"My dear Wormwood..." Thus begins every chapter in this delightful little book. It’s more a collection of letters, really. The letters are sent to Wormwood, a young devil, from his "affectionate" uncle Screwtape, a more experienced devil who is training his nephew in all the intricate ways of being a tempter. Like other devils, Wormwood has been assigned a "patient", a human being that he is to spend his time tempting and leading astray. Screwtape has written these letters to Wormwood giving advice on what will or won’t work in this endeavor. The book is called The Screwtape Letters
and it’s written by one of the most well known Christian writers, C.S. Lewis. If you haven’t ye
t read any C.S. Lewis, this is a great place to start. For today’s review, I decided to simply share a few of my favorite quotes from this book. This is only a sampling as this book provides some brilliant insight and analysis on why we do what we do, and how Satan tries to get us to do what he wants. It’s really a fantastic book. I think there is an incredible amount to learn by evaluating these ideas and C.S. Lewis does a marvelous job with this task and makes some wonderful points about human behavior, the gospel, sin and temptation, and the devil's ultimate strategies to keep us from what is good. So, on to some examples (and remember, these are two devils corresponding, so when they say "Enemy" they mean God):1. Screwtape is telling Wormwood about the ups and downs that all of us humans experience. He calls them "troughs" and "peaks" and explains how theses ups and downs teach us. After explaining to Wormwood how God sends humans His spirit to bless and guide them he says, "But He never allows this state of affairs to last long. Sooner or later He withdraws…He leaves the creature to stand up on its own legs." He continues, "It is during such trough periods, much more than peak periods, that it is growing into the sort of creature He wants it to be. He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles." And then, Screwtape delivers a caution to Wormwood, and for us, on the other side of this story, a beautiful image: "Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy’s [God’s] will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys." Isn’t that really the ultimate sign of faith and obedience? When all apparent evidence of God is missing, yet we still obey? Nothing must please God (or frustrate the devil) more than when our commitment to God and obedience to his laws is complete and unwavering, even in extremely difficult or trying times. It is easy to understand why Screwtape would issue such a warning to Wormwood.
2. In a lecture on the impact of "large" or "small" sins, Screwtape has this counsel to give: "You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy [God]. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the light and out into the nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one – the gentle slop, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts." This paragraph reminded me of the scripture that describes how Satan "leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever." We must be careful and cautious to be ever diligent in the "little" things. We often hear people explain that people don’t often trip over boulders. It’s the small stones and pebbles that cause us to trip up. I love that last line from Screwtape..."without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts." Wonderful imagery.
3. Later on, Screwtape discusses the nature of ownership, namely who is the owner of our souls. In other words, do we humans own our souls, or do we belong to someone or something else? Screwtape explains, "...the joke is that the word "Mine" in its fully possessive sense cannot be uttered by a human being about anything. In the long run either Our Father [Satan] or the Enemy [God] will say "Mine" of each thing that exists, and specially of each man. They will find out in the end...to whom their time, their souls, and their bodies really belong – certainly not to them, whatever happens." In other words, we are not our own. We are either God’s or Satan’s. They would each like to claim us. Screwtape goes on to explain that while God has proper reason to call us His since He made us, Satan, on the other hand "hopes in the end to say "Mine" of all things on the more realistic and dynamic ground of conquest." Satan and his devils will try to conquer us and gain ownership of us during this battle we call life. They have no rightful claim to us, so they will take what they can by cunning, deceitfulness, and vigilant effort. I am reminded of a talk by D. Todd Christofferson where he says, "Our choice in this life is not whether we will or will not be subject to any power. We will be. Our choice is to which authority will we yield obedience: God's or Satan's?"
These are a few tidbits just to whet your appetite. This is a short book that you can read quickly, but will think about for much longer. There are some great quotes, thoughts and insights in this wonderful book. So, if you haven't read it already, I encourage you to Buy the Book!
...you’re certain to enjoy it! (There is also a great boxed set of C.S. Lewis' religious books that you can check out here).
