Pilgrim's Progress Revisited

Christian has a warning he can't ignore and a burden he can't put down. A mysterious book says his home, the Township of Evil, will soon be destroyed, so he sets out along a narrow path toward the Celestial City with only the book to guide him. The road is anything but easy - he sinks into the Bog of Discouragement, is tricked by smooth-talking Worldly Wise into climbing a volcano, and dodges arrows just to reach the castle gate. Neighbors like Pliant turn back the moment the going gets rough, but the traveler Evangelist keeps steering Christian back to the true path. At a cross above an open tomb, the straps finally snap... and the crushing burden rolls away for good. Fitted with the armor of God at the Palace Beautiful, Christian and his new companion Hope brace for the valley ahead - where their most dangerous enemy is waiting.

Found on Passport to Adventure Album 19 · 12 episodes

The run See every episode

1 of 2 0244 The Mysterious Stranger A young stranger walks into Whit's End claiming it was once his childhood home - and he knows secrets about the building that no outsider possibly could.

2 of 2 0245 The Mysterious Stranger A troubled stranger's impossible claim about Whit's End leads Whit and Lucy into the ashes of a decades-old fire - and a family secret someone will do anything to keep buried.

0246 My Fair Bernard When rival Bart Rathbone starts stealing his janitorial customers with slick radio ads, Bernard Walton turns to theatrical impresario Edwin Blackgaard - who has his own hidden reasons for putting the window washer's life story on stage.

0247 Why Don't You Grow Up? Tired of waiting to grow up, a schoolgirl gets the chance to skip ahead and live a week of adult life - and discovers what it actually costs.

0248 Terror from the Skies When a live radio drama about an alien invasion airs in Odyssey, two boys who missed the disclaimer become convinced the invasion is real.

0249 The Case of the Delinquent Disciples When Connie's Bible study students start vanishing one by one, a clueless private detective takes the case - and stumbles onto a truth nobody wanted to say out loud.

1 of 2 0250 Pilgrim's Progress Revisited Burdened by a dire warning and a weight he cannot shed, a man flees his doomed hometown on a narrow path toward a distant city - where every helpful stranger may be friend or trap.

2 of 2 0251 Pilgrim's Progress Revisited Christian and Hope face their darkest trials yet - battles, shadows, and a castle of despair - as their long journey nears the gates of the Celestial City.

0252 The Bad Hair Day When Henry's prized comics vanish from a secret hiding spot, he must choose between joining a gang's rush to punish a suspect and waiting for real evidence.

0253 A Time for Christmas A busy girl too wrapped up in Christmas shopping to help a friend is taken on an Imagination Station journey through Christmases past to discover what the season really means.

0254 Truth, Trivia & 'Trina When a bruised ego pushes Connie into a televised trivia showdown against Eugene, a brilliant new arrival forces him to question whether he's more than the facts he knows.

0255 The Boy Who Cried 'Destructo!' When an imaginative boy's make-believe spy game leads him to a real crime, his history of tall tales means no one will believe the danger is genuine.

1 of 3 0256 Aloha, Oy! A prize trip to Hawaii turns into anything but a relaxing getaway when the Barclays discover they won't be vacationing alone.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 15 more roles

2 featured characters

Harlow Doyle Will Ryan Sam Johnson Kyle Ellison

13 supporting roles

Apollyon Hal Smith Christian Kyle Ellison Evangelist Dave Madden Hope (a) Genny Long Practical Katie Leigh Archer #1 Will Ryan Archer #2 Walker Edmiston Archer #3 Phil Lollar Mrs. Busywork Katie Leigh Guardian of the Gate Walker Edmiston Porter of the Palace Beautiful Walker Edmiston Mr. Pliant Will Ryan Mr. Worldly-Wise Will Ryan

Made by

Chris Anthony Host Phil Lollar Writer · Director Bob Luttrell Sound Designer · Producer Dave Arnold Producer Paul McCusker Producer Chuck Bolte Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 4 min

In a Kids’ Radio production, a traveler named Christian lives in the Township of Evil, where cruelty, corruption, and selfishness surround him. A mysterious book has warned him that the township will soon be destroyed. The knowledge weighs on him like the enormous burden strapped to his back, yet he does not know how to escape either danger.

Christian’s neighbor Practical urges him to stop worrying and throw the book away. When Christian refuses, Practical tries to pull the burden from his shoulders by force, only to make it even heavier. Christian knows that ignoring the warning cannot save him. He cries for help, and a traveler named Evangelist answers. After hearing Christian’s trouble, Evangelist points toward a distant light and tells him to follow the narrow path to the Celestial City. He must remain on that path and keep reading the book, for it will guide him when false advice comes.

As Christian leaves the township, another neighbor, Pliant, decides to accompany him. Christian describes the Celestial City’s beauty and promises, and Pliant eagerly imagines how wonderful life there will be. His enthusiasm disappears when both travelers tumble into the Bog of Discouragement. The mud seems to clutch at them, and the more they struggle, the deeper they sink. Disgusted that Christian’s path has led to hardship so quickly, Pliant abandons the journey and crawls back toward the Township of Evil.

Christian cannot free himself until a polished stranger named Worldly Wise appears with a rope. Once Christian is safely on dry ground, Worldly Wise offers what sounds like an easier solution. He claims that Christian need not endure the narrow path or travel all the way to the Celestial City to lose his burden. A nearby village, supposedly just beyond a hill, can provide everything Christian needs. Tired and grateful for the rescue, Christian follows his directions instead of Evangelist’s.

The hill proves to be the side of a volcano. Rocks rain down as Christian struggles upward, and his burden becomes almost unbearable. Evangelist finds him and leads him out of danger. He explains that Worldly Wise rescued Christian only so he could win his trust and then lead him away from the truth. Christian admits that he stopped obeying the book before he had even finished reading it. Evangelist forgives his mistake but warns him to recognize such deception in the future. Christian returns to the narrow path.

The path leads to a castle gate, but archers fire at Christian as he approaches. Remembering the book’s instruction to knock, he reaches the door and calls out. The gatekeeper opens it just long enough to pull him inside. The arrows belong to the castle’s enemy, who tries to prevent travelers from reaching safety. After hearing about Christian’s burden, the gatekeeper directs him farther along the path to the Place of Deliverance.

Christian reaches a cross standing above an open tomb. As he gazes at the cross, the straps holding his burden suddenly break. The crushing load rolls into the tomb and disappears. His torn, filthy clothing is replaced with clean garments, and Christian rejoices in a freedom he could never have earned by his own effort.

Evangelist meets him again and confirms that the book’s promise has been fulfilled. Christian is free of his burden, but his journey is not complete. Evangelist sends him toward the Palace Beautiful, where he can rest and prepare for the dangers ahead.

Along the way, Christian encounters a man named Busy Work, who keeps interrupting him with supposedly important tasks and useless gifts for the King. Christian spends so much time listening that darkness falls before he realizes how far he has strayed from his purpose. He finally breaks away and hurries toward the palace.

Two lions guard the final approach. Christian is terrified until the porter calls out that the animals are chained. If Christian stays within the narrow beam of light marking the path, they cannot reach him. Trusting those instructions, he walks between the roaring lions and arrives safely.

Inside the Palace Beautiful, Christian meets a fellow traveler named Hope. The palace’s guardians provide them with the armor of God: belts of truth, breastplates of righteousness, helmets of salvation, and shoes prepared with the gospel of peace. Hope receives a bow and arrows of love, while Christian receives the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit.

The porter warns that the next part of the road descends into a valley where their most dangerous enemy waits. Rested, freed from his burden, and clothed for battle, Christian prepares to continue the journey beside Hope.