The Pilgrim's Progress (film)|The Pilgrim's Progress]]'' was released and featured the voice of [[John Rhys-Davies]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Howard|first=Courtney|title=Film Review: 'The Pilgrim's Progress'|date=17 April 2019|publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/the-pilgrims-progress-review-1203191406/|access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref>
* The allegory was adapted into a dramatic, serialized podcast, ''High and Silver Presents: The Pilgrim's Progress'', in 2022.
*The album ''[[Odyssey to the West]]'' by [[progressive metal]] [[deathcore]] band Slice the Cake is loosely inspired by The Pilgrim's Progress, and includes a track named after the novel.

== Editions ==
* Bunyan, John ''The Pilgrim's Progress''. Edited by Roger Sharrock and J. B. Wharey. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975) {{ISBN|0198118023}}. The standard critical edition, originally published in 1928 and revised in 1960 by Sharrock.<ref name="English Library" />
* Bunyan, John ''The Pilgrim's Progress''. Edited with an introduction and notes by Roger Sharrrock. (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1987) {{ISBN|0140430040}}. The text is based on the 1975 Clarendon edition (see above), but with modernised spelling and punctuation "to meet the needs of the general reader".<ref name="English Library">{{cite book|last1=Bunyan|first1=John|editor1-last=Sharrock|editor1-first=Roger|title=The Pilgrim's Progress|date=1987|publisher=Penguin|location=Harmondsworth|isbn=0-14-043004-0|page=29|edition=3}}</ref>
* Bunyan, John ''The Pilgrim's Progress''. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003) {{ISBN|978-0-19-280361-0}}.

=== Abridged editions ===
* ''The Children's Pilgrim's Progress''. The story taken from the work by John Bunyan. New York: Sheldon and Company, 1866.
* ''Dangerous Journey: The Story of Pilgrim's Progress'' – abridged by Oliver Hunkin and illustrated by Alan Parry, 1985.

=== Retellings ===

*''Pilgrim's Progress retold and shortened for modern readers'' by Mary Godolphin (1884). Drawings by Robert Lawson. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Co., 1939. [a newly illustrated edition of the retelling by Mary Godolphin]
*''The Pilgrim's Progress in Words of One Syllable'' by Mary Godolphin. London: George Routledge and Sons, 1869.
*''The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan Every Child Can Read''. Edited by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut. Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Co., 1909.
*''John Bunyan's Dream Story: the Pilgrim's Progress retold for children and adapted to school reading'' by James Baldwin. New York: American Book Co., 1913.
*''[[The Land of Far-Beyond]]'' by [[Enid Blyton]]. Methuen, 1942.
*{{Cite book|title=Passport to Life City: A Modern Pilgrim's Progress|last=Eliot Wirt|first=Sherwood|publisher=Harper & Row Publishers|year=1969|isbn=9780854212200|location=New York}} The story is set in a 20th-century America, concerned about the threat of World War Three, where the hero turns to Christ as there is a crisis involving China and the places he goes to are more futuristic.
*{{cite book |title=Pilgrim's Progress in Today's English – as retold by James H. Thomas |lccn=64-25255 |isbn= 080246520X |publisher=Moody Publishers |year=1971}}
*''Pilgrim's Progress, from This World to That Which Is to Come''. Rev., 2nd ed., in modern English – Christian Literature Crusade, Fort Washington, Penn., 1981. {{ISBN?}}
*''Little Pilgrim's Progress'' – Helen L. Taylor simplifies the vocabulary and concepts for younger readers, while keeping the storyline intact. Published by Moody Press, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois, 1992, 1993.
*''John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress as retold by Gary D. Schmidt & illustrated by Barry Moser'' published by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Copyright 1994.
*''The Evergreen Wood: An Adaptation of the "Pilgrim's Progress" for Children'' written by Linda Perry, illustrated by Alan Perry. Published by Hunt & Thorpe, 1997.
*''[http://orionsgate.org/store/ The New Amplified Pilgrim's Progress] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505151142/http://orionsgate.org/store/ |date=5 May 2018 }}'' (both book and '''dramatized audio''') – as retold by James Pappas. Published by Orion's Gate (1999). A slightly expanded and highly dramatized version of John Bunyan's original. Large samples of the text are available<ref name="Orionsgate.org" />
* "The Aussie Pilgrim's Progress" by [[Kel Richards]]. Ballarat: Strand Publishing, 2005.
*"Quest for Celestia: A Reimagining of ''The Pilgrim's Progress''" by Steven James, 2006
*'' The Pilgrim's Progress – A 21st Century Re-telling of the John Bunyan Classic'' – Dry Ice Publishing, 2008 directed by Danny Carrales<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1000768/|title=Pilgrim's Progress (2008)|publisher=Imdb.bom|access-date=2012-10-28}}</ref>

==== Graphic novels ====

*''Pilgrim's Progress'' – a [[graphic novel]] by [[Marvel Comics]]. Thomas Nelson, 1993. Includes a sequel story, "Christiana's Progress".
*{{cite book|title="The Pilgrim's Progress" A very graphic novel|author=Stephen T. Moore |url=http://pilgrimsprogressgraphicnovel.weebly.com |year=2011 |isbn= 978-1-4610-3271-7 |pages=150|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform |no-pp=yes}}
*{{Cite book|title=マンガ天路歴程|last=Sato|first=Masako|year=2012|isbn=978-4904656075}} A [[manga]] version of ''Pilgrim's Progress''.
*''Pilgrim's Progress the Graphic Novel, written and illustrated by Ralph Sanders, 2018, Whistle Key Books, {{ISBN|978-0-692-96574-0}}''
*{{ Cite web | url= https://m.webtoons.com/en/canvas/run-the-pilgrims-progress-%E3%83%94%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AA%E3%83%A0%E3%81%AE%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9/list?title_no=187097 | title= RUN: The Pilgrim's Progress (ピルグリムのプログレス）| date= 2018| others= Alpha Yu, illustration| publisher= Shonen Bag Studio}} A webmanga retelling the basic framework of the book with contemporary character designs heavily influenced by popular anime, as well as retooling the story to wrap it around [[manga]] tropes and conventions. (The creator has gone on record stating that the character of the Interpreter was designed to resemble a pre-pubescant version of [[Rei Ayanami]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.webtoons.com/en/canvas/run-the-pilgrims-progress-%E3%83%94%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AA%E3%83%A0%E3%81%AE%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9/interpreter-chan/viewer?title_no=187097&episode_no=11|title=Interpreter Chan 11 | series= RUN: The Pilgrim's Progress (ピルグリムのプログレス）|website=www.webtoons.com}}</ref> He has also gone on record saying that the character of Faithful is "best [[wiktionary:waifu|waifu]]"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Faithful's progress 19 |url=https://m.webtoons.com/en/canvas/run-the-pilgrims-progress-%E3%83%94%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AA%E3%83%A0%E3%81%AE%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9/faithfuls-progress/viewer?title_no=187097&episode_no=20 |series= RUN: The Pilgrim's Progress (ピルグリムのプログレス）|website=www.webtoons.com}}</ref> multiple times.) Drastic changes were made to the underlying puritan philosophy of the original text.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.webtoons.com/en/canvas/run-the-pilgrims-progress-%E3%83%94%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AA%E3%83%A0%E3%81%AE%E3%83%97%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B9/list?title_no=187097 | title= RUN: The Pilgrim's Progress (ピルグリムのプログレス）| date= 2018| others= Alpha Yu, illustration|website=www.webtoons.com}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikisource}}
{{Commons category|Pilgrim's Progress}}
* {{StandardEbooks|Standard Ebooks URL=https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/john-bunyan/the-pilgrims-progress}}
* {{librivox book | title=The Pilgrim's Progress | author=John Bunyan}}
* [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/131 ''The Pilgrim's Progress''] (Project Gutenberg etext)
* 🔊 [http://pilgrimsprogress.podbean.com ''High & Silver Presents: The Pilgrim's Progress''] Dramatized podcast of the Pilgrim's Progress.
* [http://www.samizdat.qc.ca/arts/lit/Pilgrims_Progress.pdf ''The Pilgrim's Progress'': parts I & II]. (Ebook, PDF layout and fonts inspired by 18th century publications
* [http://samizdat.qc.ca/arts/lit/Voyagedupelerin_JB.pdf ''Voyage du pèlerin''] PDF Ebook – French translation of ''The Pilgrim's Progress''
* [http://pilgrimsprogressgraphicnovel.weebly.com/ ''The Pilgrim's Progress – graphic novel'']
* [http://pilgrimsprogressgraphicnovel.com "Pilgrim's Progress the Graphic Novel"] {{ISBN|978-0-692-96574-0}}
* [https://store.steampowered.com/app/3071000/The_Pilgrims_Progress The Pilgrim's Progress Game] The Pilgrim's Progress game on Steam
{{John Bunyan}}
{{The Pilgrim's Progress|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pilgrim's Progress, The}}
[[Category:John Bunyan]]
[[Category:17th-century Christian texts]]
[[Category:17th-century English novels]]
[[Category:1678 novels]]
[[Category:Beelzebub]]
[[Category:Books by John Bunyan]]
[[Category:British novels adapted into films]]
[[Category:British novels adapted into television shows]]
[[Category:Christian allegory]]
[[Category:Christian apologetic works]]
[[Category:Christian novels]]
[[Category:Fiction about dreams]]
[[Category:English novels]]
[[Category:Everyman]]
[[Category:Novels about religion]]
[[Category:British novels adapted into operas]]
[[Category:Prison writings]]
[[Category:Swamps in fiction]]

John Murray (theologian)

2026-04-08T12:15:03Z

BrantleyRider: Created page with "{{Infobox theologian |name=John Murray |era=20th century |image=John Murray theologian.jpg |birth_date={{birth date|1898|10|14}} |birth_place=Bonar Bridge, Sutherland, Scotland |death_date={{death date and age|1975|05|08|1898|10|14}} |occupation=Professor |tradition_movement=Reformed, Presbyterian |notable_works=''Redemption Accomplished and Applied'', ''Imputation of Adam's Sin'' |spouse=Valerie Knowlton }} '''John Murray''' (14 Oc..."

{{Infobox theologian
|name=John Murray
|era=20th century
|image=John Murray theologian.jpg
|birth_date={{birth date|1898|10|14}}
|birth_place=[[Bonar Bridge]], [[Sutherland]], Scotland
|death_date={{death date and age|1975|05|08|1898|10|14}}
|occupation=[[Professor]]
|tradition_movement=[[Reformed tradition|Reformed]], [[Presbyterian]]
|notable_works=''Redemption Accomplished and Applied'', ''Imputation of Adam's Sin''
|spouse=Valerie Knowlton
}}
'''John Murray''' (14 October 1898 – 8 May 1975) was a Scottish-born [[Calvinist]] [[theology|theologian]] who taught at [[Princeton Theological Seminary|Princeton Seminary]] and then left to help found [[Westminster Theological Seminary]], where he taught for many years. He was ordained in the [[Orthodox Presbyterian Church]] in 1937.<ref name="John Murray Biography">{{cite web|url=https://banneroftruth.org/us/about/banner-authors/john-murray/ |title=John Murray Biography}}</ref>

==Early life and ministry==
Murray was born in the croft of Badbea, near [[Bonar Bridge]], in [[Sutherland]] county, [[Scotland]]. Following service in the British Army in the [[First World War]] (during which he lost an eye, serving in the [[Black Watch]] regiment) he studied at the [[University of Glasgow]]. Following his acceptance as a theological student of the [[Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland]] he pursued further studies at [[Princeton Theological Seminary]] under [[J. Gresham Machen]] and [[Geerhardus Vos]], but broke with the Free Presbyterian Church in 1930 over that Church's handling of a discipline case in the Chesley, Ontario congregation concerning the [[Puritan Sabbatarianism|Lord's Day]]. He taught at Princeton for a year and then lectured in [[systematic theology]] at Westminster Theological Seminary to generations of students from 1930 to 1966, and was an early trustee of the [[Banner of Truth Trust]].

Besides the material in the four-volume ''Collected Writings'', his primary published works are a commentary on the [[Epistle to the Romans]] (previously included in the ''New International Commentary on the New Testament'' series but now superseded by [[Douglas J. Moo]]'s commentary), ''Redemption Accomplished and Applied'', ''Principles of Conduct'', ''The Imputation of Adam's Sin'', ''Baptism'', and ''Divorce''.

==Later life==
Murray preached at Chesley and Lochalsh from time to time until his retirement from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1966. He returned to Scotland, where he was connected with the [[Free Church of Scotland (post-1900)|Free Church of Scotland]]

Writing after a communion season at Lochalsh, Murray said, "I think I feel most at home here and at Chesley of all the places I visit." There had been some consideration that upon leaving the seminary, Murray might take a pastorate in the newly formed Presbyterian Reformed Church, but the infirmity of his aged sisters at the home place necessitated his return to Ross-shire, Scotland.

==Personal life and death==
At the age of 69, Murray married Valerie Knowlton 7 December 1967. Together they had two children, one of whom died at a young age.<ref name=Kennebec>{{cite news |title=Dr. Valerie Young (Knowlton) Murray |newspaper=Kennebec Journal |date=13 August 2014 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1552783092}}</ref>

Murray died on May 8, 1975 at the age of 76.<ref name=Kennebec /><ref>{{cite journal |last=Olinger |first=Danny E. |title=John Murray |journal=The Confessional Presbyterian |volume=11 |year=2015 |pages=3–4}}</ref>

==Works==
* {{cite book|title=Christian Baptism|last=Murray|first=John |author-link=John Murray (theologian)|location=Philadelphia, PA|publisher=Committee on Christian Education, Orthodox Presbyterian Church|year=1952}} ? pages
* {{cite book|title=Divorce|last=Murray|first=John |author-link=John Murray (theologian)|location=Philadelphia, PA|publisher=Committee on Christian Education, Orthodox Presbyterian Church|year=1953}} ? pages
* {{cite book|title=Redemption Accomplished and Applied|url=https://archive.org/details/redemptionaccomp00murr|url-access=registration|isbn=978-0-8028-1143-1|last=Murray|first=John |author-link=John Murray (theologian)|location=Grand Rapids|publisher=Eerdmans|year=1955}} 192 pages
* {{cite book|title=Principles of Conduct: Aspects of Biblical Ethics|url=https://archive.org/details/principlesofcond00murr|url-access=registration|isbn=978-0-8028-1144-8|last=Murray|first=John |author-link=John Murray (theologian)|location=Grand Rapids|publisher=Eerdmans|year=1957}} 272 pages
* {{cite book|title=The Imputation of Adam's Sin|isbn=0-8755-2341-2|last=Murray|first=John |author-link=John Murray (theologian)|location=Phillipsburg, NJ|publisher=Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing|year=1959}} ? pages
* {{cite book|title=The Epistle to the Romans|isbn=978-0-8028-2506-3|series=[[New International Commentary on the New Testament|NICNT]]|last=Murray|first=John |author-link=John Murray (theologian)|location=Grand Rapids|publisher=Eerdmans|year=1959}} 736 pages
* {{cite book|title=Calvin on the Scriptures and Divine Sovereignty|last=Murray|first=John |author-link=John Murray (theologian)|year=1960}} ? pages

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book|title=The Life of John Murray: Professor of Systematic Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1937-1966|isbn=978-0-8515-1950-0|last=Murray|first=Iain Hamish |author-link=Iain Murray (author)|year=1984}}
* {{cite book|title=The Collected Writings of John Murray (4 vols.)|isbn=0-85151-396-4|last=Murray|first=John |author-link=John Murray (theologian)|location=Edinburgh|publisher=Banner of Truth Trust|year=1982}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091215220124/http://thirdmill.org/sermons/compile_speaker.asp/speaker/John%20Murray/site/iiim/category/speakers Free audio lectures and sermons in mp3 format] from ThirdMill.org
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090522123126/http://www.presbyterianreformed.org/ourhistory.php "Preaching: at Chesley Canada"]

==References==

[[Category:1898 births]]
[[Category:1975 deaths]]
[[Category:Orthodox Presbyterian Church members]]
[[Category:Orthodox Presbyterian Church ministers]]
[[Category:Scottish Presbyterians]]
[[Category:Scottish Calvinist and Reformed theologians]]
[[Category:Westminster Theological Seminary faculty]]
[[Category:Princeton Theological Seminary alumni]]
[[Category:Princeton Theological Seminary faculty]]
[[Category:People from Sutherland]]
[[Category:20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians]]
[[Category:20th-century American clergy]]

John Murray

2026-04-08T12:14:40Z

BrantleyRider:

'''John Murray''' may refer to one of the following:
*[[John Murray (theologian)]] - a Scottish-born [[Calvinist]] theologian

John Murray

2026-04-08T12:14:07Z

BrantleyRider: Created page with "'''John Murray''' may refer to one of the following: *John Murray (theologian)"

'''John Murray''' may refer to one of the following:
*[[John Murray (theologian)]]

Albert N. Martin

2026-04-08T12:13:23Z

BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox theologian
| honorific_prefix = [[Pastor]]
| name = Albert Martin
| honorific_suffix =
| image = File:Albert-N-Martin.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Martin teaching Sunday School
| birth_name = Albert N. Martin
| birth_date = April 11, 1934
| birth_place =
| death_date = April 7, 2026 (aged 91 years)
| death_place =
| region =
| nationality =
| education =
| occupation =
| period =
| notable_works =
| spouse =
| children =
| ordination =
| era =
| language =
| tradition_movement = [[Reformed Baptist]]
| school_tradition =
| main_interests =
| notable_ideas =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| signature_size =
}}

'''Albert N. Martin''' (April 11, 1934<ref>https://www.sg-audiotreasures.org/amtranscripts/am_magnifytheLord1.pdf</ref> – April 7, 2026) was an American [[Reformed Baptist]] minister.

