The Romance of Religion

The Bible is a guidebook, a source of wisdom, a record of history. But above all else, the Bible is a story—one that happens to be true.  Not only is the Bible a story, it is a fantastic story—a romantic story. Not the boy-meets-girl definition, but the chivalric romance, a tale of battles and danger and conquering heroes. In fact, the word “fantasy” could easily replace “romance” throughout the book.

Many apologetics have been written, but very few authors have tackled the relationship between story and Christianity, with the exception of the Inklings and their predecessor Chesterton.  The Romance of Religion establishes what it means to be a romantic in today’s cynical world, ranging from ethics to philosophy and faith.

Many portions of this book reminded me of Chesterton, from the chapter topics to the author’s illustrations. The first chapter was originally presented as a paper to the American Chesterton Society 2006. It also draws from elements in C.S. Lewis’s  “On Three Ways of Writing for Children” and Tolkien’s “On Fairy- Stories.”  While none of the book’s insights are particularly new, it is always good to be reminded of truth and the power of story.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.