Decay (The Allegory of Love)

C.S. Lewis’ grandfather was the rector of Saint Mark’s Church of Ireland, in Dundela, North Ireland. As small boys, Lewis and his brother, Warren, were taken to church every Sunday to hear their grandfather preach. Lewis writes that his grandfather’s sermons were full of dramatic tears, loveless rituals and “the dry husks of Christianity.” There was nothing in the empty religious services that attracted the young boys toward the Person of Christ. Empty religious words were powerless to reveal the eternal joy that Christ gave with His sacrifice .

In his early days as a follower of Christ, Lewis struggled with denominationalism. In The Allegory of Love, he writes: “When Catholicism goes bad it becomes the world-old, world-wide religion of amulets and holy places and priestcraft: Protestantism, in its corresponding decay, becomes a vague mist of ethical platitudes.  Catholicism is accused of being much too like all the other religions; Protestantism of being insufficiently like a religion at all.”

Throughout his life, Lewis was an adamant supporter of true faith lived out, in whatever denominational uniform it wore, with passion and action. But he remained vehemently opposed to religion, ritual and “church forms” that were devoid of life, reason and the love of God.

Question: What is an act of worship that has become merely ritual to you? Is it time to stop the ritual? Or is it time to breathe new life into the ritual and remember how it draws you to the heart of God?

The Allegory of Love: A Study of Medieval Tradition (1936)

C.S. Lewis would begin his outstanding academic writing career with one of the finest works of literary criticism in the 20^th century. The Allegory of Love was written from 1927 to 1935 as Lewis moved from atheism to theism and finally to Christianity. Lewis’ academic works stand out from his contemporaries because of his enthusiasm and his ability to inspire the audience to read the works he writes or speaks about. The Allegory of Love was a good academic foundation for one of the finest allegorists in Western literature.

Interesting Fact: Another famous author and friend of Lewis, Charles Williams, wrote the introduction to Allegory. Williams convinced Lewis the change the original title:  “The Allegorical Love Poem”.

Tagged as: Allegory of Love, C.S. Lewis, Catholic, decay, faith, Protestant, religion, ritual, sacrifice