The Postmodern Pilgrim's Progress: An Allegorical Tale
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- Create Date：2022-05-15 14:16:33
- Update Date：2025-09-24
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- Author：Kyle Mann
- ISBN：1684512751
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Summary
From the editor-in-chief and managing editor of the Babylon Bee！ A millenial seeker travels through a twenty-first century take on The Pilgrim's Progress with allegorical versions of all our modern vices tempting him along the way—as well as a few timeless personified virtues that just might see him through。 Biting satire and uncommon wisdom from the creators of the internet's most influential comedy site， and an author of national bestsellerThe Babylon Bee Guide to Wokeness！
Ryan Fleming is a young agnostic reeling from his brother’s death。 Though he is deeply angry with God， he makes good on a promise he made to his brother in the final moments of his life: to visit a church at least once。 But shortly after his arrival， the slick megachurch’s shoddily installed video projector falls on his head—sending Ryan through a wormhole into another world。
After a narrow escape from the City of Destruction， where the comfortably numb townspeople are oblivious to the fire and brimstone falling like bombs in their midst and destroying their homes， Ryan finds himself on a quest: To make it back to his own universe， he must partner with a woman named Faith to awaken a long-sleeping King—the World-Maker who can make all things new。
Replete with characters ripped straight from the twenty-first century American church—including Radical， Mr。 Satan， the Smiling Preacher， and others—this sometimes-humorous， always-insightful trek parallels Christian’s fictional journey in Pilgrim’s Progress。 Prepare to laugh， cry， cringe， feel convicted， and ultimately be changed by the time the story ends。
The Postmodern Pilgrim’s Progress is brought to you by Kyle Mann and Joel Berry， the two comedic minds behind The Babylon Bee—which， with 250，000 newsletter subscribers and more than fifteen million page views per month， is the most popular satirical news site on the planet。
Ryan Fleming is a young agnostic reeling from his brother’s death。 Though he is deeply angry with God， he makes good on a promise he made to his brother in the final moments of his life: to visit a church at least once。 But shortly after his arrival， the slick megachurch’s shoddily installed video projector falls on his head—sending Ryan through a wormhole into another world。
After a narrow escape from the City of Destruction， where the comfortably numb townspeople are oblivious to the fire and brimstone falling like bombs in their midst and destroying their homes， Ryan finds himself on a quest: To make it back to his own universe， he must partner with a woman named Faith to awaken a long-sleeping King—the World-Maker who can make all things new。
Replete with characters ripped straight from the twenty-first century American church—including Radical， Mr。 Satan， the Smiling Preacher， and others—this sometimes-humorous， always-insightful trek parallels Christian’s fictional journey in Pilgrim’s Progress。 Prepare to laugh， cry， cringe， feel convicted， and ultimately be changed by the time the story ends。
The Postmodern Pilgrim’s Progress is brought to you by Kyle Mann and Joel Berry， the two comedic minds behind The Babylon Bee—which， with 250，000 newsletter subscribers and more than fifteen million page views per month， is the most popular satirical news site on the planet。
Reviews
CJ
，
As a fan of SciFi/Fantasy， I have always thought that it's a shame that so few authors write books in this genre that are appropriate for teenagers。 The Postmodern Pilgrim's Progress does not cover， or hint at， any topics that one would not want their 10 year old to read。 Although there are references to asteroids hitting the Earth， none are graphic enough to cause nightmares， or even sleeplessness。 The moral undertones are just that， undertones。 The reader is not slapped in the face with a reli As a fan of SciFi/Fantasy， I have always thought that it's a shame that so few authors write books in this genre that are appropriate for teenagers。 The Postmodern Pilgrim's Progress does not cover， or hint at， any topics that one would not want their 10 year old to read。 Although there are references to asteroids hitting the Earth， none are graphic enough to cause nightmares， or even sleeplessness。 The moral undertones are just that， undertones。 The reader is not slapped in the face with a religious brochure。 The storyline was so engaging that I read the entire thing in one sitting。 。。。more
Scott Camac