Martin served as pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in [[wikipedia:Montville, New Jersey|Montville, New Jersey]] from 1962 to 2008.<ref>[https://banneroftruth.org/us/about/banner-authors/a-n-martin/ Albert N. Martin]. Banner of Truth Trust. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref> He wrote a number of books on [[homiletics]], including ''Preaching in the Holy Spirit'' (2011), in which he describes the specific manifestations of the Spirit in preaching as "a heightened sense, unfettered liberty, an enlarged heart, and a heightened confidence in the Word."<ref>Orrick, Jim Scott; Payne, Brian; Fullerton, Ryan (2017). ''Encountering God through Expository Preaching: Connecting God's People to God's Presence through God's Word''. B&H Publishing. p. 129. ISBN 9781433684135. https://books.google.com/books?id=cm8kDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT129. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref>

In 2021, a ''[[wikipedia:Festschrift|Festschrift]]'' was published in his honor: ''A Workman Not Ashamed: Essays in Honor of Albert N. Martin''.<ref>McGraw, Ryan M. (May 2021). "A Workman Not Ashamed: Essays in Honor of Albert N. Martin". ''Ordained Servant''. https://opc.org/os.html?article_id=895. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref><ref name="Najapfour">Najapfour, Brian (23 December 2020). "A Workman Not Ashamed". Reformation21. https://www.reformation21.org/blog/a-workman-not-ashamed. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref>

[[John Murray (theologian)|John Murray]] called him "one of the ablest and moving preachers I have ever heard".<ref name="Najapfour" />

==Further reading==
* [[Brian Borgman|Borgman, Brian]] (2002). ''[[My Heart for Thy Cause: Albert N. Martin's Theology of Preaching]]''. Mentor.

== References ==

[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Reformed Baptists]]
[[Category:American Calvinist and Reformed ministers]]
[[Category:Baptist homileticists]]
[[Category:American Christian homileticists]]

Albert N. Martin

2026-04-08T11:50:57Z

BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox theologian
| honorific_prefix = [[Pastor]]
| name = Albert Martin
| honorific_suffix =
| image = File:Albert-N-Martin.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Martin teaching Sunday School
| birth_name = Albert N. Martin
| birth_date = April 11, 1934
| birth_place =
| death_date = April 7, 2026 (aged 91 years)
| death_place =
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}}

'''Albert N. Martin''' (April 11, 1934<ref>https://www.sg-audiotreasures.org/amtranscripts/am_magnifytheLord1.pdf</ref> – April 7, 2026) was an American [[Reformed Baptist]] minister.

Martin served as pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in [[wikipedia:Montville, New Jersey|Montville, New Jersey]] from 1962 to 2008.<ref>[https://banneroftruth.org/us/about/banner-authors/a-n-martin/ Albert N. Martin]. Banner of Truth Trust. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref> He wrote a number of books on [[homiletics]], including ''Preaching in the Holy Spirit'' (2011), in which he describes the specific manifestations of the Spirit in preaching as "a heightened sense, unfettered liberty, an enlarged heart, and a heightened confidence in the Word."<ref>Orrick, Jim Scott; Payne, Brian; Fullerton, Ryan (2017). ''Encountering God through Expository Preaching: Connecting God's People to God's Presence through God's Word''. B&H Publishing. p. 129. ISBN 9781433684135. https://books.google.com/books?id=cm8kDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT129. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref>

In 2021, a ''[[wikipedia:Festschrift|Festschrift]]'' was published in his honor: ''A Workman Not Ashamed: Essays in Honor of Albert N. Martin''.<ref>McGraw, Ryan M. (May 2021). "A Workman Not Ashamed: Essays in Honor of Albert N. Martin". ''Ordained Servant''. https://opc.org/os.html?article_id=895. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref><ref name="Najapfour">Najapfour, Brian (23 December 2020). "A Workman Not Ashamed". Reformation21. https://www.reformation21.org/blog/a-workman-not-ashamed. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref>

[[John Murray (theologian)|John Murray]] called him "one of the ablest and moving preachers I have ever heard".<ref name="Najapfour" />

==Further reading==
* Borgman, Brian (2002). ''[[My Heart for Thy Cause: Albert N. Martin's Theology of Preaching]]''. Mentor.

== References ==

[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Reformed Baptists]]
[[Category:American Calvinist and Reformed ministers]]
[[Category:Baptist homileticists]]
[[Category:American Christian homileticists]]

Albert N. Martin

2026-04-08T11:50:35Z

BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox theologian
| honorific_prefix = [[Pastor]]
| name = Albert Martin
| honorific_suffix =
| image = File:Albert-N-Martin.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Martin teaching Sunday School
| birth_name = Albert N. Martin
| birth_date = April 11, 1934
| birth_place =
| death_date = April 7, 2026 (aged 91 years)
| death_place =
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| period =
| notable_works =
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| tradition_movement = [[Reformed Baptist]]
| school_tradition =
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| signature_size =
}}

'''Albert N. Martin''' (April 11, 1934<ref>https://www.sg-audiotreasures.org/amtranscripts/am_magnifytheLord1.pdf</ref> – April 7, 2026) was an American [[Reformed Baptist]] minister.

Martin served as pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in [[wikipedia:Montville, New Jersey|Montville, New Jersey]] from 1962 to 2008.<ref>[https://banneroftruth.org/us/about/banner-authors/a-n-martin/ Albert N. Martin]. Banner of Truth Trust. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref> He wrote a number of books on [[homiletics]], including ''Preaching in the Holy Spirit'' (2011), in which he describes the specific manifestations of the Spirit in preaching as "a heightened sense, unfettered liberty, an enlarged heart, and a heightened confidence in the Word."<ref>Orrick, Jim Scott; Payne, Brian; Fullerton, Ryan (2017). ''Encountering God through Expository Preaching: Connecting God's People to God's Presence through God's Word''. B&H Publishing. p. 129. ISBN 9781433684135. https://books.google.com/books?id=cm8kDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT129. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref>

In 2021, a ''[[Festschrift]]'' was published in his honor: ''A Workman Not Ashamed: Essays in Honor of Albert N. Martin''.<ref>McGraw, Ryan M. (May 2021). "A Workman Not Ashamed: Essays in Honor of Albert N. Martin". ''Ordained Servant''. https://opc.org/os.html?article_id=895. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref><ref name="Najapfour">Najapfour, Brian (23 December 2020). "A Workman Not Ashamed". Reformation21. https://www.reformation21.org/blog/a-workman-not-ashamed. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref>

[[John Murray (theologian)|John Murray]] called him "one of the ablest and moving preachers I have ever heard".<ref name="Najapfour" />

==Further reading==
* Borgman, Brian (2002). ''[[My Heart for Thy Cause: Albert N. Martin's Theology of Preaching]]''. Mentor.

== References ==

[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Reformed Baptists]]
[[Category:American Calvinist and Reformed ministers]]
[[Category:Baptist homileticists]]
[[Category:American Christian homileticists]]

Albert N. Martin

2026-04-08T11:49:26Z

BrantleyRider: Created page with "{{Infobox theologian | honorific_prefix = Pastor | name = Albert Martin | honorific_suffix = | image = File:Albert-N-Martin.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Martin teaching Sunday School | birth_name = Albert N. Martin | birth_date = April 11, 1934 | birth_place = | death_date = April 7, 2026 (aged 91 years) | death_place = | region = | natio..."

{{Infobox theologian
| honorific_prefix = [[Pastor]]
| name = Albert Martin
| honorific_suffix =
| image = File:Albert-N-Martin.jpg
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Martin teaching Sunday School
| birth_name = Albert N. Martin
| birth_date = April 11, 1934
| birth_place =
| death_date = April 7, 2026 (aged 91 years)
| death_place =
| region =
| nationality =
| education =
| occupation =
| period =
| notable_works =
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| school_tradition =
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}}

'''Albert N. Martin''' (April 11, 1934<ref>https://www.sg-audiotreasures.org/amtranscripts/am_magnifytheLord1.pdf</ref> – April 7, 2026) was an American [[Reformed Baptist]] minister.

Martin served as pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in [[Montville, New Jersey]] from 1962 to 2008.<ref>[https://banneroftruth.org/us/about/banner-authors/a-n-martin/ Albert N. Martin]. Banner of Truth Trust. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref> He wrote a number of books on [[homiletics]], including ''Preaching in the Holy Spirit'' (2011), in which he describes the specific manifestations of the Spirit in preaching as "a heightened sense, unfettered liberty, an enlarged heart, and a heightened confidence in the Word."<ref>Orrick, Jim Scott; Payne, Brian; Fullerton, Ryan (2017). ''Encountering God through Expository Preaching: Connecting God's People to God's Presence through God's Word''. B&H Publishing. p. 129. ISBN 9781433684135. https://books.google.com/books?id=cm8kDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT129. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref>

In 2021, a ''[[Festschrift]]'' was published in his honor: ''A Workman Not Ashamed: Essays in Honor of Albert N. Martin''.<ref>McGraw, Ryan M. (May 2021). "A Workman Not Ashamed: Essays in Honor of Albert N. Martin". ''Ordained Servant''. https://opc.org/os.html?article_id=895. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref><ref name="Najapfour">Najapfour, Brian (23 December 2020). "A Workman Not Ashamed". Reformation21. https://www.reformation21.org/blog/a-workman-not-ashamed. Accessed 16 November 2023.</ref>

[[John Murray (theologian)|John Murray]] called him "one of the ablest and moving preachers I have ever heard".<ref name="Najapfour" />

==Further reading==
* Borgman, Brian (2002). ''My Heart for Thy Cause: Albert N. Martin's Theology of Preaching''. Mentor.

== References ==
<references />

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Borgman |first1=Brian |title=My Heart for Thy Cause: Albert N. Martin's Theology of Preaching |publisher=[[Christian Focus Publications|Mentor]] |date=2002}}

[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Reformed Baptists]]
[[Category:American Calvinist and Reformed ministers]]
[[Category:Baptist homileticists]]
[[Category:American Christian homileticists]]

Albert Martin

2026-04-08T11:47:24Z

BrantleyRider: Redirected page to Albert N. Martin

#redirect [[Albert N. Martin]]

Al Martin

2026-04-08T11:47:04Z

BrantleyRider: Redirected page to Albert N. Martin

#redirect [[Albert N. Martin]]

Celebrate Life International Fellowship (Costa Adeje, Santa Cruz de Tenerife)

2026-04-07T16:51:10Z

BrantleyRider: Created page with "Celebrate Life International Fellowship (Costa Adeje, Santa Cruz de Tenerife)"

Celebrate Life International Fellowship (Costa Adeje, Santa Cruz de Tenerife)

RBCID:1632

2026-04-07T16:51:04Z

BrantleyRider: Redirected page to Celebrate Life International Fellowship (Costa Adeje, Santa Cruz de Tenerife)

#redirect [[Celebrate Life International Fellowship (Costa Adeje, Santa Cruz de Tenerife)]]

Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience

2026-04-07T15:32:37Z

BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox statement
| image = Manhattan Declaration
| location = [[United States of America]]
| published_date = November 20, 2009
| topics = [[Robert P. George]], [[James Dobson]], [[Al Mohler]], [[Ravi Zacharias]], [[Cornelius Plantinga]]
| website = [https://www.manhattandeclaration.org/ https://www.manhattandeclaration.org/]
}}

The "'''Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience'''" is a [[manifesto]] issued by [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]], [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], and [[evangelicalism|evangelical]] [[Christianity|Christian]] leaders<ref>{{cite web|url=http://demossnews.com/manhattandeclaration/press_kit/manhattan_declaration_signers |title=Manhattan Declaration & Signers |publisher=Demossnews.com |access-date=December 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901171332/http://demossnews.com/manhattandeclaration/press_kit/manhattan_declaration_signers |archive-date=September 1, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://manhattandeclaration.org/man_dec_resources/Manhattan_Declaration_full_text.pdf |title=Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience |date=November 20, 2009 |access-date=January 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222204432/http://manhattandeclaration.org/man_dec_resources/Manhattan_Declaration_full_text.pdf |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://manhattandeclaration.org/the-movement/latest-updates/10-12-23/Apple_Says_No_to_Manhattan_Declaration_App_2_0-1562643600.aspx Apple Says "No" to Manhattan Declaration App 2.0] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111113094007/http://www.manhattandeclaration.org/the-movement/latest-updates/10-12-23/Apple_Says_No_to_Manhattan_Declaration_App_2_0-1562643600.aspx |date=November 13, 2011 }} ManhattanDeclaration.org. December 23, 2010</ref> to affirm support of "[[right to life|the sanctity of life]], traditional marriage, and [[religious liberty]]".<ref>[http://www.manhattandeclaration.org Manhattan Declaration] website</ref> It was drafted on October 20, 2009, and released November 20, 2009, having been signed by more than 150 American religious leaders.<ref name="AP">{{cite news|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gQg36It0M4byaLSei_xloqAHk7NgD9C37UF01 |title=Christian leaders issue 'call of conscience' |date=November 20, 2009 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=November 24, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091124082323/https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gQg36It0M4byaLSei_xloqAHk7NgD9C37UF01 |archive-date=November 24, 2009 }}</ref> On the issue of marriage, the declaration objects not only to [[same-sex marriage]] but also to the general erosion of the "marriage culture" with the specter of [[divorce]], greater acceptance of [[infidelity]] and the uncoupling of marriage from [[childbearing]].<ref name="Boorstein">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112004180.html|title=Christian leaders take issue with laws: DEFENSE OF BELIEFS URGED |last=Boorstein|first=Michelle |author2=Hamil R. Harris|date=November 21, 2009 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=August 16, 2010}}</ref> The declaration's website encourages supporters to sign the declaration, and it counts 551,130 signatures {{As of|2015|07|18|df=US|lc=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://manhattandeclaration.org/#1| title=Manhattan Declaration, signature counter|access-date=August 11, 2014}}</ref>

==Call to civil disobedience==
The declaration vows [[civil disobedience]] if Christians feel that their rights to [[civil liberties]] of [[Free Exercise of Religion|free exercise of religion]] and [[freedom of speech]] are being violated. It states that Christianity has taught through the centuries that civil disobedience is not only permitted, but sometimes required,<ref name="duin">Duin, Julia (November 21, 2009). [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/21/religious-leaders-vow-civil-disobedience/ "Religious Leaders Vow Civil Disobedience On Anti-Life Issues"]. ''The Washington Times''.</ref> and refers to [[Martin Luther King Jr.|Martin Luther King Jr.'s]] defense of the rights and duties of religious conscience in his "[[Letter from Birmingham Jail]]".<ref name="The Manhattan Declaration">
{{cite web|url=http://www.governor.ks.gov/ |title=The Manhattan Declaration |access-date=May 25, 2009 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091015084931/http://www.governor.ks.gov/ |archive-date=October 15, 2009 }}
</ref>

One of the drafters, [[Princeton University]] professor [[Robert P. George]], stated, "We certainly hope it doesn't come to that. However, we see case after case of challenges to religious liberty", including laws which he claims would force health care workers to assist in [[abortions]] or pharmacists to carry [[abortifacient]] drugs or [[birth control]].<ref name="duin"/> George continued, "When the limits of conscience are reached and you cannot comply, it's better to suffer a wrong than to do it."<ref name="duin"/>

Catholic [[Archbishop of Washington]], [[Donald Wuerl]]'s office was restrained about the issue of civil disobedience, indicating that the prelate was not calling on the faithful to "do anything specific".<ref name="Boorstein" /><ref name="Goodstein"/>

In 2012, the Manhattan Declaration's call to "civil disobedience" was cited in the ''[[Miller v. Jenkins]]'' lawsuit under the [[Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act]], in which the [[Beachy Amish]]-Mennonite Christian Brotherhood was accused of helping a Baptist woman [[International child abduction|kidnap her daughter to Nicaragua]] as part of a [[child custody]] dispute with her former lesbian partner.<ref name=":0">[http://files.eqcf.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/25-Motion-to-Amend-Complaint.pdf Motion to amend complaint] eqcf.org</ref> [[Liberty University School of Law]] was also a named defendant in the lawsuit, because of alleged instruction to law students that "the correct course of action for such a situation would be to 'engage in civil disobedience' and defy court orders".<ref name=":0" />

==Signatories==
Notable signatories include:<ref>[http://manhattandeclaration.org/man_dec_resources/list_of_religious_leaders.pdf Manhattan declaration Signatories] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141127013508/http://www.manhattandeclaration.org/man_dec_resources/list_of_religious_leaders.pdf |date=November 27, 2014 }} Retrieved October 25, 2014</ref>

* [[Joel Belz]], Presbyterian journalist and media executive
* Bishop [[Robert Brom]], Catholic Diocese of San Diego
* Bishop (later Archbishop) [[Salvatore Joseph Cordileone|Salvatore Cordileone]], Catholic Diocese of Oakland
* [[James Dobson]], founder of [[Focus on the Family]]
* Archbishop [[Timothy M. Dolan|Timothy Michael Dolan]], Catholic Diocese of New York
* [[Robert Duncan (bishop)|Robert William Duncan]], primate of the [[Anglican Church in North America]]
* [[Ligon Duncan]], former president of the [[Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reformation21.org/articles/the-manhattan-declaration-a-statement-from-ligon-duncan.php|title=The Manhattan Declaration: A Statement from Ligon Duncan|last=Duncan|first=Ligon |date=December 2009}}</ref>
* Bishop Basil (Essey) of Wichita, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.<ref name="Boorstein" /><ref name="Goodstein">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/us/politics/20alliance.html|title=Christian Leaders Unite on Political Issues|last=Goodstein|first=Laurie|date= November 20, 2009 |work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 22, 2014}}</ref>
* Cardinal [[John Patrick Foley]], [[Grand Master (order)|Grand Master]] of the [[Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic)|Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem]]
* [[Timothy J. Keller]], Protestant apologist and pastor
* [[Richard Land|Richard D. Land]], President of the [[Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission|Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission]] of the [[Southern Baptist Convention]]
* Bishop [[Mark Maymon|Mark (Maymon)]], Diocese of Toledo, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
* [[Al Mohler]], president of [[Southern Baptist Theological Seminary]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.albertmohler.com/2009/11/23/why-i-signed-the-manhattan-declaration/|title=Why I Signed the Manhattan Declaration|last=Mohler|first=Al|date=September 23, 2009|access-date=December 13, 2009|archive-date=December 27, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091227082803/http://www.albertmohler.com/2009/11/23/why-i-signed-the-manhattan-declaration/?|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* David Neff, a Protestant journalist best known as [[editor in chief]] of ''[[Christianity Today]]''
* [[Jonah (Paffhausen)]], primate Metropolitan of the [[Orthodox Church in America]]
* [[Tony Perkins (politician)|Tony Perkins]], president of the [[Family Research Council]]
* [[Cornelius Plantinga]], emeritus President of [[Calvin Theological Seminary]]
* Cardinal [[Justin Francis Rigali]], Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
* [[Robert Sirico]], president of [[Acton Institute]]
* [[Robert B. Sloan]], president of [[Houston Baptist University]]
* [[Joseph Stowell]], president of [[Cornerstone University]]
* [[Chuck Swindoll]], chancellor of [[Dallas Theological Seminary]]
* [[Timothy C. Tennent]], president of [[Asbury Theological Seminary]]
* Archbishop [[Donald Wuerl|Donald William Wuerl]], Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
* [[Ravi Zacharias]], Christian apologetic, author, and lecturer

