Bad Old Screwtape

The C.S. Lewis classic titled The Screwtape Letters is an insightful and thought-provoking book that features a more experienced demon named Screwtape who provides guidance for his nephew in guiding his "patient"--the person for whom he is responsible to tempt and influence for evil.  When the "patient" becomes a Christian, Screwtape expresses his displeasure and suggests means to distract and prevent him from spiritual growth and fruitfulness.  In this allegory everything is turned around, where "The Enemy" is God and the correspondence reveals pitfalls Christians have stumbled into from the beginning.

One of the strengths of this book is the truth of God's word, God's goodness and the devil's tireless habit of lying and deceiving were constant long before Jesus Christ walked in Galilee.  The timeless observations remain relevant concerning Christians in society today and touches on many subtle ways Christians can be distracted or deterred from Christ by the world and things in it--including church, wars and politics.  Screwtape wrote, "Surely you know that if a man can't be cured of churchgoing, the next best thing is to send him all over the neighbourhood looking for the church that 'suits' him until he becomes a taster or connoisseur of churches...the search for a 'suitable' church makes the man a critic where the Enemy wants him to be a pupil." (Lewis, C. S. Mere Christianity & the Screwtape Letters: Complete in One Volume. Harper San Francisco, 2003. pages 321-322)

Screwtape weighed in on mankind's tendency to lean into viewing Christianity as a means to our end:

"Certainly we do not want men to allow their Christianity to flow over into their political life, for the establishment of anything like a really just society would be a major disaster.  On the other hand we do want, and want very much, to make men treat Christianity as a means; preferably, of course, as a means to their own advancement, but, failing that, as a means to anything--even to social justice.  The thing to do is to get a man at first to value social justice as a thing which the Enemy demands, and then work him on to the stage at which he values Christianity because it may produce social justice.  For the Enemy will not be used as a convenience.  Men or nations who think they can revive the Faith in order to make a good society might just as well think they can use the stairs of Heaven as a short cut to the nearest chemist's shop.  Fortunately it is quite easy to coax humans round this little corner." (Ibid. pages 366-367)

The Screwtape letters is a clever and insightful book where scriptural truths are affirmed by an unlikely source--an infernal spirit who has spent countless lifetimes simply observing humanity with an aim to tempt and trip them up.  It illustrates well the understanding the devil has about the Bible and God and remains blind to the truth, deceived and doomed by his own pride.  Thankfully our God has given us the Holy Spirit and His word so we can follow Jesus Christ obediently and truly "...lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices." (2 Corinthians 2:11)