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I came to the book excited by the prospect of a clearly fashioned， modern storyline laying out an allegorical summary of the current state of Christianity in a postmodern world。 I was encouraged that Sean McDowell and Frank Turek had gone before me， endorsing the content。 I liked the style！ I liked the quips from current film culture！ I liked so much about the style and content- though I did get a bit lost at times along the way。 I felt some of the characters were a bit too ambiguously defined， I came to the book excited by the prospect of a clearly fashioned， modern storyline laying out an allegorical summary of the current state of Christianity in a postmodern world。 I was encouraged that Sean McDowell and Frank Turek had gone before me， endorsing the content。 I liked the style！ I liked the quips from current film culture！ I liked so much about the style and content- though I did get a bit lost at times along the way。 I felt some of the characters were a bit too ambiguously defined， at least for this style of literature。 I also had to remind myself often that this is the work from a mind behind Babylon Bee and as such is looking for opportunities to ridicule and parody。。。 and this for some reason 'jangled' in my mind due to my expectation of it being a 'classic' sequel to Bunyan's work。 Anyway， it was okay and brought me to smile and chuckle in parts。 。。。more
Ryan Kleimola
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 If you're looking for a book that follows literary norms then this allegory set in a fictional multiverse reality narrated by an alien-like creature who condescendingly critiques human nature and humbly expresses a lack of familiarity with human expressions， emotions， and experiences， then this one probably isn't for you。If you're looking for a funny and imaginative analysis of many pitfalls American Christianity falls into， this might grab you and leave you confident in The One who works all th If you're looking for a book that follows literary norms then this allegory set in a fictional multiverse reality narrated by an alien-like creature who condescendingly critiques human nature and humbly expresses a lack of familiarity with human expressions， emotions， and experiences， then this one probably isn't for you。If you're looking for a funny and imaginative analysis of many pitfalls American Christianity falls into， this might grab you and leave you confident in The One who works all things for your good。*Spoilers below*I appreciated how as the characters came closer to The King， The （capital B） Book's references became more solidly scriptural。 I enjoyed the recasting of biblical stories in a different world and felt they were not forced。 What good is Faith without works after all？！The presentation of modern fallacies of both Christian and American culture in the fictional world caricatured in a eye opening way the ends to which wrong paths lead。 In my opinion the allegory did a fair job of critiquing not only society but the many iterations of the modern Christian faith and it's notable failures as I know then。I struggled at times to see the needed work of The King in the story but I wonder if that was on purpose as we don't always get to know how God works things toward His purposes。 The ending does bring this home pretty well。 If I could change one thing I would want the allegory to push the great exchange （forgiveness of all human sin by Christ's undeserved death on the cross） imagery further。 But that may just be the Evangelion leaning in me。This book might be best received by Christians who are familiar with Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress and Lewis' Pilgrim's Regress but it's been a long time since I read either and I believe the story stood well enough alone。 But I feel any thinking Christian would benefit from reading this。 I don't believe this book would serve as a good evangelism tool for a non-Christian， but perhaps for those who have lost the primacy of faith in their life this could serve as a good wake-up call。I am glad to see this creative work。 The church needs to lean into its imagination more， that is the mind's imaging of the realities revealed to us in The Book。 。。。more
Barbara DeVries
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The Postmodern Pilgrim’s Progress tells the story of an everyday schmuck who has suffered too much to believe in the existence of God。 Rather than give up on him and let him fail， God sends an important vision into his life to teach him that our life on earth is a journey that is way too much for us to handle。 The only way through it is to continue putting one foot in front of the other with God’s Word as your guide and faith that your Savior already did it all for you。
Barbara Landers