==Drafting committee==
The document was written by [[evangelical]] leader and Christian author [[Charles Colson]], [[Princeton University]] law professor [[Robert P. George]] and [[Beeson Divinity School]] dean [[Timothy George]].<ref name="Goodstein"/>

==Criticism==
Many prominent [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical]] figures opposed it, including [[John F. MacArthur]], [[D. James Kennedy]], [[Alistair Begg]], and [[R. C. Sproul]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Document on Interfaith Cooperation Causes Rift : Dispute: Unofficial paper drawn up between evangelicals and Catholics draws criticism from Protestants who say it undermines basic tenets.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-04-me-38744-story.html|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=March 4, 1995|access-date=July 5, 2020}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=October 2024|reason=Source article is from 1995, before the Manhattan Declaration was drafted, and appears to be about a different document.}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Irreconcilable Differences: Catholics, Evangelicals, and the New Quest for Unity, Parts 1-3 |url=https://www.gty.org/library/sermons-library/GTY54/irreconcilable-differences-catholics-evangelicals-and-the-new-quest-for-unity-parts-13 |publisher=[[Grace to You]]}}</ref>

Some religious leaders have criticized and protested the Manhattan Declaration, calling its principles in general, and its opposition to same-sex marriage in particular, contrary to the teachings of Jesus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2010/feb/12/this-minister-is-standing-on-the-side-of-love/|title=This minister is standing on the side of love|last=Kingman|first=Cecilia |date=February 12, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2010/10/15/20101015phoenix-gays-rights-march-liberal-clergy-group.html |work=Arizona Republic |first=Michael |last=Clancy |title=Liberal clergy plan gay-rights protest in Phoenix |date=October 15, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/10/16/20101016phoenix-clergy-gay-protest-catholics-brk.html |first=Amy B. |last=Wang |work=Arizona Republic |date=October 16, 2010 |title=Phoenix clergy protest Catholics stance on gays}}</ref> Catholic scholar [[Anthony Stevens-Arroyo]] wrote, "While two wars are being waged, with unemployment in double digits, the financial system of the world in suspense, these religious leaders declare that abortion, stem-cell use and same sex marriage override any other Gospel value. (You won't find Jesus saying anything about abortion or stem cells in the Gospel, but the Savior said a great deal about the homeless, the sick, and the hungry.) It's cheating to speak pious platitudes about Christianity and ignore Jesus' words."<ref>{{Cite web |first=Anthony |last=Stevens-Arroyo |date=December 8, 2009 |title=Catholic America: Cheating the gospel and the Church |website=OnFaith |url=https://www.onfaith.co/onfaith/2009/12/08/do-cheaters-ever-win |access-date=May 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517005933/https://www.onfaith.co/onfaith/2009/12/08/do-cheaters-ever-win |archive-date=May 17, 2018 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

Some discussed the document as a political strategy, regarding it as the religious right's effort to re-establish its relevance in the public square,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/janet_edwards/2010/02/a_time_to_every_purpose.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205183417/http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/janet_edwards/2010/02/a_time_to_every_purpose.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 5, 2010 |first=Janet |last=Edwards |title=Super Bowl a party, not a pulpit |date=February 2, 2010 |work=OnFaith blog}}</ref><ref name="onfaith1"/> but others noted that younger generations of evangelicals and Catholics were less likely to oppose same-sex marriage and more likely to prioritize economic issues over social, and that the document was thus unlikely to win them over.<ref name="onfaith1">{{Cite news |work=OnFaith blog |url=http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/catholic_bishops_as_culture_warriors.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091205093755/http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2009/11/catholic_bishops_as_culture_warriors.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 5, 2009 |first=John |last=Gehring |title=Catholic bishops as culture warriors |date=November 30, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |work=Christianity Today |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/novemberweb-only/147-21.0.html |date=November 24, 2009 |first=Tobin |last=Grant |title=What Does the Manhattan Declaration Really Mean?}}</ref> Stevens-Arroyo criticized fellow Catholics who signed the declaration for aligning themselves with evangelicals in what he described as opposition to the separation of church and state.<ref>{{Cite news |work=OnFaith blog |url=http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/anthony_m_stevens-arroyo/2010/11/inquisitorial_exceptionalism.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209001850/http://onfaith.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/anthony_m_stevens-arroyo/2010/11/inquisitorial_exceptionalism.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 9, 2010 |first=Anthony |last=Stevens-Arroyo |date=November 30, 2010 |title=Inquisitorial exceptionalism}}</ref>

The declaration's invocation of Martin Luther King and of the principles of civil disobedience has also been questioned.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/01/the_christian_rights_misreading_of_king.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100120154036/http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/01/the_christian_rights_misreading_of_king.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 20, 2010 |work=OnFaith blog |title=Christian Right's misreading of MLK |date=January 18, 2010 |first=Valerie |last=Dixon}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |work=[[Christianity.com]] |url=http://www.christianity.com/11623924/print/ |first=Julie |last=Ferwerda |title=Is the Manhattan Declaration an Affront to the Teachings of Jesus? |date=December 21, 2009 |access-date=July 22, 2011 |archive-date=September 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928224249/http://www.christianity.com/11623924/print/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> An editorial in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' characterized the invocation of King as "specious" and criticized the document, belittling the "anecdotes" regarding restrictions on Christians' religious freedom as "of the sort radio talk-show hosts purvey" or from outside the United States, and noting that federal law already exempts "believers in some cases from having to comply with applicable laws."<ref name="LATimes">{{Cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-nov-28-la-ed-disobedience28-2009nov28-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 28, 2009 |title=Christian leaders' stance on civil disobedience is dangerous}}</ref>

=== iOS app ===
{{Update|section|date=December 2016}}
In response to a petition which argued the Manhattan Declaration [[Application software|app]] promoted [[bigotry]] and [[homophobia]], which received 7,000 signatures, [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] removed the app from iPhones and iPads, in November 2010, and later from iTunes.<ref name="CNA">[https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/21530/signers-protest-removal-of-manhattan-declaration-app-from-itunes Signers protest removal of Manhattan Declaration app from iTunes], CNA, December 3, 2010</ref><ref name="Tenety">Tenety, Elizabeth (December 11, 2010). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/10/AR2010121005647.html "Apple zaps conservative Christian app"], ''The Washington Post''.</ref> Apple told [[CNN]] that the app had been removed because it "violates our developer guidelines by being offensive to large groups of people".<ref name="Tenety"/> The app had originally been rated by Apple as a +4, meaning that it contained no material deemed objectionable.<ref name="CNA"/><ref name="Tenety" />

A month later, organizers of the Manhattan Declaration resubmitted a modified version of the app.<ref name="sbcbaptist"/> The new version lacks a "quiz", which, in the old version, had asked questions about political issues and assigned a score based on a set of normative answers.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/12/12/Manhattan_Declaration_App_to_Return/ |publisher=The Advocate |title=Manhattan Declaration App to Return? |date=December 12, 2010}}</ref> As of December 10, 2010, more than 45,000 had signed a petition to have it reinstated.<ref name="sbcbaptist">Foust, Michael (December 10, 2010). [http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=34245 "Manhattan Declaration signers resubmit tweaked app to Apple"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306034539/http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=34245 |date=March 6, 2012 }}, ''Baptist Press''.</ref> [[Charles Colson]] voiced apprehension that Apple's move could have negative implications for more Christian apps, stating: "There is nothing in the Manhattan Declaration that is not rooted in Scripture. So if that becomes the offense then all the other apps would be subject to the same charge."<ref name="sbcbaptist"/><ref>Phan, Katherine T. (December 3, 2010). [http://www.christianpost.com/article/20101203/petition-asking-apple-to-reinstate-christian-app-gains-steam/ Petition Asking Apple to Reinstate Christian App Gains Steam], ''Christian Post''.</ref>

==Global response==
In 2010, similar declarations were released in the United Kingdom and Australia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.westminster2010.org.uk/news/20000-signatories-and-2000-facebook-fans-in-ten-days-for-westminster-2/|title=Westminster 2010 webpage|accessdate=December 20, 2023|archive-date=November 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128030219/http://www.westminster2010.org.uk/news/20000-signatories-and-2000-facebook-fans-in-ten-days-for-westminster-2/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://canberradeclaration.org.au/join-us/read-declaration/|title=Read Declaration|first=Guest|last=Writer|accessdate=December 20, 2023}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Christianity and abortion]]
*[[Christianity and homosexuality]]
*[[Nashville Statement]]
*[[Phoenix Declaration]]
*[[Westminster 2010: Declaration of Christian Conscience]]

==External links==
*[http://manhattandeclaration.org The Manhattan Declaration - Life, Marriage & Religious Liberty] Website
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130901171332/http://demossnews.com/manhattandeclaration/press_kit/manhattan_declaration_signers Manhattan Declaration & Signers]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150316212602/http://archny.org/manhattan-declaration The Manhattan Declaration - Archdiocese of New York] Website
*[https://canberradeclaration.org.au/join-us/read-declaration/ Canberra Declaration website]

[[Category:Christian ecumenism]]
[[Category:Christianity and politics in the United States]]
[[Category:Christianity in New York City]]
[[Category:Freedom of religion in the United States]]
[[Category:History of Manhattan]]
[[Category:LGBTQ rights in the United States]]
[[Category:Opposition to same-sex marriage in the United States]]
[[Category:Anti-abortion movement in the United States]]
[[Category:2009 documents]]
[[Category:2009 in Christianity]]
[[Category:Christian statements of faith]]
[[Category:Anti-LGBTQ and Christianity]]

== References ==

The Manhattan Declaration

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#redirect [[Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience]]

Manhattan declaration

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BrantleyRider: Redirected page to Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience

#redirect [[Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience]]

Sandbox:Test

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BrantleyRider: /* Side-by-Side Template */

This is a sandbox page to test things! Please add below this line or create your own page in the Sandbox project namespace (for example: [[Sandbox:Page name here]]).

==Sandbox (Misc)==
[[creationwiki:Creation|Creationism]]

{{Bible quote| It came to pass also, that seven brethren, together with their mother, were apprehended, and compelled by the king to eat swine's flesh against the law, for which end they were tormented with whips and scourges.|book=2 Maccabees|chap=7|verses=1|version=DRA}}

{{Bible ref|book=1 Corinthians|chap=1|verses=1-18|version=ASV}}

[[britannica:United States|USA]]

==Side-by-Side Template==
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==Notes testing==
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==References==

Sufficiency Statement

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BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox statement
| image = File:The-Sufficiency-Statement.png
| topics = [[Biblical Counseling]] [[Sufficiency of Scripture]]
| published_date = December 2024
| website = [https://sufficiencystatement.com sufficiencystatement.com]
}}

The '''Sufficiency Statement ''' (full title: '''A Statement from Biblical Counseling Leaders on Common Grace, the Sufficiency of Scripture, and Conduct in Contemporary Conflict''') is is a theological declaration issued in December 2024 by leaders within the [[biblical counseling]] movement.<ref>https://sufficiencystatement.com</ref> It addresses internal debates over the doctrines of the [[sufficiency of Scripture]] and [[common grace]], reaffirming that Scripture alone is sufficient for counseling ministry without supplementation from secular psychology. The statement seeks to clarify confusion and prevent mischaracterizations that could lead believers astray.

It has been signed by hundreds of biblical counselors, pastors, scholars, and practitioners, including prominent figures such as Dr. [[John MacArthur]], Dr. Heath Lambert, and Dr. Josh Zeichik.

== Background ==
The statement emerged from ongoing discussions and tensions within the biblical counseling movement regarding the proper role (if any) of insights from secular psychology and the interpretation of common grace. Its preamble expresses profound concern that recent mischaracterizations of the sufficiency of Scripture and common grace threaten to undermine the movement's foundational commitment to equipping God's people solely through the Word of God for issues of sin and suffering.

The primary goal articulated is to honor Jesus Christ by upholding the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. The document positions itself as a clarification rather than an attack, while acknowledging that conflict over core doctrines is sometimes necessary and biblical.

== Full Text of the Statement ==

=== I. Preamble ===
We are counseling leaders, scholars, authors, practitioners, and pastors who are profoundly concerned about current debates within the biblical counseling movement. Our primary goal is to honor Jesus Christ, who has revealed himself and his will for our lives in the pages of his authoritative and sufficient Word. We are committed to helping God’s people who struggle with sin and suffering by equipping them with the pure milk of God’s Word. In that spirit we address the current conflict and seek to clarify the confusion surrounding the doctrines of the sufficiency of Scripture and common grace. The recent mischaracterizations of these doctrines, whether intentional or not, threaten to lead many astray.

=== II. On the Sufficiency of Scripture ===
As one of the four perfections of Scripture, the doctrine of biblical sufficiency teaches that Christians require no additional revelation to understand how to please God in any area of life. It is a bedrock theological foundation of the biblical counseling movement.

* '''A.''' As this doctrine is applied to counseling, it means that Christians require no special knowledge or methodology drawn from outside Scripture to construct a system of counseling care. Scripture explicitly claims to address our entire spiritual life, including the challenges faced in a fallen world which are the same challenges we face in counseling conversations.
* '''B.''' Counseling ministry does not stand in need of any insights from secular psychology, which views people, their problems, and the corresponding counseling methods primarily according to philosophies and practices that are opposed to the Bible.
* '''C.''' The sufficiency of Scripture does not mean the Bible is a detailed and exhaustive catalog of all knowledge. It does mean that what is given to us in God’s Word provides all the truth we need to address our spiritual needs. The Bible’s rich treasure of wisdom and knowledge provides comprehensive information that applies explicitly or implicitly to every counseling issue in ways that are pleasing to God and good for people.
* '''D.''' Any approach to counseling that attempts to supplement Scripture with secular resources is in error and will harm those it means to help. Such attempts constitute an implicit denial of Scripture’s authority and sufficiency. Accordingly, such practices exist outside the stream of faithful biblical counseling and discipleship.

''Supporting Scriptures: Psalm 19:7-11; 119:105; Proverbs 1:20-33; 1 Corinthians 1-3; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3-21''

=== III. On the Doctrine of Common Grace ===
Common grace is the biblical truth that God shows kindness and gives good gifts to all people, regardless of their faith or moral standing. It is an undeserved favor that temporarily postpones the full judgment of sin so that sinners may enjoy life, receive the blessing of God’s patience, and have opportunity to repent. Common grace limits the destructive power of sin. It enables fallen sinners to perceive many truths about God and his creation that are embodied in nature. In their fallen state, however, sinners always twist or suppress God’s truth. This doctrine of common grace has a rich tradition in church history, occupies a vital place in Christian theology, and is embraced by every faithful biblical counselor.

* '''A.''' The minds of unbelievers are blinded by sin, darkened to the truth, and unable to see anything properly from God’s perspective. Despite this, God’s common grace makes it possible for unbelievers to observe and apprehend many useful facts, principles, and features of creation. These insights can be used to improve the quality of life in various ways. But common grace alone cannot redeem a sinner or offer any help for the underlying sin problem at the foundation of all human trouble.
* '''B.''' Common grace may enable secular therapists at times to utilize counseling techniques that offer a measure of symptom relief to troubled people. The existence of such help is not an argument to copy the secular therapist, but rather to rely on God, who has fully revealed superior methods of care in the text of Scripture.
* '''C.''' In a world corrupted by sin, God has assigned limits to the doctrine of common grace because only his redeeming grace can renew the minds of fallen people. Common grace cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information a person claims to know. It offers no reliable means for verifying truth claims. It does not enable an unbeliever to see truth from God’s perspective. The inability of unbelievers to see information from God’s point of view is why the Bible never uses the existence of common grace as an argument to supplement the counseling resources in Scripture with human philosophies like secular psychology.
* '''D.''' The use of the doctrine of common grace to justify implementing secular psychology into counseling care is incorrect, unhelpful, and outside the tradition of faithful biblical counseling and discipleship.

''Supporting Scriptures: Psalm 145:9; Isaiah 6:9; John 1:9; Romans 1:18; 2:4; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, 14; Ephesians 4:17-19; 1 Timothy 4:10; Titus 1:15; 2 Peter 1:19''

=== IV. On Conduct in Contemporary Conflict ===
Conflict is an unfortunate reality in a world marred by sin. Even among Christians, seasons of conflict have arisen throughout history, and factions and divisions will continue until Christ returns. It is not in our power to end the current conflict, but we can encourage one another to wise and compassionate conduct.

