Readers should be aware that The Pilgrim's Progress is a specifically Christian work. At times the doctrines proclaimed here may lead to what some modern readers might think of as antisocial behavior. For example, Christian leaves his wife and four children to pursue the lonely path to salvation since their hearts have become hardened to him and they think his enterprise is a waste of time. Modern readers might question whether people should follow so uncompromisingly what they believe is right.

The Christianity presented may seem very severe by modem standards, but it is not arbitrarily Puritanical. One will not find this a disputatious or overly doctrinal work. Even though the Calvinist doctrine of the universal depravity of humanity may provide a basic underpinning for most of what occurs in The Pilgrim's Progress, it is never stated as such. What gives the work its life is...