The Four Loves
C.S. Lewis is my favourite author when it comes to books on faith. I find his perspective resonates with my own convictions. Strangely, I had never read his book, The Four Loves, although I had listened to the audiobook.
Love is essential to Christianity, with 1 John even saying that “God is love.” However, we use “love” in so many ways and it is not always clear what we mean.
Lewis, in this very influential book, looks at love through the lens of four different Greek words:
- Storge – empathy bond
- Philia – friend bond
- Eros – romantic love
- Agape – unconditional “God” love
Lewis’s analysis of the different forms of love is brilliant and he can continues to be quoted regularly. There is so much we can learn from his observations.
Having said that, in my opinion, this is one of the most boring books by Lewis. The concept is important but the execution feels like it is dragged out. It reads as if he was trying too hard to get the book to its final length. Still, a weak book by Lewis is better than a strong book by most authors.
If you are interested in the audiobook of The Four Loves, it is actually read by C.S. Lewis himself.