* '''A.''' Scripture acknowledges that some matters are worthy of conflict even when that conflict is unpleasant. The current dispute in biblical counseling concerns the character of God, the content of his revealed Word, and the care we offer to people in need of help. It is a mark of faithfulness, not divisiveness, to advance strong and careful arguments regarding these crucial matters.
* '''B.''' Believers who engage these issues must advance the cause of truth by carefully understanding the issues and faithfully representing the arguments of those with whom they disagree.
* '''C.''' All who bear the name of Christ, especially those serving in ministry, must be humble and open to correction. We should not assume that principled disagreement signals a lack of love between believers, nor should we accuse fellow Christians of an attack because they hold a different position than our own.
* '''D.''' Biblical counselors must demonstrate love for fellow Christians, even when they have significant disagreements. Such love should shape the way we express our disagreements and our attitudes toward those with whom we differ. Strong disagreement should never diminish our personal care for one another.

''Supporting Scriptures: John 13:35; 1 Corinthians 11:18-19; Galatians 2:11-14; Ephesians 4:15; 1 Timothy 3:15''

== Key Themes ==
* The absolute sufficiency of Scripture for all aspects of counseling and Christian living, without need for secular psychological methodologies.
* Affirmation of common grace as God's kindness to all humanity, but with clear limits that do not justify integrating secular psychology into biblical counseling.
* The importance of engaging in doctrinal conflict with humility, love, and accurate representation of opposing views.
* Commitment to equipping believers solely through the "pure milk of God’s Word" for sin and suffering.

== Reception and Impact ==
The statement has been welcomed by many within the traditional biblical counseling community as a needed clarification and defense of core principles. It has sparked discussion (and some controversy) regarding the boundaries of integration between biblical truth and secular insights in counseling practice. As of early 2025, it continues to gather signatures from counselors, pastors, and educators associated with organizations such as the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) and related ministries.

== See also ==
* [[Biblical counseling]]
* [[Sufficiency of Scripture]]
* [[Common grace]]
* [[Integration (psychology and theology)]]
* [[John MacArthur]]

== External links ==
* [https://sufficiencystatement.com Official website]

==References==

[[Category:2024 documents]]
[[Category:Christian statements]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism]]
[[Category:Biblical counseling]]
[[Category:Documents on the sufficiency of Scripture]]

Sufficiency Statement

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BrantleyRider: Created page with "{{Infobox statement | image = File:The-Sufficiency-Statement.png | topics = Biblical Counseling Sufficiency of Scripture | published_date = December 2024 | website = [https://sufficiencystatement.com sufficiencystatement.com] }} The '''Sufficiency Statement ''' (full title: '''A Statement from Biblical Counseling Leaders on Common Grace, the Sufficiency of Scripture, and Conduct in Contemporary Conflict''') is is a theological declaration issued in December 2..."

{{Infobox statement
| image = File:The-Sufficiency-Statement.png
| topics = [[Biblical Counseling]] [[Sufficiency of Scripture]]
| published_date = December 2024
| website = [https://sufficiencystatement.com sufficiencystatement.com]
}}

The '''Sufficiency Statement ''' (full title: '''A Statement from Biblical Counseling Leaders on Common Grace, the Sufficiency of Scripture, and Conduct in Contemporary Conflict''') is is a theological declaration issued in December 2024 by leaders within the [[biblical counseling]] movement. It addresses internal debates over the doctrines of the [[sufficiency of Scripture]] and [[common grace]], reaffirming that Scripture alone is sufficient for counseling ministry without supplementation from secular psychology. The statement seeks to clarify confusion and prevent mischaracterizations that could lead believers astray.

It has been signed by hundreds of biblical counselors, pastors, scholars, and practitioners, including prominent figures such as Dr. [[John MacArthur]], Dr. Heath Lambert, and Dr. Josh Zeichik.

== Background ==
The statement emerged from ongoing discussions and tensions within the biblical counseling movement regarding the proper role (if any) of insights from secular psychology and the interpretation of common grace. Its preamble expresses profound concern that recent mischaracterizations of the sufficiency of Scripture and common grace threaten to undermine the movement's foundational commitment to equipping God's people solely through the Word of God for issues of sin and suffering.

The primary goal articulated is to honor Jesus Christ by upholding the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. The document positions itself as a clarification rather than an attack, while acknowledging that conflict over core doctrines is sometimes necessary and biblical.

== Full Text of the Statement ==

=== I. Preamble ===
We are counseling leaders, scholars, authors, practitioners, and pastors who are profoundly concerned about current debates within the biblical counseling movement. Our primary goal is to honor Jesus Christ, who has revealed himself and his will for our lives in the pages of his authoritative and sufficient Word. We are committed to helping God’s people who struggle with sin and suffering by equipping them with the pure milk of God’s Word. In that spirit we address the current conflict and seek to clarify the confusion surrounding the doctrines of the sufficiency of Scripture and common grace. The recent mischaracterizations of these doctrines, whether intentional or not, threaten to lead many astray.

=== II. On the Sufficiency of Scripture ===
As one of the four perfections of Scripture, the doctrine of biblical sufficiency teaches that Christians require no additional revelation to understand how to please God in any area of life. It is a bedrock theological foundation of the biblical counseling movement.

* '''A.''' As this doctrine is applied to counseling, it means that Christians require no special knowledge or methodology drawn from outside Scripture to construct a system of counseling care. Scripture explicitly claims to address our entire spiritual life, including the challenges faced in a fallen world which are the same challenges we face in counseling conversations.
* '''B.''' Counseling ministry does not stand in need of any insights from secular psychology, which views people, their problems, and the corresponding counseling methods primarily according to philosophies and practices that are opposed to the Bible.
* '''C.''' The sufficiency of Scripture does not mean the Bible is a detailed and exhaustive catalog of all knowledge. It does mean that what is given to us in God’s Word provides all the truth we need to address our spiritual needs. The Bible’s rich treasure of wisdom and knowledge provides comprehensive information that applies explicitly or implicitly to every counseling issue in ways that are pleasing to God and good for people.
* '''D.''' Any approach to counseling that attempts to supplement Scripture with secular resources is in error and will harm those it means to help. Such attempts constitute an implicit denial of Scripture’s authority and sufficiency. Accordingly, such practices exist outside the stream of faithful biblical counseling and discipleship.

''Supporting Scriptures: Psalm 19:7-11; 119:105; Proverbs 1:20-33; 1 Corinthians 1-3; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3-21''

=== III. On the Doctrine of Common Grace ===
Common grace is the biblical truth that God shows kindness and gives good gifts to all people, regardless of their faith or moral standing. It is an undeserved favor that temporarily postpones the full judgment of sin so that sinners may enjoy life, receive the blessing of God’s patience, and have opportunity to repent. Common grace limits the destructive power of sin. It enables fallen sinners to perceive many truths about God and his creation that are embodied in nature. In their fallen state, however, sinners always twist or suppress God’s truth. This doctrine of common grace has a rich tradition in church history, occupies a vital place in Christian theology, and is embraced by every faithful biblical counselor.

* '''A.''' The minds of unbelievers are blinded by sin, darkened to the truth, and unable to see anything properly from God’s perspective. Despite this, God’s common grace makes it possible for unbelievers to observe and apprehend many useful facts, principles, and features of creation. These insights can be used to improve the quality of life in various ways. But common grace alone cannot redeem a sinner or offer any help for the underlying sin problem at the foundation of all human trouble.
* '''B.''' Common grace may enable secular therapists at times to utilize counseling techniques that offer a measure of symptom relief to troubled people. The existence of such help is not an argument to copy the secular therapist, but rather to rely on God, who has fully revealed superior methods of care in the text of Scripture.
* '''C.''' In a world corrupted by sin, God has assigned limits to the doctrine of common grace because only his redeeming grace can renew the minds of fallen people. Common grace cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information a person claims to know. It offers no reliable means for verifying truth claims. It does not enable an unbeliever to see truth from God’s perspective. The inability of unbelievers to see information from God’s point of view is why the Bible never uses the existence of common grace as an argument to supplement the counseling resources in Scripture with human philosophies like secular psychology.
* '''D.''' The use of the doctrine of common grace to justify implementing secular psychology into counseling care is incorrect, unhelpful, and outside the tradition of faithful biblical counseling and discipleship.

''Supporting Scriptures: Psalm 145:9; Isaiah 6:9; John 1:9; Romans 1:18; 2:4; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, 14; Ephesians 4:17-19; 1 Timothy 4:10; Titus 1:15; 2 Peter 1:19''

=== IV. On Conduct in Contemporary Conflict ===
Conflict is an unfortunate reality in a world marred by sin. Even among Christians, seasons of conflict have arisen throughout history, and factions and divisions will continue until Christ returns. It is not in our power to end the current conflict, but we can encourage one another to wise and compassionate conduct.

* '''A.''' Scripture acknowledges that some matters are worthy of conflict even when that conflict is unpleasant. The current dispute in biblical counseling concerns the character of God, the content of his revealed Word, and the care we offer to people in need of help. It is a mark of faithfulness, not divisiveness, to advance strong and careful arguments regarding these crucial matters.
* '''B.''' Believers who engage these issues must advance the cause of truth by carefully understanding the issues and faithfully representing the arguments of those with whom they disagree.
* '''C.''' All who bear the name of Christ, especially those serving in ministry, must be humble and open to correction. We should not assume that principled disagreement signals a lack of love between believers, nor should we accuse fellow Christians of an attack because they hold a different position than our own.
* '''D.''' Biblical counselors must demonstrate love for fellow Christians, even when they have significant disagreements. Such love should shape the way we express our disagreements and our attitudes toward those with whom we differ. Strong disagreement should never diminish our personal care for one another.

''Supporting Scriptures: John 13:35; 1 Corinthians 11:18-19; Galatians 2:11-14; Ephesians 4:15; 1 Timothy 3:15''

== Key Themes ==
* The absolute sufficiency of Scripture for all aspects of counseling and Christian living, without need for secular psychological methodologies.
* Affirmation of common grace as God's kindness to all humanity, but with clear limits that do not justify integrating secular psychology into biblical counseling.
* The importance of engaging in doctrinal conflict with humility, love, and accurate representation of opposing views.
* Commitment to equipping believers solely through the "pure milk of God’s Word" for sin and suffering.

== Reception and Impact ==
The statement has been welcomed by many within the traditional biblical counseling community as a needed clarification and defense of core principles. It has sparked discussion (and some controversy) regarding the boundaries of integration between biblical truth and secular insights in counseling practice. As of early 2025, it continues to gather signatures from counselors, pastors, and educators associated with organizations such as the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) and related ministries.

== See also ==
* [[Biblical counseling]]
* [[Sufficiency of Scripture]]
* [[Common grace]]
* [[Integration (psychology and theology)]]
* [[John MacArthur]]

== External links ==
* [https://sufficiencystatement.com Official website]

==References==

[[Category:2024 documents]]
[[Category:Christian statements]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism]]
[[Category:Biblical counseling]]
[[Category:Documents on the sufficiency of Scripture]]

File:The-Sufficiency-Statement.png

2026-04-07T04:19:54Z

BrantleyRider:

== Licensing ==
{{FU}}

The Sufficiency Statement

2026-04-07T04:15:12Z

BrantleyRider: Redirected page to Sufficiency Statement

#redirect [[Sufficiency Statement]]

Niagara Declaration

2026-04-07T04:05:40Z

BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox statement
| image = File:The-Niagra-Declaration.jpg
| topics = Church & State
| published_date = September 2020
| website = https://www.niagaradeclaration.ca/
}}

The '''Niagara 2020 Declaration''' (full title: '''The Niagara 2020 Declaration on the Liberties of the Church in Canada from Sea to Sea''') is a public theological statement issued in September 2020 by a group of Canadian Christian leaders. It affirms the divine rights and historic liberties of the Church of Jesus Christ in Canada, asserting its independence from state interference in spiritual matters while acknowledging the God-ordained but limited role of civil government. The document responds to perceived cultural shifts, legal pressures, and restrictions on churches, particularly during the early stages of the [[wikipedia:COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 pandemic]] in Canada.<ref>https://niagaradeclaration.com</ref>

It has been signed by representatives of approximately 283 churches, organizations, and elected officials, primarily from confessionally orthodox Protestant traditions.

== Background ==
The declaration originated from a gathering of Christian leaders in the Niagara region of Ontario in the fall of 2020. It addresses what the drafters describe as a national spiritual crisis: a broad cultural abandonment of Canada's historic Christian heritage, increasing state overreach into church affairs, and threats to religious liberties through legislation, court decisions, bylaws on sexuality and gender, emergency restrictions, and proposed Criminal Code amendments.

The preamble highlights the Church's divine origin and authority under Christ (''jure divino''), references historic documents such as [[Magna Carta]], the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (with its recognition of the supremacy of God), and biblical principles of sphere sovereignty between church and state. It emphasizes that the Church existed long before the Dominion of Canada and possesses inherent rights that civil authorities must respect.

Primary contacts include Rev. Dr. Joseph Boot (Westminster Chapel), Rev. Dr. Aaron Rock (Harvest Bible Church), and Rev. Dr. Michael Thiessen (Liberty Coalition Canada). The declaration seeks to rally diverse Canadian churches around a united witness for the freedom of the Gospel and the protection of church liberties.

== Full Structure and Key Content ==

=== Preamble ===
The preamble sets forth the cultural and spiritual context of Canada, rejecting "liberty without the Gospel" and similar secular formulations. It affirms Christ's total authority over nations (citing passages such as Psalm 2, Colossians 1, and Revelation 1), the divine institution of the Church (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1), and the mutual limitation of church and state sovereignties (Mark 12:17; Acts 5:29; Romans 13). It invokes Canada's Christian constitutional heritage, including the Coronation Oath and national motto ''A mari usque ad mare'' (from Psalm 72:8).

The signatories then declare that certain God-given and historically inherited liberties of the Church must be observed, maintained, and protected.

=== Articles (Summary of Key Liberties) ===
The declaration lists a series of articles affirming specific liberties (the full text expands on each with biblical and legal grounding):

* '''Liberty in all spiritual matters''': No civil interference in worship, sacraments, discipline, teaching, or pastoral guidance. The Bible must be freely proclaimed without penalty.
* '''Liberty to preach the Gospel''': Freedom to evangelize, plant churches, and disciple converts without censorship.
* '''Liberty of doctrine''': Churches may define and teach their theological and moral doctrines under Christ's lordship without state interference.
* '''Liberty of conscience''': No coercion to act against one's religious, moral, or philosophical beliefs.
* '''Liberties related to the Christian family''': Parents may disciple and educate their children in the faith without state seizure or reprisal.
* '''Liberties related to ministers of the Gospel''': Protection for clergy in performing their duties (referencing section 176 of the Criminal Code).
* '''Liberties related to gatherings for religious worship''': Freedom to assemble in person for worship, prayer, and ministry, even in times of crisis, while open to dialog with authorities on genuine public health concerns.

Additional articles address immunity from certain taxation burdens on the Church and the universal application of these liberties without partiality.

=== Conclusion ===
The declaration concludes by affirming scriptural truth, urging the defense of these liberties for future generations, and offering a prayer for civil authorities to fulfill their God-given role.

== Key Themes ==
* Christ's supreme lordship over all spheres of life, including nations and governments.
* Sphere sovereignty: Distinct, God-ordained roles for church, family, and state, with the state limited to justice and protection of rights.
* Divine right (''jure divino'') of the Church versus state-granted permissions.
* Defense of religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and the public proclamation of the Gospel.
* Critique of secularism, state totalitarianism, and cultural abandonment of Christian norms.
* Appeal to Canada's Christian constitutional and common law heritage.

== Reception and Impact ==
The Niagara Declaration has been supported by many conservative evangelical, Reformed, and confessionally orthodox Canadian Christians as a timely affirmation of biblical church-state relations and a stand against perceived government overreach during the pandemic and on issues of sexuality, education, and conscience.

Critics, including some from more progressive or mainstream perspectives, have viewed it as reflecting a form of Christian reconstructionism or as overly confrontational toward public health measures and evolving social norms.

The document remains active, with a signatory list and PDF version available on the official site. It has been discussed in Canadian Christian media and linked to broader conversations on religious freedom in Canada.

== See also ==
* [[Religious freedom in Canada]]
* [[Sphere sovereignty]]
* [[COVID-19 pandemic and religious restrictions in Canada]]
* [[Barmen Declaration]] (historical parallel)
* [[Frankfurt Declaration of Christian & Civil Liberties]]

== External links ==
* [https://www.niagaradeclaration.ca Official website]

== References ==

[[Category:2020 documents]]
[[Category:Christian statements]]
[[Category:Religious liberty in Canada]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism in Canada]]
[[Category:Documents related to the COVID-19 pandemic]]
[[Category:Canadian Christianity]]

Niagara Declaration

2026-04-07T04:05:23Z

BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox statement
| image = File:The-Niagra-Declaration.jpg
| topics = Church & State
| published_date = September 2020
| website = https://www.niagaradeclaration.ca/
}}

The '''Niagara 2020 Declaration''' (full title: '''The Niagara 2020 Declaration on the Liberties of the Church in Canada from Sea to Sea''') is a public theological statement issued in September 2020 by a group of Canadian Christian leaders. It affirms the divine rights and historic liberties of the Church of Jesus Christ in Canada, asserting its independence from state interference in spiritual matters while acknowledging the God-ordained but limited role of civil government. The document responds to perceived cultural shifts, legal pressures, and restrictions on churches, particularly during the early stages of the [[wikipedia:COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 pandemic]] in Canada.<ref>niagaradeclaration</ref>

It has been signed by representatives of approximately 283 churches, organizations, and elected officials, primarily from confessionally orthodox Protestant traditions.

== Background ==
The declaration originated from a gathering of Christian leaders in the Niagara region of Ontario in the fall of 2020. It addresses what the drafters describe as a national spiritual crisis: a broad cultural abandonment of Canada's historic Christian heritage, increasing state overreach into church affairs, and threats to religious liberties through legislation, court decisions, bylaws on sexuality and gender, emergency restrictions, and proposed Criminal Code amendments.

