The Castle of Giant Despair

Renewing Your Mind

Ligonier Ministries

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.8 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 5 November 2025

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

God's people are not immune to doubt, discouragement, and depression. But even in these dreaded times, we have hope in Christ. Today, Derek Thomas explores one of the darkest yet most profound scenes in The Pilgrim's Progress.

For your donation of any amount, receive The Pilgrim's Progress book by John Bunyan, together with Derek Thomas' video teaching series on DVD. You'll also get lifetime digital access to this 19-message series and its study guide: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/4401/offer

Live outside the U.S. and Canada? Get the digital teaching series and study guide with your donation: https://www.renewingyourmind.org/global

Meet Today's Teacher:

Derek Thomas is a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow and Chancellor's Professor of Systematic and Pastoral Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary.

Meet the Host:

Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of media for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, and host of the Ask Ligonier podcast.

Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Transcript

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0:00.0	You think you've seen it all in Pilgrine's Progress,
0:04.0	and you've been in the valley of the shadow of death,
0:07.0	which was a pretty dark place,
0:08.0	and you've been in Vanity Fair, which was a dark place,
0:11.0	and now you're coming to perhaps an even darker place,
0:15.0	the dungeon of the castle of giant despair.
0:19.0	They're locked in a dungeon without food and without water and without light.
0:30.5	Christians can find themselves captured by giant despair in the basement of Dowding Castle.
0:37.4	It's a dark place, and perhaps you have been
0:39.8	there or someone you know. Hi, I'm Nathan W. Bingham, and you're listening to Renewing Your Mind.
0:47.5	This week, we've been exploring John Bunyan's classic The Pilgrim's Progress. Taking you on this
0:54.0	tour has been Ligeneer
0:55.2	Teaching Fellow, Derek Thomas. And if you're just joining us, this allegory follows a man named
1:01.2	Christian and his journey to the Celestial City. If you'd like to own your own copy of Bunyan's
1:07.8	Pilgrim's Progress and Derek Thomas' guided tour through it,
1:12.1	will send you the book and the DVD when you give a donation at Renewing Your Mind.org
1:17.9	in support of this daily outreach.
1:21.1	Well, on this leg of the journey, Christian does find himself in Doubting Castle, but thankfully
1:27.1	there is a way out.
1:28.3	And that's a truth we all need to remember.
1:31.3	Here's Dr. Thomas.
1:33.3	Last time we saw the valiant, faithfuls, martyrdom, and then that beautiful description that Bunyan gives of a chariot and horses
	...

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