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What a fascinating book！ I encourage you to read it。 As the title indicates， it is a modern retelling of the allegory Pilgrim’s Progress。 The temptations along the way include: the Smiling Preacher who only has positive news to share， the House of Prosperity， Health & Wealth， Mr。 Legalist， Mr。 Political Engagement， Deconstruction， the Pleasure District， the Slippery Slope， the Valley of Doubt， Mr。 Humanist， Mr。 Loved-by-the-World， and Mr Theology， who spends all his time discussing and debating What a fascinating book！ I encourage you to read it。 As the title indicates， it is a modern retelling of the allegory Pilgrim’s Progress。 The temptations along the way include: the Smiling Preacher who only has positive news to share， the House of Prosperity， Health & Wealth， Mr。 Legalist， Mr。 Political Engagement， Deconstruction， the Pleasure District， the Slippery Slope， the Valley of Doubt， Mr。 Humanist， Mr。 Loved-by-the-World， and Mr Theology， who spends all his time discussing and debating and never stepping into the community around him。 This is a fun read， with many literary and cultural allusions， and laugh-out-loud jokes。 But not to worry， the point is clearly and impactfully made about our culture and the many ways that it influences us。 Have we lost our way to the Golden City？ Can we make it through the pitfalls and dangers that beset us almost every step of the way？ 。。。more
Cynthia
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Should you read it？ Yes you should。 Entertaining and thought provoking。 Not great ‘literature’ but what can you expect from a celestial being not that familiar with， but learning about， earth culture。 Good job， guys。
Marianne Strong
，
After reading some of the previous comments I have come to the reality that I read for a completely different reason than these commenters。 I have very little spare time so when I signed up to early read this book it was because it interested me。 The world needs satire。 The Postmodern pilgrim’s Progress: An Allegorical Tale was a fun read in light of the times。 I am not an English Major or a professional literary analyst， but the authors were able to take a classic and tweak it forward。 In my hu After reading some of the previous comments I have come to the reality that I read for a completely different reason than these commenters。 I have very little spare time so when I signed up to early read this book it was because it interested me。 The world needs satire。 The Postmodern pilgrim’s Progress: An Allegorical Tale was a fun read in light of the times。 I am not an English Major or a professional literary analyst， but the authors were able to take a classic and tweak it forward。 In my humble opinion they nailed it with their allegory considering the times in which we live。 From my perspective being pulled into a wormhole where relativism rules， bad actors dressed as good people， and personal pleasure is the common goal， doesn’t seem any different than our reality。 I am a Christian， and I live my life based on the Holy Bible。 I identified with Faith; neither hers nor Matty’s deaths were particularly sad because they were Christians， just pilgrims passing through this world。 Bottom line is I loved the book！ 。。。more
MPauzer
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This is a difficult review to write since I really like and respect the Babylon Bee。 They have created an amazing fusion of comedy and satire with a conservative bent。 I’m not in tune with all of the pop culture shenanigans so admittedly I don’t always resonate with the cultural references that are made。 But for the references that “I get” I am gratified that there is someone， some force， out there that I can relate to。 So， for that， I say Thank You。But this book， I get。 It’s an easy， albeit len This is a difficult review to write since I really like and respect the Babylon Bee。 They have created an amazing fusion of comedy and satire with a conservative bent。 I’m not in tune with all of the pop culture shenanigans so admittedly I don’t always resonate with the cultural references that are made。 But for the references that “I get” I am gratified that there is someone， some force， out there that I can relate to。 So， for that， I say Thank You。But this book， I get。 It’s an easy， albeit lengthy， read。 It is not a stretch to understand the meaning of the Journey or the various places and people that are encountered along the way or the manner in which Ryan （aka Christian） reacts to them。 But alas it is almost too easy， bordering on the mandate or boring。 So， from my perspective， I’m not the intended audience。 The audience should feel inspired， delighted， entertained or at least reach an “ah ha” revelation。 None of that happened; it was just one after another of ho-hum allegories。As an invited reviewer， I feel tasked with identifying the target audience; that type or group that could benefit from the book either from an entertainment or enlightenment viewpoint。 Identify them and encourage them to buy the book。 But the book is too symbolic for the very young who would need a lot of interpretation for it to provide teachable moments。 Yet it lacks the magic of the Wizard of Oz （whose theme runs throughout the storyline） to be entertaining to that group。 Thinking through other age groups or different stages of maturation I’m hard pressed to task any of them with this book as a summer reading assignment。Or I totally misunderstood the point of the book， and you should run out and buy it now。So， Babylon Bee， keep up the good work on daily news snippets。 You are truly a national treasure。 。。。more