The preamble highlights the Church's divine origin and authority under Christ (''jure divino''), references historic documents such as [[Magna Carta]], the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (with its recognition of the supremacy of God), and biblical principles of sphere sovereignty between church and state. It emphasizes that the Church existed long before the Dominion of Canada and possesses inherent rights that civil authorities must respect.

Primary contacts include Rev. Dr. Joseph Boot (Westminster Chapel), Rev. Dr. Aaron Rock (Harvest Bible Church), and Rev. Dr. Michael Thiessen (Liberty Coalition Canada). The declaration seeks to rally diverse Canadian churches around a united witness for the freedom of the Gospel and the protection of church liberties.

== Full Structure and Key Content ==

=== Preamble ===
The preamble sets forth the cultural and spiritual context of Canada, rejecting "liberty without the Gospel" and similar secular formulations. It affirms Christ's total authority over nations (citing passages such as Psalm 2, Colossians 1, and Revelation 1), the divine institution of the Church (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1), and the mutual limitation of church and state sovereignties (Mark 12:17; Acts 5:29; Romans 13). It invokes Canada's Christian constitutional heritage, including the Coronation Oath and national motto ''A mari usque ad mare'' (from Psalm 72:8).

The signatories then declare that certain God-given and historically inherited liberties of the Church must be observed, maintained, and protected.

=== Articles (Summary of Key Liberties) ===
The declaration lists a series of articles affirming specific liberties (the full text expands on each with biblical and legal grounding):

* '''Liberty in all spiritual matters''': No civil interference in worship, sacraments, discipline, teaching, or pastoral guidance. The Bible must be freely proclaimed without penalty.
* '''Liberty to preach the Gospel''': Freedom to evangelize, plant churches, and disciple converts without censorship.
* '''Liberty of doctrine''': Churches may define and teach their theological and moral doctrines under Christ's lordship without state interference.
* '''Liberty of conscience''': No coercion to act against one's religious, moral, or philosophical beliefs.
* '''Liberties related to the Christian family''': Parents may disciple and educate their children in the faith without state seizure or reprisal.
* '''Liberties related to ministers of the Gospel''': Protection for clergy in performing their duties (referencing section 176 of the Criminal Code).
* '''Liberties related to gatherings for religious worship''': Freedom to assemble in person for worship, prayer, and ministry, even in times of crisis, while open to dialog with authorities on genuine public health concerns.

Additional articles address immunity from certain taxation burdens on the Church and the universal application of these liberties without partiality.

=== Conclusion ===
The declaration concludes by affirming scriptural truth, urging the defense of these liberties for future generations, and offering a prayer for civil authorities to fulfill their God-given role.

== Key Themes ==
* Christ's supreme lordship over all spheres of life, including nations and governments.
* Sphere sovereignty: Distinct, God-ordained roles for church, family, and state, with the state limited to justice and protection of rights.
* Divine right (''jure divino'') of the Church versus state-granted permissions.
* Defense of religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and the public proclamation of the Gospel.
* Critique of secularism, state totalitarianism, and cultural abandonment of Christian norms.
* Appeal to Canada's Christian constitutional and common law heritage.

== Reception and Impact ==
The Niagara Declaration has been supported by many conservative evangelical, Reformed, and confessionally orthodox Canadian Christians as a timely affirmation of biblical church-state relations and a stand against perceived government overreach during the pandemic and on issues of sexuality, education, and conscience.

Critics, including some from more progressive or mainstream perspectives, have viewed it as reflecting a form of Christian reconstructionism or as overly confrontational toward public health measures and evolving social norms.

The document remains active, with a signatory list and PDF version available on the official site. It has been discussed in Canadian Christian media and linked to broader conversations on religious freedom in Canada.

== See also ==
* [[Religious freedom in Canada]]
* [[Sphere sovereignty]]
* [[COVID-19 pandemic and religious restrictions in Canada]]
* [[Barmen Declaration]] (historical parallel)
* [[Frankfurt Declaration of Christian & Civil Liberties]]

== External links ==
* [https://www.niagaradeclaration.ca Official website]

== References ==

[[Category:2020 documents]]
[[Category:Christian statements]]
[[Category:Religious liberty in Canada]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism in Canada]]
[[Category:Documents related to the COVID-19 pandemic]]
[[Category:Canadian Christianity]]

Frankfurt Declaration

2026-04-07T04:05:04Z

BrantleyRider: /* External links */

{{Infobox statement
| image = The-Frankfurt-Declaration.png
| topics = Church & State
| published_date = August 2022
| website = [https://frankfurtdeclaration.com frankfurtdeclaration.com]
}}

The '''Frankfurt Declaration of Christian & Civil Liberties''' (also known as '''The Frankfurt Declaration''') is a theological statement issued in August 2022. It was drafted by a small group of evangelical pastors from Europe, North America, and Africa in response to government measures during the [[wikipedia:COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 pandemic]], which they viewed as an emergent totalitarianism that overreached into the spheres of the church, family, and individual conscience. The document uses an affirmations-and-denials format modeled after historic Christian confessions and calls Christians to prioritize obedience to God over conflicting state mandates.<ref>https://frankfurtdeclaration.com</ref>

The declaration has been signed by thousands of pastors, theologians, and church leaders worldwide, including prominent figures such as [[John MacArthur]], [[Voddie Baucham]], [[James Coates]], and [[Douglas Wilson]]. Signatories represent diverse countries and Reformed, Baptist, and evangelical traditions.

== Background ==
The preamble states that "in the course of human events, it sometimes becomes necessary for people of good faith to speak out against the abuse of power" after "serious and prayerful deliberation." The authors were motivated by what they described as state disregard for God-given and constitutionally protected rights during the COVID-19 crisis, including restrictions on corporate worship, medical mandates, and limitations on family and church life.

The document was published on the website frankfurtdeclaration.com and quickly gained international attention. It has been praised by supporters as a bold defense of Christian liberty and criticized by some as overly political or insufficiently nuanced regarding public health measures.

== Structure and Content ==
The declaration consists of a preamble, five articles (each with "We Affirm" and "We Therefore Deny" sections), biblical references, and a concluding call for respect, repentance, and resistance.

=== Preamble ===
The preamble explains the necessity of protesting abuse of power while maintaining respect for God-ordained authorities. It references biblical examples and affirms the hope that authorities will resume their role as protectors of liberty.

=== Article 1: God the Creator as Sovereign Lawgiver and Judge ===
Affirms the Triune God as Creator, Sovereign, and ultimate Lawgiver whose moral law is unchanging and revealed in Scripture and conscience. Denies materialistic views of reality and the state's right to define morality contrary to God's law or demand unconditional obedience when it conflicts with divine commands.

=== Article 2: God as the Source of Truth and the Role of Science ===
Affirms God as the source of objective truth and endorses genuine science while acknowledging its limits and human sinfulness. Denies that governments are morally neutral, rejects fear-mongering or ideological manipulation by the state and media, and opposes "scientism" that oversteps into ethical or policy domains.

=== Article 3: Mankind as the Image of God ===
Affirms the inherent dignity of every person as bearing the ''imago Dei'', along with inalienable rights including corporate worship, family relationships, work, and medical self-determination. Denies dehumanizing state actions such as psychological manipulation, medical coercion, vaccine passports, and restrictions on the uninfected. Opposes trends toward transhumanism and technological control.

=== Article 4: God-given Mandates and Limits of Authority ===
Affirms that all authority derives from God and is limited to distinct spheres: civil government (to punish evil and protect rights), the church (to make disciples), and the family (to raise children in the Lord). Denies totalitarian overreach that usurps the God-given roles of church and family.

=== Article 5: Christ as the Head of the Church ===
Affirms that the Church belongs to Christ alone and is accountable to Him in all matters of faith and practice. Denies any earthly authority's right to dictate the Church's worship, ordinances, or mission.

=== Conclusion: Call for Respect, Repentance, & Resistance ===
Expresses gratitude to authorities who respect Christian liberties, calls on others to repent, and firmly resists commands to obey the state rather than God (citing Daniel 3). Encourages believers to stand firm, support the persecuted, and persevere.

== Key Themes ==
* God's absolute sovereignty over morality, truth, and human institutions.
* Limited, sphere-specific authority of the state (rejecting totalitarianism).
* Inherent human dignity and religious/civil liberties rooted in the ''imago Dei''.
* Prioritizing obedience to Christ over conflicting civil mandates.
* Critique of secular humanism, scientism, and state overreach during the COVID era.

== Reception and Impact ==
The declaration received support from many conservative evangelicals who saw it as a timely stand for religious freedom and a reminder that "Christ, not Caesar, is head of the Church." Critics, including some from more progressive or mainstream evangelical circles, argued it downplayed public health responsibilities or reflected a particular political perspective.

As of late 2022, it had gathered thousands of signatures (reports varied from over 3,200 to nearly 5,000 early on), with an active sign-up page continuing to add names from around the world. The document is available in multiple languages and has been discussed in Christian media, podcasts, and conferences.

== See also ==
* [[wikipedia:COVID-19 pandemic and religious restrictions|COVID-19 pandemic and religious restrictions]]
* [[wikipedia:Religious freedom|Religious freedom]]
* [[Sphere sovereignty]]
* [[Barmen Declaration]] (for historical comparison as a confessional response to state overreach)
* [[Christian libertarianism]]

== External links ==
* [https://frankfurtdeclaration.com Official website]

==References==
[[Category:2022 documents]]
[[Category:Christian statements]]
[[Category:Religious liberty]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism]]
[[Category:Documents related to the COVID-19 pandemic]]

Frankfurt Declaration

2026-04-07T04:04:51Z

BrantleyRider: /* External links */

{{Infobox statement
| image = The-Frankfurt-Declaration.png
| topics = Church & State
| published_date = August 2022
| website = [https://frankfurtdeclaration.com frankfurtdeclaration.com]
}}

The '''Frankfurt Declaration of Christian & Civil Liberties''' (also known as '''The Frankfurt Declaration''') is a theological statement issued in August 2022. It was drafted by a small group of evangelical pastors from Europe, North America, and Africa in response to government measures during the [[wikipedia:COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 pandemic]], which they viewed as an emergent totalitarianism that overreached into the spheres of the church, family, and individual conscience. The document uses an affirmations-and-denials format modeled after historic Christian confessions and calls Christians to prioritize obedience to God over conflicting state mandates.<ref>https://frankfurtdeclaration.com</ref>

The declaration has been signed by thousands of pastors, theologians, and church leaders worldwide, including prominent figures such as [[John MacArthur]], [[Voddie Baucham]], [[James Coates]], and [[Douglas Wilson]]. Signatories represent diverse countries and Reformed, Baptist, and evangelical traditions.

== Background ==
The preamble states that "in the course of human events, it sometimes becomes necessary for people of good faith to speak out against the abuse of power" after "serious and prayerful deliberation." The authors were motivated by what they described as state disregard for God-given and constitutionally protected rights during the COVID-19 crisis, including restrictions on corporate worship, medical mandates, and limitations on family and church life.

The document was published on the website frankfurtdeclaration.com and quickly gained international attention. It has been praised by supporters as a bold defense of Christian liberty and criticized by some as overly political or insufficiently nuanced regarding public health measures.

== Structure and Content ==
The declaration consists of a preamble, five articles (each with "We Affirm" and "We Therefore Deny" sections), biblical references, and a concluding call for respect, repentance, and resistance.

=== Preamble ===
The preamble explains the necessity of protesting abuse of power while maintaining respect for God-ordained authorities. It references biblical examples and affirms the hope that authorities will resume their role as protectors of liberty.

=== Article 1: God the Creator as Sovereign Lawgiver and Judge ===
Affirms the Triune God as Creator, Sovereign, and ultimate Lawgiver whose moral law is unchanging and revealed in Scripture and conscience. Denies materialistic views of reality and the state's right to define morality contrary to God's law or demand unconditional obedience when it conflicts with divine commands.

=== Article 2: God as the Source of Truth and the Role of Science ===
Affirms God as the source of objective truth and endorses genuine science while acknowledging its limits and human sinfulness. Denies that governments are morally neutral, rejects fear-mongering or ideological manipulation by the state and media, and opposes "scientism" that oversteps into ethical or policy domains.

=== Article 3: Mankind as the Image of God ===
Affirms the inherent dignity of every person as bearing the ''imago Dei'', along with inalienable rights including corporate worship, family relationships, work, and medical self-determination. Denies dehumanizing state actions such as psychological manipulation, medical coercion, vaccine passports, and restrictions on the uninfected. Opposes trends toward transhumanism and technological control.

=== Article 4: God-given Mandates and Limits of Authority ===
Affirms that all authority derives from God and is limited to distinct spheres: civil government (to punish evil and protect rights), the church (to make disciples), and the family (to raise children in the Lord). Denies totalitarian overreach that usurps the God-given roles of church and family.

=== Article 5: Christ as the Head of the Church ===
Affirms that the Church belongs to Christ alone and is accountable to Him in all matters of faith and practice. Denies any earthly authority's right to dictate the Church's worship, ordinances, or mission.

=== Conclusion: Call for Respect, Repentance, & Resistance ===
Expresses gratitude to authorities who respect Christian liberties, calls on others to repent, and firmly resists commands to obey the state rather than God (citing Daniel 3). Encourages believers to stand firm, support the persecuted, and persevere.

== Key Themes ==
* God's absolute sovereignty over morality, truth, and human institutions.
* Limited, sphere-specific authority of the state (rejecting totalitarianism).
* Inherent human dignity and religious/civil liberties rooted in the ''imago Dei''.
* Prioritizing obedience to Christ over conflicting civil mandates.
* Critique of secular humanism, scientism, and state overreach during the COVID era.

== Reception and Impact ==
The declaration received support from many conservative evangelicals who saw it as a timely stand for religious freedom and a reminder that "Christ, not Caesar, is head of the Church." Critics, including some from more progressive or mainstream evangelical circles, argued it downplayed public health responsibilities or reflected a particular political perspective.

As of late 2022, it had gathered thousands of signatures (reports varied from over 3,200 to nearly 5,000 early on), with an active sign-up page continuing to add names from around the world. The document is available in multiple languages and has been discussed in Christian media, podcasts, and conferences.

== See also ==
* [[wikipedia:COVID-19 pandemic and religious restrictions|COVID-19 pandemic and religious restrictions]]
* [[wikipedia:Religious freedom|Religious freedom]]
* [[Sphere sovereignty]]
* [[Barmen Declaration]] (for historical comparison as a confessional response to state overreach)
* [[Christian libertarianism]]

== External links ==
* [Official websitehttps://frankfurtdeclaration.com]

==References==
[[Category:2022 documents]]
[[Category:Christian statements]]
[[Category:Religious liberty]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism]]
[[Category:Documents related to the COVID-19 pandemic]]

Frankfurt Declaration

2026-04-07T04:04:35Z

BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox statement
| image = The-Frankfurt-Declaration.png
| topics = Church & State
| published_date = August 2022
| website = [https://frankfurtdeclaration.com frankfurtdeclaration.com]
}}

The '''Frankfurt Declaration of Christian & Civil Liberties''' (also known as '''The Frankfurt Declaration''') is a theological statement issued in August 2022. It was drafted by a small group of evangelical pastors from Europe, North America, and Africa in response to government measures during the [[wikipedia:COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 pandemic]], which they viewed as an emergent totalitarianism that overreached into the spheres of the church, family, and individual conscience. The document uses an affirmations-and-denials format modeled after historic Christian confessions and calls Christians to prioritize obedience to God over conflicting state mandates.<ref>https://frankfurtdeclaration.com</ref>

The declaration has been signed by thousands of pastors, theologians, and church leaders worldwide, including prominent figures such as [[John MacArthur]], [[Voddie Baucham]], [[James Coates]], and [[Douglas Wilson]]. Signatories represent diverse countries and Reformed, Baptist, and evangelical traditions.

== Background ==
The preamble states that "in the course of human events, it sometimes becomes necessary for people of good faith to speak out against the abuse of power" after "serious and prayerful deliberation." The authors were motivated by what they described as state disregard for God-given and constitutionally protected rights during the COVID-19 crisis, including restrictions on corporate worship, medical mandates, and limitations on family and church life.

The document was published on the website frankfurtdeclaration.com and quickly gained international attention. It has been praised by supporters as a bold defense of Christian liberty and criticized by some as overly political or insufficiently nuanced regarding public health measures.

== Structure and Content ==
The declaration consists of a preamble, five articles (each with "We Affirm" and "We Therefore Deny" sections), biblical references, and a concluding call for respect, repentance, and resistance.

=== Preamble ===
The preamble explains the necessity of protesting abuse of power while maintaining respect for God-ordained authorities. It references biblical examples and affirms the hope that authorities will resume their role as protectors of liberty.

=== Article 1: God the Creator as Sovereign Lawgiver and Judge ===
Affirms the Triune God as Creator, Sovereign, and ultimate Lawgiver whose moral law is unchanging and revealed in Scripture and conscience. Denies materialistic views of reality and the state's right to define morality contrary to God's law or demand unconditional obedience when it conflicts with divine commands.

=== Article 2: God as the Source of Truth and the Role of Science ===
Affirms God as the source of objective truth and endorses genuine science while acknowledging its limits and human sinfulness. Denies that governments are morally neutral, rejects fear-mongering or ideological manipulation by the state and media, and opposes "scientism" that oversteps into ethical or policy domains.

=== Article 3: Mankind as the Image of God ===
Affirms the inherent dignity of every person as bearing the ''imago Dei'', along with inalienable rights including corporate worship, family relationships, work, and medical self-determination. Denies dehumanizing state actions such as psychological manipulation, medical coercion, vaccine passports, and restrictions on the uninfected. Opposes trends toward transhumanism and technological control.

=== Article 4: God-given Mandates and Limits of Authority ===
Affirms that all authority derives from God and is limited to distinct spheres: civil government (to punish evil and protect rights), the church (to make disciples), and the family (to raise children in the Lord). Denies totalitarian overreach that usurps the God-given roles of church and family.

