Their pursuit of an illusion, then, causes them to ignore the truth which is there. When interpreted literally, the Song of Solomon exalts the joy of sexual love in a marital relationship. However, generations of Christian allegorists have interpreted it as symbolic of the relationship of Christ to His bride, the church. Embarrassed by the sexual nature of the text, they have obscured its meaning, even though nothing in the Song indicates an allegory. Their inhibitions have caused them to conceal what God and the author meant to praise.
Allegorical interpretation is open to almost unlimited subjectivity.
The allegorist can make Scripture say whatever he wishes. For instance, a camel's nose not only can detect water from afar, it also cleanses the animal's sinuses by discharging phlegm. Despite its obvious illegitimacy, the allegorical method has plenty of advocates and by no means is endangered. The preacher of the Genesis 24 message was a rural, bi-vocational pastor who never attended seminary and likely learned allegorical interpretation from another pastor. Each time he allegorizes a text, he perpetuates his interpretive method among uncritical listeners.