The Screwtape Letters

(out of 5)
This book was much different than anything I have read before. This clever compilation of letters written by C.S. Lewis is full of truths that I found intriguing as well as frightening. It is supposed to be letters written by a devil named Screwtape being given to his nephew/apprentice devil, Wormwood. It is a look into the possible thoughts and motives of Satan and how he may try to ensare us away from Christianity. There are various "lessons" that can be pulled from the readings; I marked a couple that particularly stood out to me and I'll mention them here:

In one letter, Screwtape tries to explain to Wormwood the kind of prayers they would want their "patients" to become accumstomed to. This devil wants people to pray with the belief that the bodily position makes no difference. In other words, that kneeling is not neccessary. If praying is to be done he says it should not be done with "moving lips and bended knees" but merely as an indulging in "a sense of supplication". This backwards sense of looking at how we know we should live was powerful to read, because it makes me realize my own traps that I easily fall into and if I really have a devil assigned to me as his patient, he is probably aware of them all and tries to persuade me to rationalize myself into them.

In another letter, I found the following quote rather frightening, but definitely true: In the words of Screwtape, "It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and 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 slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."

Reading this book was very inspiring. As weird as it seems that reading about the likely thought process and schemes of the devil and his associates would be inspiring, it truly makes you take a second and third look at how you are living and whether you would be a "patient" worth tampering with in the the eyes of one of Satan's henchman. This book was a quick and easy read with incredible writing. It wasn't quite as entertaining as other novels as I have read, for it didn't have a gripping plot by any means; but the clever correspondence and writing style makes this a worthwhile read. Sticking with tradition, I once again give this 4 out of 5 stars.