=== Article 5: Christ as the Head of the Church ===
Affirms that the Church belongs to Christ alone and is accountable to Him in all matters of faith and practice. Denies any earthly authority's right to dictate the Church's worship, ordinances, or mission.

=== Conclusion: Call for Respect, Repentance, & Resistance ===
Expresses gratitude to authorities who respect Christian liberties, calls on others to repent, and firmly resists commands to obey the state rather than God (citing Daniel 3). Encourages believers to stand firm, support the persecuted, and persevere.

== Key Themes ==
* God's absolute sovereignty over morality, truth, and human institutions.
* Limited, sphere-specific authority of the state (rejecting totalitarianism).
* Inherent human dignity and religious/civil liberties rooted in the ''imago Dei''.
* Prioritizing obedience to Christ over conflicting civil mandates.
* Critique of secular humanism, scientism, and state overreach during the COVID era.

== Reception and Impact ==
The declaration received support from many conservative evangelicals who saw it as a timely stand for religious freedom and a reminder that "Christ, not Caesar, is head of the Church." Critics, including some from more progressive or mainstream evangelical circles, argued it downplayed public health responsibilities or reflected a particular political perspective.

As of late 2022, it had gathered thousands of signatures (reports varied from over 3,200 to nearly 5,000 early on), with an active sign-up page continuing to add names from around the world. The document is available in multiple languages and has been discussed in Christian media, podcasts, and conferences.

== See also ==
* [[wikipedia:COVID-19 pandemic and religious restrictions|COVID-19 pandemic and religious restrictions]]
* [[wikipedia:Religious freedom|Religious freedom]]
* [[Sphere sovereignty]]
* [[Barmen Declaration]] (for historical comparison as a confessional response to state overreach)
* [[Christian libertarianism]]

== External links ==
* [Official website](https://frankfurtdeclaration.com)

[[Category:2022 documents]]
[[Category:Christian statements]]
[[Category:Religious liberty]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism]]
[[Category:Documents related to the COVID-19 pandemic]]

Frankfurt Declaration

2026-04-07T04:03:35Z

BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox statement
| image = The-Frankfurt-Declaration.png
| topics = Church & State
| published_date = August 2022
| website = [https://frankfurtdeclaration.com frankfurtdeclaration.com]
}}

The '''Frankfurt Declaration of Christian & Civil Liberties''' (also known as '''The Frankfurt Declaration''') is a theological statement issued in August 2022. It was drafted by a small group of evangelical pastors from Europe, North America, and Africa in response to government measures during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], which they viewed as an emergent totalitarianism that overreached into the spheres of the church, family, and individual conscience. The document uses an affirmations-and-denials format modeled after historic Christian confessions and calls Christians to prioritize obedience to God over conflicting state mandates.<ref>https://frankfurtdeclaration.com</ref>

The declaration has been signed by thousands of pastors, theologians, and church leaders worldwide, including prominent figures such as [[John MacArthur]], [[Voddie Baucham]], [[James Coates]], and [[Douglas Wilson]]. Signatories represent diverse countries and Reformed, Baptist, and evangelical traditions.

== Background ==
The preamble states that "in the course of human events, it sometimes becomes necessary for people of good faith to speak out against the abuse of power" after "serious and prayerful deliberation." The authors were motivated by what they described as state disregard for God-given and constitutionally protected rights during the COVID-19 crisis, including restrictions on corporate worship, medical mandates, and limitations on family and church life.

The document was published on the website frankfurtdeclaration.com and quickly gained international attention. It has been praised by supporters as a bold defense of Christian liberty and criticized by some as overly political or insufficiently nuanced regarding public health measures.

== Structure and Content ==
The declaration consists of a preamble, five articles (each with "We Affirm" and "We Therefore Deny" sections), biblical references, and a concluding call for respect, repentance, and resistance.

=== Preamble ===
The preamble explains the necessity of protesting abuse of power while maintaining respect for God-ordained authorities. It references biblical examples and affirms the hope that authorities will resume their role as protectors of liberty.

=== Article 1: God the Creator as Sovereign Lawgiver and Judge ===
Affirms the Triune God as Creator, Sovereign, and ultimate Lawgiver whose moral law is unchanging and revealed in Scripture and conscience. Denies materialistic views of reality and the state's right to define morality contrary to God's law or demand unconditional obedience when it conflicts with divine commands.

=== Article 2: God as the Source of Truth and the Role of Science ===
Affirms God as the source of objective truth and endorses genuine science while acknowledging its limits and human sinfulness. Denies that governments are morally neutral, rejects fear-mongering or ideological manipulation by the state and media, and opposes "scientism" that oversteps into ethical or policy domains.

=== Article 3: Mankind as the Image of God ===
Affirms the inherent dignity of every person as bearing the ''imago Dei'', along with inalienable rights including corporate worship, family relationships, work, and medical self-determination. Denies dehumanizing state actions such as psychological manipulation, medical coercion, vaccine passports, and restrictions on the uninfected. Opposes trends toward transhumanism and technological control.

=== Article 4: God-given Mandates and Limits of Authority ===
Affirms that all authority derives from God and is limited to distinct spheres: civil government (to punish evil and protect rights), the church (to make disciples), and the family (to raise children in the Lord). Denies totalitarian overreach that usurps the God-given roles of church and family.

=== Article 5: Christ as the Head of the Church ===
Affirms that the Church belongs to Christ alone and is accountable to Him in all matters of faith and practice. Denies any earthly authority's right to dictate the Church's worship, ordinances, or mission.

=== Conclusion: Call for Respect, Repentance, & Resistance ===
Expresses gratitude to authorities who respect Christian liberties, calls on others to repent, and firmly resists commands to obey the state rather than God (citing Daniel 3). Encourages believers to stand firm, support the persecuted, and persevere.

== Key Themes ==
* God's absolute sovereignty over morality, truth, and human institutions.
* Limited, sphere-specific authority of the state (rejecting totalitarianism).
* Inherent human dignity and religious/civil liberties rooted in the ''imago Dei''.
* Prioritizing obedience to Christ over conflicting civil mandates.
* Critique of secular humanism, scientism, and state overreach during the COVID era.

== Reception and Impact ==
The declaration received support from many conservative evangelicals who saw it as a timely stand for religious freedom and a reminder that "Christ, not Caesar, is head of the Church." Critics, including some from more progressive or mainstream evangelical circles, argued it downplayed public health responsibilities or reflected a particular political perspective.

As of late 2022, it had gathered thousands of signatures (reports varied from over 3,200 to nearly 5,000 early on), with an active sign-up page continuing to add names from around the world. The document is available in multiple languages and has been discussed in Christian media, podcasts, and conferences.

== See also ==
* [[COVID-19 pandemic and religious restrictions]]
* [[Religious freedom]]
* [[Sphere sovereignty]]
* [[Barmen Declaration]] (for historical comparison as a confessional response to state overreach)
* [[Christian libertarianism]]

== External links ==
* [Official website and full text](https://frankfurtdeclaration.com)
* [PDF version of the declaration](https://frankfurtdeclaration.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Frankfurt-Declaration.pdf)
* [List of signatories](https://frankfurtdeclaration.com/all-signers/)

[[Category:2022 documents]]
[[Category:Christian statements]]
[[Category:Religious liberty]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism]]
[[Category:Documents related to the COVID-19 pandemic]]

Frankfurt Declaration

2026-04-07T04:03:26Z

BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox statement
| image = The-Frankfurt-Declaration.png
| topic = Church & State
| published_date = August 2022
| website = [https://frankfurtdeclaration.com frankfurtdeclaration.com]
}}

The '''Frankfurt Declaration of Christian & Civil Liberties''' (also known as '''The Frankfurt Declaration''') is a theological statement issued in August 2022. It was drafted by a small group of evangelical pastors from Europe, North America, and Africa in response to government measures during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], which they viewed as an emergent totalitarianism that overreached into the spheres of the church, family, and individual conscience. The document uses an affirmations-and-denials format modeled after historic Christian confessions and calls Christians to prioritize obedience to God over conflicting state mandates.<ref>https://frankfurtdeclaration.com</ref>

The declaration has been signed by thousands of pastors, theologians, and church leaders worldwide, including prominent figures such as [[John MacArthur]], [[Voddie Baucham]], [[James Coates]], and [[Douglas Wilson]]. Signatories represent diverse countries and Reformed, Baptist, and evangelical traditions.

== Background ==
The preamble states that "in the course of human events, it sometimes becomes necessary for people of good faith to speak out against the abuse of power" after "serious and prayerful deliberation." The authors were motivated by what they described as state disregard for God-given and constitutionally protected rights during the COVID-19 crisis, including restrictions on corporate worship, medical mandates, and limitations on family and church life.

The document was published on the website frankfurtdeclaration.com and quickly gained international attention. It has been praised by supporters as a bold defense of Christian liberty and criticized by some as overly political or insufficiently nuanced regarding public health measures.

== Structure and Content ==
The declaration consists of a preamble, five articles (each with "We Affirm" and "We Therefore Deny" sections), biblical references, and a concluding call for respect, repentance, and resistance.

=== Preamble ===
The preamble explains the necessity of protesting abuse of power while maintaining respect for God-ordained authorities. It references biblical examples and affirms the hope that authorities will resume their role as protectors of liberty.

=== Article 1: God the Creator as Sovereign Lawgiver and Judge ===
Affirms the Triune God as Creator, Sovereign, and ultimate Lawgiver whose moral law is unchanging and revealed in Scripture and conscience. Denies materialistic views of reality and the state's right to define morality contrary to God's law or demand unconditional obedience when it conflicts with divine commands.

=== Article 2: God as the Source of Truth and the Role of Science ===
Affirms God as the source of objective truth and endorses genuine science while acknowledging its limits and human sinfulness. Denies that governments are morally neutral, rejects fear-mongering or ideological manipulation by the state and media, and opposes "scientism" that oversteps into ethical or policy domains.

=== Article 3: Mankind as the Image of God ===
Affirms the inherent dignity of every person as bearing the ''imago Dei'', along with inalienable rights including corporate worship, family relationships, work, and medical self-determination. Denies dehumanizing state actions such as psychological manipulation, medical coercion, vaccine passports, and restrictions on the uninfected. Opposes trends toward transhumanism and technological control.

=== Article 4: God-given Mandates and Limits of Authority ===
Affirms that all authority derives from God and is limited to distinct spheres: civil government (to punish evil and protect rights), the church (to make disciples), and the family (to raise children in the Lord). Denies totalitarian overreach that usurps the God-given roles of church and family.

=== Article 5: Christ as the Head of the Church ===
Affirms that the Church belongs to Christ alone and is accountable to Him in all matters of faith and practice. Denies any earthly authority's right to dictate the Church's worship, ordinances, or mission.

=== Conclusion: Call for Respect, Repentance, & Resistance ===
Expresses gratitude to authorities who respect Christian liberties, calls on others to repent, and firmly resists commands to obey the state rather than God (citing Daniel 3). Encourages believers to stand firm, support the persecuted, and persevere.

== Key Themes ==
* God's absolute sovereignty over morality, truth, and human institutions.
* Limited, sphere-specific authority of the state (rejecting totalitarianism).
* Inherent human dignity and religious/civil liberties rooted in the ''imago Dei''.
* Prioritizing obedience to Christ over conflicting civil mandates.
* Critique of secular humanism, scientism, and state overreach during the COVID era.

== Reception and Impact ==
The declaration received support from many conservative evangelicals who saw it as a timely stand for religious freedom and a reminder that "Christ, not Caesar, is head of the Church." Critics, including some from more progressive or mainstream evangelical circles, argued it downplayed public health responsibilities or reflected a particular political perspective.

As of late 2022, it had gathered thousands of signatures (reports varied from over 3,200 to nearly 5,000 early on), with an active sign-up page continuing to add names from around the world. The document is available in multiple languages and has been discussed in Christian media, podcasts, and conferences.

== See also ==
* [[COVID-19 pandemic and religious restrictions]]
* [[Religious freedom]]
* [[Sphere sovereignty]]
* [[Barmen Declaration]] (for historical comparison as a confessional response to state overreach)
* [[Christian libertarianism]]

== External links ==
* [Official website and full text](https://frankfurtdeclaration.com)
* [PDF version of the declaration](https://frankfurtdeclaration.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Frankfurt-Declaration.pdf)
* [List of signatories](https://frankfurtdeclaration.com/all-signers/)

[[Category:2022 documents]]
[[Category:Christian statements]]
[[Category:Religious liberty]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism]]
[[Category:Documents related to the COVID-19 pandemic]]

File:The-Frankfurt-Declaration.png

2026-04-07T04:02:49Z

BrantleyRider:

== Licensing ==
{{FU}}

The Frankfurt Declaration of Christian and Civil Liberties

2026-04-07T04:00:26Z

BrantleyRider: Redirected page to Frankfurt Declaration

#redirect [[Frankfurt Declaration]]

Frankfurt Declaration of Christian and Civil Liberties

2026-04-07T04:00:12Z

BrantleyRider: Redirected page to Frankfurt Declaration

#redirect [[Frankfurt Declaration]]

The Niagara 2020 Declaration on the Liberties of the Church in Canada from Sea to Sea

2026-04-07T03:59:13Z

BrantleyRider: Redirected page to Niagara Declaration

#redirect [[Niagara Declaration]]

Niagara Declaration

2026-04-07T03:58:47Z

BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox statement
| image = File:The-Niagra-Declaration.jpg
| topics = Church & State
| published_date = September 2020
| website = https://www.niagaradeclaration.ca/
}}

The '''Niagara 2020 Declaration''' (full title: '''The Niagara 2020 Declaration on the Liberties of the Church in Canada from Sea to Sea''') is a public theological statement issued in September 2020 by a group of Canadian Christian leaders. It affirms the divine rights and historic liberties of the Church of Jesus Christ in Canada, asserting its independence from state interference in spiritual matters while acknowledging the God-ordained but limited role of civil government. The document responds to perceived cultural shifts, legal pressures, and restrictions on churches, particularly during the early stages of the [[wikipedia:COVID-19 pandemic|COVID-19 pandemic]] in Canada.<ref>niagaradeclaration</ref>

It has been signed by representatives of approximately 283 churches, organizations, and elected officials, primarily from confessionally orthodox Protestant traditions.

== Background ==
The declaration originated from a gathering of Christian leaders in the Niagara region of Ontario in the fall of 2020. It addresses what the drafters describe as a national spiritual crisis: a broad cultural abandonment of Canada's historic Christian heritage, increasing state overreach into church affairs, and threats to religious liberties through legislation, court decisions, bylaws on sexuality and gender, emergency restrictions, and proposed Criminal Code amendments.

The preamble highlights the Church's divine origin and authority under Christ (''jure divino''), references historic documents such as [[Magna Carta]], the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (with its recognition of the supremacy of God), and biblical principles of sphere sovereignty between church and state. It emphasizes that the Church existed long before the Dominion of Canada and possesses inherent rights that civil authorities must respect.

Primary contacts include Rev. Dr. Joseph Boot (Westminster Chapel), Rev. Dr. Aaron Rock (Harvest Bible Church), and Rev. Dr. Michael Thiessen (Liberty Coalition Canada). The declaration seeks to rally diverse Canadian churches around a united witness for the freedom of the Gospel and the protection of church liberties.

== Full Structure and Key Content ==

=== Preamble ===
The preamble sets forth the cultural and spiritual context of Canada, rejecting "liberty without the Gospel" and similar secular formulations. It affirms Christ's total authority over nations (citing passages such as Psalm 2, Colossians 1, and Revelation 1), the divine institution of the Church (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 1), and the mutual limitation of church and state sovereignties (Mark 12:17; Acts 5:29; Romans 13). It invokes Canada's Christian constitutional heritage, including the Coronation Oath and national motto ''A mari usque ad mare'' (from Psalm 72:8).

The signatories then declare that certain God-given and historically inherited liberties of the Church must be observed, maintained, and protected.

=== Articles (Summary of Key Liberties) ===
The declaration lists a series of articles affirming specific liberties (the full text expands on each with biblical and legal grounding):

* '''Liberty in all spiritual matters''': No civil interference in worship, sacraments, discipline, teaching, or pastoral guidance. The Bible must be freely proclaimed without penalty.
* '''Liberty to preach the Gospel''': Freedom to evangelize, plant churches, and disciple converts without censorship.
* '''Liberty of doctrine''': Churches may define and teach their theological and moral doctrines under Christ's lordship without state interference.
* '''Liberty of conscience''': No coercion to act against one's religious, moral, or philosophical beliefs.
* '''Liberties related to the Christian family''': Parents may disciple and educate their children in the faith without state seizure or reprisal.
* '''Liberties related to ministers of the Gospel''': Protection for clergy in performing their duties (referencing section 176 of the Criminal Code).
* '''Liberties related to gatherings for religious worship''': Freedom to assemble in person for worship, prayer, and ministry, even in times of crisis, while open to dialog with authorities on genuine public health concerns.

Additional articles address immunity from certain taxation burdens on the Church and the universal application of these liberties without partiality.

=== Conclusion ===
The declaration concludes by affirming scriptural truth, urging the defense of these liberties for future generations, and offering a prayer for civil authorities to fulfill their God-given role.

== Key Themes ==
* Christ's supreme lordship over all spheres of life, including nations and governments.
* Sphere sovereignty: Distinct, God-ordained roles for church, family, and state, with the state limited to justice and protection of rights.
* Divine right (''jure divino'') of the Church versus state-granted permissions.
* Defense of religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and the public proclamation of the Gospel.
* Critique of secularism, state totalitarianism, and cultural abandonment of Christian norms.
* Appeal to Canada's Christian constitutional and common law heritage.

== Reception and Impact ==
The Niagara Declaration has been supported by many conservative evangelical, Reformed, and confessionally orthodox Canadian Christians as a timely affirmation of biblical church-state relations and a stand against perceived government overreach during the pandemic and on issues of sexuality, education, and conscience.