Stephen
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Being familiar with Kyle and Joel's output in The Babylon Bee， I came in with low expectations and honestly， this book failed to dissappoint。 I'm not sure how to classify this book - it riffs on the essential storyline of John Bunyan's classic tale， but is it a parody？ An homage？ Whatever it is， it does a poor job。Interestingly， the authors are very much aware of the low-effort and poor-quality nature of the work: the book opens with "An Introduction by the Narrator"， an angel who introduces the Being familiar with Kyle and Joel's output in The Babylon Bee， I came in with low expectations and honestly， this book failed to dissappoint。 I'm not sure how to classify this book - it riffs on the essential storyline of John Bunyan's classic tale， but is it a parody？ An homage？ Whatever it is， it does a poor job。Interestingly， the authors are very much aware of the low-effort and poor-quality nature of the work: the book opens with "An Introduction by the Narrator"， an angel who introduces themself by apologising for their lack of skill with the English language。 In the following chapter they also observe their lack of empathy whilst treating a teenager's horrific death by cancer with callous indifference。 The death scene in particular sets the tone: it's horrific， made worse by the insertion of the child's youth pastor who blunders in throwing around worthless platitudes。 I assume the intended tone is one of horror， but the ridiculousness of the characters and the wooden dialogue comes across as a poorly considered attempt at comedy。 That this bizarre mood confusion is repeated mere pages later when our protagonist engages in an angry and understandable rant against an overblown parody of a megachurch preacher moments before a Panasonic （why the brand callout？ Is there an undisclosed sponsorship deal， or this perhaps some sort of in-joke？） LCD projector falls on his head， resulting in the dream that makes up the narrative to follow。From here the story places Ryan in the position of Christian， the protagonist of the original Pilgrim's Progress。 Awakening in "the city of destruction" shortly prior to the arrival of a meteor， he sets out on a quest mirroring the locations of the original novel， albeit with a new and changed cast of archetypes。 An interesting stylistic choice of note is that Kyle and Joel chose not to mimic the scripted dialogue format of the original book - perhaps recognising that such didactic writing is beyond their ability， they choose instead to follow a more conventional style of the sort found in common fantasy parodies。 Unfortunately this also results in a loss of clarity - whereas Bunyon's characters are clear and identifiable archetypes， Mann and Berry's are often not entirely clear as to the targets of their ire。 The more generous reviewer might suggest that this poorness of English is that point - that the "postmodern" of the title refers specifically to the genre of literature， and that the use of a dislikable narrator who regularly breaks the fourth wall， the footnotes referencing random facts on a wider world （bringing to mind an unfunny Douglas Adams） and drawing attention to film references， and the general ambiguity of the alleged allegory being an intentional stylistic choice。 If so， the authors should be applauded for such a daring break from the usual texts expected by their target audience。Whether this suggestion is correct or over generous， the point stands that it is unclear who this book is aimed at: much of the narrative relies on hewing closely to the plot of the original book， at least enough to reference it in a way that will be familiar to fans。 The bulk of the text， however， is made up of references to pop culture， to various 20th and 21st century subculutres， and to a very specific American conservative evangelical worldview。 The authors seem to believe that they're sharing a teachable moment or an important message， yet it seems that to fully grasp that message requires one to already be in the camp that agrees with it。 If nothing else， that the "praise" at the beginning from various individuals often emphasises how funny they found the book， I suspect the target audience includes those with a very poor sense of humour。2 stars because there are occasional sparks of "this was a good idea or had potential but shame about the execution"。 。。。more
Russ
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