Critics, including some from more progressive or mainstream perspectives, have viewed it as reflecting a form of Christian reconstructionism or as overly confrontational toward public health measures and evolving social norms.

The document remains active, with a signatory list and PDF version available on the official site. It has been discussed in Canadian Christian media and linked to broader conversations on religious freedom in Canada.

== See also ==
* [[Religious freedom in Canada]]
* [[Sphere sovereignty]]
* [[COVID-19 pandemic and religious restrictions in Canada]]
* [[Barmen Declaration]] (historical parallel)
* [[Frankfurt Declaration of Christian & Civil Liberties]]

== External links ==
* [Official website and full text](https://www.niagaradeclaration.ca/)

== References ==

[[Category:2020 documents]]
[[Category:Christian statements]]
[[Category:Religious liberty in Canada]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism in Canada]]
[[Category:Documents related to the COVID-19 pandemic]]
[[Category:Canadian Christianity]]

File:The-Niagra-Declaration.jpg

2026-04-07T03:56:25Z

BrantleyRider:

== Licensing ==
{{FU}}

Niagara Declaration

2026-04-07T03:42:44Z

BrantleyRider: Created page with "Niagara Declaration"

Niagara Declaration

Statement from Christians Against Christian Nationalism

2026-04-07T03:42:10Z

BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox statement
| image = File:Statement-Against-Christian-Nationalism.jpg
| topics = anti-[[Christian Nationalism]]
| organization = [[Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty]]
| published_date = July 2019
| website = [https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/statement christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org]
}}

The '''Statement from Christians Against Christian Nationalism''' is a public declaration issued in July 2019 by the campaign '''Christians Against Christian Nationalism''', an initiative of the [[Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty]] (BJC). The statement rejects [[Christian nationalism]] as a political ideology that distorts both Christian faith and American constitutional democracy. It has been signed by tens of thousands of Christians across theological traditions, denominations, and regions of the United States.

== Background ==
Christians Against Christian Nationalism was launched in 2019 as a grassroots effort to combat what its organizers describe as a persistent threat to religious communities and democratic institutions. The campaign emphasizes that Christian faith calls believers to love one another and respect the image of God in every person, while affirming the value of religious pluralism and the separation of religious and political authority in the United States.

The statement gained initial support from leaders across a broad spectrum of Christianity, including many Baptists, and has continued to attract signatories representing diverse denominations, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. As of the latest available information, it has garnered more than 40,000 signers.<grok-card data-id="012f45" data-type="citation_card" data-plain-type="render_inline_citation" ></grok-card>

== Full Text of the Statement ==

'''As Christians, our faith teaches us everyone is created in God’s image and commands us to love one another. As Americans, we value our system of government and the good that can be accomplished in our constitutional democracy. Today, we are concerned about a persistent threat to both our religious communities and our democracy — Christian nationalism.'''

'''Christian nationalism seeks to merge Christian and American identities, distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy. Christian nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State and implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian. It often overlaps with and provides cover for white supremacy and racial subjugation. We reject this damaging political ideology and invite our fellow Christians to join us in opposing this threat to our faith and to our nation.'''

'''As Christians, we are bound to Christ, not by citizenship, but by faith. We believe that:'''

* People of all faiths and none have the right and responsibility to engage constructively in the public square.
* Patriotism does not require us to minimize our religious convictions.
* One’s religious affiliation, or lack thereof, should be irrelevant to one’s standing in the civic community.
* Government should not prefer one religion over another or religion over nonreligion.
* Religious instruction is best left to our houses of worship, other religious institutions and families.
* America’s historic commitment to religious pluralism enables faith communities to live in civic harmony with one another without sacrificing our theological convictions.
* Conflating religious authority with political authority is idolatrous and often leads to oppression of minority and other marginalized groups as well as the spiritual impoverishment of religion.
* We must stand up to and speak out against Christian nationalism, especially when it inspires acts of violence and intimidation—including vandalism, bomb threats, arson, hate crimes, and attacks on houses of worship—against religious communities at home and abroad.

'''Whether we worship at a church, mosque, synagogue, or temple, America has no second-class faiths. All are equal under the U.S. Constitution. As Christians, we must speak in one voice condemning Christian nationalism as a distortion of the gospel of Jesus and a threat to American democracy.'''

== Key Themes ==
The statement articulates several core principles:
* Rejection of the merging of Christian and American identities.
* Affirmation of religious liberty and pluralism for all people, regardless of faith or lack thereof.
* Opposition to government preference for any religion.
* Distinction between Christian faith (bound to Christ) and national citizenship.
* Condemnation of violence and intimidation linked to Christian nationalist ideology.

== Reception and Impact ==
The statement has been endorsed by individuals and groups from various Christian traditions. Supporters view it as a necessary defense of both authentic Christianity and American democratic values. Critics have sometimes argued that it lacks specificity regarding particular incidents or that it broadly paints certain patriotic expressions as problematic.

The campaign maintains an active presence, encouraging ongoing signatures and education about the distinction between Christianity and Christian nationalism.

== See also ==
* [[Christian nationalism]]
* [[Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty]]
* [[Religious liberty in the United States]]
* [[Separation of church and state in the United States]]

== External links ==
* [Official statement page](https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/statement)

== References ==

[[Category:Christianity in the United States]]
[[Category:2019 documents]]
[[Category:Statements on religious liberty]]

Statement from Christians Against Christian Nationalism

2026-04-07T03:41:57Z

BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox document
| image = File:Statement-Against-Christian-Nationalism.jpg
| topics = anti-[[Christian Nationalism]]
| organization = [[Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty]]
| published_date = July 2019
| website = [https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/statement christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org]
}}

The '''Statement from Christians Against Christian Nationalism''' is a public declaration issued in July 2019 by the campaign '''Christians Against Christian Nationalism''', an initiative of the [[Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty]] (BJC). The statement rejects [[Christian nationalism]] as a political ideology that distorts both Christian faith and American constitutional democracy. It has been signed by tens of thousands of Christians across theological traditions, denominations, and regions of the United States.

== Background ==
Christians Against Christian Nationalism was launched in 2019 as a grassroots effort to combat what its organizers describe as a persistent threat to religious communities and democratic institutions. The campaign emphasizes that Christian faith calls believers to love one another and respect the image of God in every person, while affirming the value of religious pluralism and the separation of religious and political authority in the United States.

The statement gained initial support from leaders across a broad spectrum of Christianity, including many Baptists, and has continued to attract signatories representing diverse denominations, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. As of the latest available information, it has garnered more than 40,000 signers.<grok-card data-id="012f45" data-type="citation_card" data-plain-type="render_inline_citation" ></grok-card>

== Full Text of the Statement ==

'''As Christians, our faith teaches us everyone is created in God’s image and commands us to love one another. As Americans, we value our system of government and the good that can be accomplished in our constitutional democracy. Today, we are concerned about a persistent threat to both our religious communities and our democracy — Christian nationalism.'''

'''Christian nationalism seeks to merge Christian and American identities, distorting both the Christian faith and America’s constitutional democracy. Christian nationalism demands Christianity be privileged by the State and implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian. It often overlaps with and provides cover for white supremacy and racial subjugation. We reject this damaging political ideology and invite our fellow Christians to join us in opposing this threat to our faith and to our nation.'''

'''As Christians, we are bound to Christ, not by citizenship, but by faith. We believe that:'''

* People of all faiths and none have the right and responsibility to engage constructively in the public square.
* Patriotism does not require us to minimize our religious convictions.
* One’s religious affiliation, or lack thereof, should be irrelevant to one’s standing in the civic community.
* Government should not prefer one religion over another or religion over nonreligion.
* Religious instruction is best left to our houses of worship, other religious institutions and families.
* America’s historic commitment to religious pluralism enables faith communities to live in civic harmony with one another without sacrificing our theological convictions.
* Conflating religious authority with political authority is idolatrous and often leads to oppression of minority and other marginalized groups as well as the spiritual impoverishment of religion.
* We must stand up to and speak out against Christian nationalism, especially when it inspires acts of violence and intimidation—including vandalism, bomb threats, arson, hate crimes, and attacks on houses of worship—against religious communities at home and abroad.

'''Whether we worship at a church, mosque, synagogue, or temple, America has no second-class faiths. All are equal under the U.S. Constitution. As Christians, we must speak in one voice condemning Christian nationalism as a distortion of the gospel of Jesus and a threat to American democracy.'''

== Key Themes ==
The statement articulates several core principles:
* Rejection of the merging of Christian and American identities.
* Affirmation of religious liberty and pluralism for all people, regardless of faith or lack thereof.
* Opposition to government preference for any religion.
* Distinction between Christian faith (bound to Christ) and national citizenship.
* Condemnation of violence and intimidation linked to Christian nationalist ideology.

== Reception and Impact ==
The statement has been endorsed by individuals and groups from various Christian traditions. Supporters view it as a necessary defense of both authentic Christianity and American democratic values. Critics have sometimes argued that it lacks specificity regarding particular incidents or that it broadly paints certain patriotic expressions as problematic.

The campaign maintains an active presence, encouraging ongoing signatures and education about the distinction between Christianity and Christian nationalism.

== See also ==
* [[Christian nationalism]]
* [[Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty]]
* [[Religious liberty in the United States]]
* [[Separation of church and state in the United States]]

== External links ==
* [Official statement page](https://www.christiansagainstchristiannationalism.org/statement)

== References ==

[[Category:Christianity in the United States]]
[[Category:2019 documents]]
[[Category:Statements on religious liberty]]

File:Statement-Against-Christian-Nationalism.jpg

2026-04-07T03:41:28Z

BrantleyRider:

== Licensing ==
{{FU}}

Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty

2026-04-07T03:38:54Z

BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox organization
| image = File:Media-kit-bjc-logo.jpg
| website = [https://bjconline.org bjconline.org]
}}

The '''Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty''' ('''BJC''') is a US faith-based organization which focuses on upholding the historic [[Baptists|Baptist]] principle of [[freedom of religion|religious liberty]].

With a staff of attorneys, public intellectuals, ministers and mobilizers, the [[Washington, D.C.|Washington D.C.]]–based non-profit has a long history of advocating in the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] and working with Congress on issues relating to religious freedom and [[Separation of church and state|church-state separation]].

The BJC analyzes new legal cases and legislation within the larger framework of how best to protect the [[First Amendment]] right to religious freedom for all. In recent years, the BJC has gone to the [[Supreme court|Supreme Court]] and filed ''[[amicus curiae]]'' (friend-of-the-court) briefs defending a potential employee's right to wear her hijab to work, opposing the travel ban, and opposing certain government-sponsored displays of religion, such as the giant free-standing cross in a government-owned intersection in [[Bladensburg, Maryland]]. On the legislation front, the BJC supports keeping the [[Johnson Amendment]], which protects houses of worship.

The BJC has been an outspoken opponent of [[Christians|Christian]] [[nationalism]] and a supporter of religious minorities. The organization often partners with a diversity of religious groups – other Christians, as well as [[Jews|Jewish]], [[Muslims|Muslim]], [[Hindus|Hindu]], [[Sikhs|Sikh]] and [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventist]] – and secular organizations in its advocacy work.<ref>{{cite news |title=UNITING AGAINST RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE IN A CLIMATE OF FEAR |publisher=States News Service |date=December 21, 2015}}</ref>

[[Amanda Tyler]] is the Executive Director and K. Hollyn (Holly) Hollman is the General Counsel and Associate Executive Director.

==History==
The BJC traces its roots to 1936 when it was founded as the Southern Baptist Committee on Public Relations.<ref>Stan L. Hastey's ''A History of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, 1946-1971'', a doctoral thesis presented to the faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in October 1973, has been used as a central source for all information until 1971.</ref> After joining forces with American and National Baptists, the committee established offices in Washington, D.C., in 1946 and became the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs.

Joseph Martin Dawson was elected the organization's first full-time Executive Director, a position he held until his retirement at age 75 on October 13, 1953. Other executive directors of the BJC have been C. Emanuel Carlson (1954–1971), James E. Wood Jr. (1972–1980), James M. Dunn (1981–1999), and [[J. Brent Walker]] (1999–2016). Current executive director Amanda Tyler began her tenure at the start of 2017.

Dawson's leadership led to several significant changes within the organization. One of the first was the introduction of the ''Report from the Capital'', a periodical containing news and opinions of interest to politically minded Baptists. The first issue appeared in October 1946, and the BJC still publishes the ''Report'' as a source of views and analysis on church-state issues.

In 1979, a shift occurred when the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] elected [[Adrian Rogers]] as their new president. The BJC's relationship with the Convention got rockier throughout the 1980s. Prior to these years, resolutions had passed the annual meetings regularly expressing near-unanimous support for the BJC and its stands.<ref>Schleicher, Dorothy C. ''A History and Analysis of the Role of the Baptist Joint Committee, 1972-Present''. Library Printing Service: Waco TX, 1993, p. 170.</ref> But as the eighties brought charges of liberalism among the BJC staff on a variety of issues, then Executive Director James Dunn responded:

{{Blockquote|It's ... disingenuous to lament the "left-leaning" of the Baptist Joint Committee regarding issues on which we do not take a stand or lean at all ... The Baptist Joint Committee is chugging straight ahead on the course set in the 1980s by the members and staff of the BJCPA.<ref>Dunn, James M. "Reflections," ''Report from the Capital'' Vol. 44 (January 1989): p. 15</ref>}}

Throughout the controversy, Dunn's reputation was attacked repeatedly. An example comes from [[Paige Patterson]]: "[Dunn] hobnobs with the liberal establishment in the house and Senate ... That doesn't make us very happy either."<ref>Beth Spring. "James Dunn Is the Focus of a Southern Baptist Controversy," ''Christianity Today'' Vol. 28 (March 16, 1984): p. 44.</ref>

In 1990, the SBC reduced the BJC budget by 87%.<ref>"Executive Committee Cuts BJCPA - CLC Receives Religious Liberty Assignment and $391,796," ''Southern Baptist Public Affairs'' (Spring 1990): p. 9.</ref> A year later, at the 1991 annual meeting, all funding to the BJC was abolished in an amendment from Fred Minix of Virginia.<ref>Schleicher 194</ref>

After the SBC withdrew its financial support, the Baptist Joint Committee received donations directly from several Southern Baptist state conventions, local churches, and individuals. The agency's other supporting bodies also helped make up the financial difference.<ref>Parry, Pam. "On Guard for Religious Liberty: Six Decades of the Baptist Joint Committee." Macon: Smyth and Helwys Publishing, 1996. Page 57-58.</ref>

==Legislation==
The organization's staff analyzes new legislation, testifies at hearings, and builds advocacy coalitions to sustain religious liberty. Recent examples include:

===The Johnson Amendment===
The BJC supports the [[Johnson Amendment]], the provision in the US tax code that prohibits houses of worship and 501(c)(3) non-profits from partisan campaigning. In response to [[Donald Trump|Trump's]] vow to "destroy" the Johnson Amendment and the administration's repeated attempts to repeal the law, the BJC helped bring together thousands of faith leaders and more than 100 denominations to sign letters to Congress asking to keep it.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jagoda |first1=Naomi |title=Religious groups maintain limits on political activity |work=The Hill |date=April 5, 2017}}</ref>

===Opposing school vouchers===
The BJC has worked with religious, public education, and civil liberties groups to oppose publicly funded [[school voucher]] programs, arguing that religious teachings should be paid for by voluntary contributions, not through compulsory taxation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Greenhouse |first1=Linda |title=COURT EASES CURB ON PROVIDING AID IN CHURCH SCHOOLS |work=New York Times |date=June 24, 1997}}</ref>

===Religious minorities===
As part of its mandate to defend religious liberty for all, the BJC supports the Freedom of Religion Act, introduced in January 2019 in Congress, partly in response to Trump's travel ban. The legislation prohibits using immigrants' religion (or lack thereof) as a reason to keep them out of the U.S.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Boorstein |first1=Michelle |title=Why many religious liberty groups are silent about the Supreme Court's decision on Trump's travel ban |newspaper=Washington Post |date=June 26, 2018}}</ref>

===Government funding of faith-based organizations ===
The BJC believes it is important to protect the constitutional principle of barring the government from advancing religion, including funding it. Federal money, the BJC argues, should not go to rebuilding churches after a disaster, for example, or to a program that only serves Protestants: government-funded services must be available to all, regardless of religion. One long-standing staple of [[Establishment Clause]] law has been that the government does not fund religion. That responsibility is left to individual religious communities. Using taxpayer dollars to repair and rebuild houses of worship remains constitutionally problematic under the Establishment Clause as taxpayers should not be forced to build sanctuaries for religious teachings with which they disagree.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Banks |first1=Adelle |title=FEMA's plan to reimburse churches draws criticism |publisher=The Christian Century |date=October 18, 2005}}</ref><ref>[http://www.baptiststandard.com/postnuke/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=5093 The Baptist Standard - Religious freedom threatened in U.S.]</ref>

==Litigation==
A significant part of the BJC's work has been its participation in religious liberty cases that are considered by various courts, particularly in the U.S. Supreme Court. The BJC engages in litigation by filing [[amicus curiae]] briefs, a term that means {{Gloss|friend of the court}}. Those briefs are filed to assist the court by providing support for specific points at issue in the dispute. Throughout the BJC's history, the organization has filed more than 140 legal briefs in court cases.

===Large free-standing cross on government property===
In ''[[American Legion v. American Humanist Association]]'', the question for the U.S. Supreme Court concerned a [[Peace Cross|free-standing 40-foot cross]] on government land in the middle of a major intersection in Bladensburg, Maryland. The BJC filed a brief arguing that the monument is unconstitutional because it represents a government endorsement of religion. In response to claims that the monument has an objective and secular meaning, the BJC countered, stating there is no more recognizable symbol of Christianity than the cross, and any attempt to deny it is offensive to Christians. On June 20, 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that the cross could remain, basing its decision on the particular history of that memorial monument.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aclu.org/blog/religious-liberty/supreme-court-playing-favorites-religion|title=The Supreme Court Is Playing Favorites With Religion|last1=Mach|first1=Daniel|date=|website=ACLU|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212053320/https://www.aclu.org/blog/religious-liberty/supreme-court-playing-favorites-religion |archive-date=2019-02-12 |accessdate=}}</ref>

===Muslim ban===
In [[Trump v. Hawaii]], the Supreme Court addressed the White House's third attempt to limit immigration from certain Muslim-majority countries. The BJC argued that the government cannot enact laws designed to harm a specific religious group. But, in June 2018, the Court upheld the validity of the travel ban as within the president's immigration powers. The BJC continues its opposition.<ref>{{cite news |title=Trump said he'll 'totally destroy' the Johnson Amendment. What is it and why should people care? |newspaper=Washington Post |date=February 2, 2017}}</ref>

===Wedding cake for a same-sex couple's reception===
[[Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission]] centered around a bakery owner's refusal to make a cake for the wedding reception of a same-sex couple based on his religious beliefs, despite a state law requiring that businesses open to the public not refuse service due to LGBT status. The BJC filed a brief on behalf of the state of Colorado, explaining that laws like this one – covering discrimination against "disability, race, [religion], colour, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, or ancestry" – protect religious liberty. Granting a broad exemption for this baker would open the door for other business owners to refuse service to customers in other protected categories based on the business owner's religious beliefs. For example, another commercial baker could use these same arguments to refuse to create a cake for an interfaith couple, an interracial couple or a couple where one had been previously divorced.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bjconline.org/masterpiece/|title=Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>

===Religious headscarf in the workplace===
In 2015, the BJC and 14 other religious groups joined to defend the right of a Muslim woman to wear her [[hijab]] at work in ''[[Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores|Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc.]]'' The Supreme Court agreed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bjconline.org/abercrombie/|title=EEOC v. Abercrombie|last=|first=|date=|website=|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205153112/http://bjconline.org/abercrombie |archive-date=2015-02-05 |access-date=}}</ref>

==Advocacy and education==
The BJC led a coalition of Christian organizations to create a way for Christians to take a stand against [[Christian nationalism]] and call out the threat it poses both to their faith and to democracy. On July 29, 2019, they launched ChristiansAgainstChristianNationalism.org, a grassroots movement standing against the political ideology of Christian nationalism. In 2022, the BJC together with the [[Freedom From Religion Foundation]] published a joint report on the role of Christian nationalism in the [[January 6, 2021 Capitol attack]] entitled "Christian nationalism and the January 6, 2021 Insurrection".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Seering |first=Lauryn |date=2022-02-09 |title=FFRF, BJC report: Christian nationalism and the January 6 Insurrection |url=https://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-bjc-report-christian-nationalism-and-the-january-6-insurrection/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Freedom From Religion Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref>

To promote its positions, the BJC publishes a wide array of materials relating to church-state separation, including significant coalition statements.

One of the most effective educating tools{{Cn|date=August 2024}} in recent years was "Religion in the Public Schools: A Joint Statement of Current Law." The BJC was a member of the document's drafting committee along with several leading organizations spanning the political spectrum – from the [[National Association of Evangelicals]] and the [[Christian Legal Society]] to the [[American Civil Liberties Union]] and the [[National Council of Churches]]. The document served as a resource for parents, students, teachers, and administrators throughout the [[United States]] and was later condensed and mailed to schools across the country by President [[Bill Clinton]] because of its accuracy and reliability.

===Name changes===

In 2005, the BJC name was changed to the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty to more accurately reflect their singular focus on religious liberty issues.

In 2019, the organization rebranded as BJC with the tagline ''Faith. Freedom. For All.'', to capture the inclusiveness of its mission and the relevancy of its work.

===75th anniversary===

The Baptist Joint Committee celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2011 and released a special edition of ''Report from the Capital'' highlighting the history of the organization.<ref>{{cite web|title=Celebrate 75 Years of the BJC!|url=http://bjconline.org/celebrate-75-years-of-bjc/|accessdate=21 July 2014}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070329181348/http://www.thefellowship.info/News/GAcoverage/060623shurden.icm Cooperative Baptist Fellowship - Baptist Joint Committee honors Shurden at 70th anniversary luncheon]</ref>

== External links ==
* [http://www.bjconline.org Baptist Joint Committee website]
* {{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer|530214244}}

== References ==

[[Category:Baptist organizations in the United States]]
[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Christian organizations established in 1936]]
[[Category:Baptist denominations established in the 20th century]]
[[Category:Joint committees]]
[[Category:American Christian political organizations]]
[[Category:Separation of church and state in the United States]]

Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty

2026-04-07T03:38:44Z

BrantleyRider:

{{Infobox organization
| image = File:Media-kit-bjc-logo.jpg
| website = [https://bjconline.org bjconline.org]]
}}

The '''Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty''' ('''BJC''') is a US faith-based organization which focuses on upholding the historic [[Baptists|Baptist]] principle of [[freedom of religion|religious liberty]].

With a staff of attorneys, public intellectuals, ministers and mobilizers, the [[Washington, D.C.|Washington D.C.]]–based non-profit has a long history of advocating in the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] and working with Congress on issues relating to religious freedom and [[Separation of church and state|church-state separation]].

The BJC analyzes new legal cases and legislation within the larger framework of how best to protect the [[First Amendment]] right to religious freedom for all. In recent years, the BJC has gone to the [[Supreme court|Supreme Court]] and filed ''[[amicus curiae]]'' (friend-of-the-court) briefs defending a potential employee's right to wear her hijab to work, opposing the travel ban, and opposing certain government-sponsored displays of religion, such as the giant free-standing cross in a government-owned intersection in [[Bladensburg, Maryland]]. On the legislation front, the BJC supports keeping the [[Johnson Amendment]], which protects houses of worship.

The BJC has been an outspoken opponent of [[Christians|Christian]] [[nationalism]] and a supporter of religious minorities. The organization often partners with a diversity of religious groups – other Christians, as well as [[Jews|Jewish]], [[Muslims|Muslim]], [[Hindus|Hindu]], [[Sikhs|Sikh]] and [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventist]] – and secular organizations in its advocacy work.<ref>{{cite news |title=UNITING AGAINST RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE IN A CLIMATE OF FEAR |publisher=States News Service |date=December 21, 2015}}</ref>

[[Amanda Tyler]] is the Executive Director and K. Hollyn (Holly) Hollman is the General Counsel and Associate Executive Director.

==History==
The BJC traces its roots to 1936 when it was founded as the Southern Baptist Committee on Public Relations.<ref>Stan L. Hastey's ''A History of the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs, 1946-1971'', a doctoral thesis presented to the faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in October 1973, has been used as a central source for all information until 1971.</ref> After joining forces with American and National Baptists, the committee established offices in Washington, D.C., in 1946 and became the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs.

Joseph Martin Dawson was elected the organization's first full-time Executive Director, a position he held until his retirement at age 75 on October 13, 1953. Other executive directors of the BJC have been C. Emanuel Carlson (1954–1971), James E. Wood Jr. (1972–1980), James M. Dunn (1981–1999), and [[J. Brent Walker]] (1999–2016). Current executive director Amanda Tyler began her tenure at the start of 2017.

Dawson's leadership led to several significant changes within the organization. One of the first was the introduction of the ''Report from the Capital'', a periodical containing news and opinions of interest to politically minded Baptists. The first issue appeared in October 1946, and the BJC still publishes the ''Report'' as a source of views and analysis on church-state issues.

In 1979, a shift occurred when the [[Southern Baptist Convention]] elected [[Adrian Rogers]] as their new president. The BJC's relationship with the Convention got rockier throughout the 1980s. Prior to these years, resolutions had passed the annual meetings regularly expressing near-unanimous support for the BJC and its stands.<ref>Schleicher, Dorothy C. ''A History and Analysis of the Role of the Baptist Joint Committee, 1972-Present''. Library Printing Service: Waco TX, 1993, p. 170.</ref> But as the eighties brought charges of liberalism among the BJC staff on a variety of issues, then Executive Director James Dunn responded:

{{Blockquote|It's ... disingenuous to lament the "left-leaning" of the Baptist Joint Committee regarding issues on which we do not take a stand or lean at all ... The Baptist Joint Committee is chugging straight ahead on the course set in the 1980s by the members and staff of the BJCPA.<ref>Dunn, James M. "Reflections," ''Report from the Capital'' Vol. 44 (January 1989): p. 15</ref>}}

Throughout the controversy, Dunn's reputation was attacked repeatedly. An example comes from [[Paige Patterson]]: "[Dunn] hobnobs with the liberal establishment in the house and Senate ... That doesn't make us very happy either."<ref>Beth Spring. "James Dunn Is the Focus of a Southern Baptist Controversy," ''Christianity Today'' Vol. 28 (March 16, 1984): p. 44.</ref>

In 1990, the SBC reduced the BJC budget by 87%.<ref>"Executive Committee Cuts BJCPA - CLC Receives Religious Liberty Assignment and $391,796," ''Southern Baptist Public Affairs'' (Spring 1990): p. 9.</ref> A year later, at the 1991 annual meeting, all funding to the BJC was abolished in an amendment from Fred Minix of Virginia.<ref>Schleicher 194</ref>

After the SBC withdrew its financial support, the Baptist Joint Committee received donations directly from several Southern Baptist state conventions, local churches, and individuals. The agency's other supporting bodies also helped make up the financial difference.<ref>Parry, Pam. "On Guard for Religious Liberty: Six Decades of the Baptist Joint Committee." Macon: Smyth and Helwys Publishing, 1996. Page 57-58.</ref>

==Legislation==
The organization's staff analyzes new legislation, testifies at hearings, and builds advocacy coalitions to sustain religious liberty. Recent examples include:

===The Johnson Amendment===
The BJC supports the [[Johnson Amendment]], the provision in the US tax code that prohibits houses of worship and 501(c)(3) non-profits from partisan campaigning. In response to [[Donald Trump|Trump's]] vow to "destroy" the Johnson Amendment and the administration's repeated attempts to repeal the law, the BJC helped bring together thousands of faith leaders and more than 100 denominations to sign letters to Congress asking to keep it.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jagoda |first1=Naomi |title=Religious groups maintain limits on political activity |work=The Hill |date=April 5, 2017}}</ref>

===Opposing school vouchers===
The BJC has worked with religious, public education, and civil liberties groups to oppose publicly funded [[school voucher]] programs, arguing that religious teachings should be paid for by voluntary contributions, not through compulsory taxation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Greenhouse |first1=Linda |title=COURT EASES CURB ON PROVIDING AID IN CHURCH SCHOOLS |work=New York Times |date=June 24, 1997}}</ref>

===Religious minorities===
As part of its mandate to defend religious liberty for all, the BJC supports the Freedom of Religion Act, introduced in January 2019 in Congress, partly in response to Trump's travel ban. The legislation prohibits using immigrants' religion (or lack thereof) as a reason to keep them out of the U.S.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Boorstein |first1=Michelle |title=Why many religious liberty groups are silent about the Supreme Court's decision on Trump's travel ban |newspaper=Washington Post |date=June 26, 2018}}</ref>

===Government funding of faith-based organizations ===
The BJC believes it is important to protect the constitutional principle of barring the government from advancing religion, including funding it. Federal money, the BJC argues, should not go to rebuilding churches after a disaster, for example, or to a program that only serves Protestants: government-funded services must be available to all, regardless of religion. One long-standing staple of [[Establishment Clause]] law has been that the government does not fund religion. That responsibility is left to individual religious communities. Using taxpayer dollars to repair and rebuild houses of worship remains constitutionally problematic under the Establishment Clause as taxpayers should not be forced to build sanctuaries for religious teachings with which they disagree.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Banks |first1=Adelle |title=FEMA's plan to reimburse churches draws criticism |publisher=The Christian Century |date=October 18, 2005}}</ref><ref>[http://www.baptiststandard.com/postnuke/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=5093 The Baptist Standard - Religious freedom threatened in U.S.]</ref>

==Litigation==
A significant part of the BJC's work has been its participation in religious liberty cases that are considered by various courts, particularly in the U.S. Supreme Court. The BJC engages in litigation by filing [[amicus curiae]] briefs, a term that means {{Gloss|friend of the court}}. Those briefs are filed to assist the court by providing support for specific points at issue in the dispute. Throughout the BJC's history, the organization has filed more than 140 legal briefs in court cases.

===Large free-standing cross on government property===
In ''[[American Legion v. American Humanist Association]]'', the question for the U.S. Supreme Court concerned a [[Peace Cross|free-standing 40-foot cross]] on government land in the middle of a major intersection in Bladensburg, Maryland. The BJC filed a brief arguing that the monument is unconstitutional because it represents a government endorsement of religion. In response to claims that the monument has an objective and secular meaning, the BJC countered, stating there is no more recognizable symbol of Christianity than the cross, and any attempt to deny it is offensive to Christians. On June 20, 2019, the Supreme Court ruled that the cross could remain, basing its decision on the particular history of that memorial monument.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aclu.org/blog/religious-liberty/supreme-court-playing-favorites-religion|title=The Supreme Court Is Playing Favorites With Religion|last1=Mach|first1=Daniel|date=|website=ACLU|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212053320/https://www.aclu.org/blog/religious-liberty/supreme-court-playing-favorites-religion |archive-date=2019-02-12 |accessdate=}}</ref>

===Muslim ban===
In [[Trump v. Hawaii]], the Supreme Court addressed the White House's third attempt to limit immigration from certain Muslim-majority countries. The BJC argued that the government cannot enact laws designed to harm a specific religious group. But, in June 2018, the Court upheld the validity of the travel ban as within the president's immigration powers. The BJC continues its opposition.<ref>{{cite news |title=Trump said he'll 'totally destroy' the Johnson Amendment. What is it and why should people care? |newspaper=Washington Post |date=February 2, 2017}}</ref>

===Wedding cake for a same-sex couple's reception===
[[Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission]] centered around a bakery owner's refusal to make a cake for the wedding reception of a same-sex couple based on his religious beliefs, despite a state law requiring that businesses open to the public not refuse service due to LGBT status. The BJC filed a brief on behalf of the state of Colorado, explaining that laws like this one – covering discrimination against "disability, race, [religion], colour, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, or ancestry" – protect religious liberty. Granting a broad exemption for this baker would open the door for other business owners to refuse service to customers in other protected categories based on the business owner's religious beliefs. For example, another commercial baker could use these same arguments to refuse to create a cake for an interfaith couple, an interracial couple or a couple where one had been previously divorced.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bjconline.org/masterpiece/|title=Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>

===Religious headscarf in the workplace===
In 2015, the BJC and 14 other religious groups joined to defend the right of a Muslim woman to wear her [[hijab]] at work in ''[[Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores|Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores, Inc.]]'' The Supreme Court agreed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bjconline.org/abercrombie/|title=EEOC v. Abercrombie|last=|first=|date=|website=|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205153112/http://bjconline.org/abercrombie |archive-date=2015-02-05 |access-date=}}</ref>

==Advocacy and education==
The BJC led a coalition of Christian organizations to create a way for Christians to take a stand against [[Christian nationalism]] and call out the threat it poses both to their faith and to democracy. On July 29, 2019, they launched ChristiansAgainstChristianNationalism.org, a grassroots movement standing against the political ideology of Christian nationalism. In 2022, the BJC together with the [[Freedom From Religion Foundation]] published a joint report on the role of Christian nationalism in the [[January 6, 2021 Capitol attack]] entitled "Christian nationalism and the January 6, 2021 Insurrection".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Seering |first=Lauryn |date=2022-02-09 |title=FFRF, BJC report: Christian nationalism and the January 6 Insurrection |url=https://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-bjc-report-christian-nationalism-and-the-january-6-insurrection/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Freedom From Religion Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref>

To promote its positions, the BJC publishes a wide array of materials relating to church-state separation, including significant coalition statements.

One of the most effective educating tools{{Cn|date=August 2024}} in recent years was "Religion in the Public Schools: A Joint Statement of Current Law." The BJC was a member of the document's drafting committee along with several leading organizations spanning the political spectrum – from the [[National Association of Evangelicals]] and the [[Christian Legal Society]] to the [[American Civil Liberties Union]] and the [[National Council of Churches]]. The document served as a resource for parents, students, teachers, and administrators throughout the [[United States]] and was later condensed and mailed to schools across the country by President [[Bill Clinton]] because of its accuracy and reliability.

===Name changes===

In 2005, the BJC name was changed to the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty to more accurately reflect their singular focus on religious liberty issues.

In 2019, the organization rebranded as BJC with the tagline ''Faith. Freedom. For All.'', to capture the inclusiveness of its mission and the relevancy of its work.

===75th anniversary===

The Baptist Joint Committee celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2011 and released a special edition of ''Report from the Capital'' highlighting the history of the organization.<ref>{{cite web|title=Celebrate 75 Years of the BJC!|url=http://bjconline.org/celebrate-75-years-of-bjc/|accessdate=21 July 2014}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070329181348/http://www.thefellowship.info/News/GAcoverage/060623shurden.icm Cooperative Baptist Fellowship - Baptist Joint Committee honors Shurden at 70th anniversary luncheon]</ref>

== External links ==
* [http://www.bjconline.org Baptist Joint Committee website]
* {{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer|530214244}}

== References ==

[[Category:Baptist organizations in the United States]]
[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Christian organizations established in 1936]]
[[Category:Baptist denominations established in the 20th century]]
[[Category:Joint committees]]
[[Category:American Christian political organizations]]
[[Category:Separation of church and state in the United States]]

Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty

2026-04-07T03:36:59Z

BrantleyRider: Created page with "Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty"

Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty

The Frankfurt Declaration on Christian and Civil Liberties

2026-04-07T02:56:36Z

BrantleyRider: Redirected page to Frankfurt Declaration

#redirect [[Frankfurt Declaration]]