Ralph CoshamThe Screwtape Letters

Okay, confession time. Until today, I had never read The Screwtape Letters in its entirety. I had enjoyed some excerpts, having taken a course on C.S. Lewis in college, and I'd seen other writers reference bits and pieces. But with a demanding TBR pile, I just never got around to the whole thing, until now. What's my impression? In a nutshell, The Screwtape Letters isn't a comforting book, nor always easy to read. But it is a surprisingly edifying morsel I'd call vital to Christian libraries.C.S. Lewis can be a challenging author in the best sense and he didn't back down here. First, just by using a demon as a narrator, he challenges Christian readers in particular to think backwards. That is, at times, I found myself a bit worried about Wormwood's fate. So I had to remind myself, "Hold up, they're demons." As the afterward puts it, demons' lights are my (our) darks, and so forth. But in thinking backwards, I was always challenged to read on, keep learning, keep inverting, and remind myself of the truth. Yes, even and especially the truth I thought I already knew.That's another big point in the book's favor. Lewis can get verbose at times. I did skim a couple sections, most notably the ending Toast (though there are some absolute gems in there I'll get to in a minute). But in weeding through the verbose and rather archaic language, I challenged myself, "Okay, what's being said here?" And more specifically, what makes this book, about a fictional male living in WWII England, valuable and accessible to me, a 21st-century American woman who has only known war in a faraway sense?The answer is, a LOT is being said in The Screwtape Letters, all of it valuable. In fact, I'd recommend reading some pieces twice or you might miss something. Again, inverting and adjusting your thinking is required; you're not dealing with a sympathetic narrator. Once you've "adjusted the settings," though, you'll rediscover some great truths not about hell and demons, but about God, Christ, and Heaven. These truths include His persistent love for humanity, to the point of (alleged) recklessness, His patient wooing of the nonbeliever and backslider, His interest in even the most mundane prayers, and His desire for everyone He has created to be in Heaven with Him. It's all a great reminder, especially if like me, you've ever found yourself saying, "Why did I get into this Christianity gig in the first place?"That being said, be alert for some hard but vital truths about demons as well. As hard as it is, pay attention to how Screwtape talks about humans--"animals," "food," "putrid," and similar adjectives and slurs. He could be "humorous" in a dry, dark sort of way, in that he kept bashing Christians and I would smirk and say to myself, "You have no idea who we really are and can be."But Screwtape and his demon compatriots are not funny. They are reminders that Satan and demons hate you, they will twist anything, even the most joyful and pure, to turn you against God, and their ultimate goal is to devour your soul. It's sobering to say the least, but it will make you think. I looked up for my Kindle for short prayers at various points. These often sounded like, "Yes, he's right, humans fall into this, I fall into this, God protect me. He may not have access to my soul but that doesn't make me invulnerable."Speaking of being a vulnerable human, I think that's the greatest lesson of The Screwtape Letters and why it's a classic. It's truly an evergreen book. That is, if you can't relate to the Blitzkrieg, rationing, and other hardships of WWII, you can certainly relate to being drawn into things like pride, lust, gluttony, and the other seven deadly sins. If you say to yourself for example, "I've not been taken in by discussions of the 'historical Jesus'," well one, you probably have and don't know it. Two, even if you haven't, some other version of fake Christianity or fake Jesus has probably caught your attention. I was even amazed--though I shouldn't be--at how on target Lewis' "Toast" was in its commentary on philosophies and perceived dangers Christians wrestle with right now. Nothing new under the sun, indeed.I docked a star only because as noted, the language can be on the wordy, archaic side. And though this is more a suggestion or critique and will never be answered, I agree with Lewis that I'd have liked to see some counterpoint from the human's guardian angel. (Although, I do see what Lewis meant when he said he couldn't write that because, how do you adequately and accurately capture such)? Besides those critiques though, I have no issues and highly recommend this book. Is it as important as the Bible? No. Is it as informative as some other books on similar subjects? Maybe not. Still, it speaks to readers in their frail humanity so well, I'd say you must have it as a resource.

This was a re-read for me but it was still enlightening. There is a serious Spiritual battle going on for each soul in humanity.Too many are blind to this truth. This book is an excellent tale of how the Enemy is at work in our lives and the lives of those around us.He has a goal and that's to take as many to Hell as he can.

Great reading on understanding God and human nature

The clarity with which Lewis describes the possible happenings in the unseen world is indeed food for thought. Before there were special effects for movie goers, Lewis exposes an unseen world at war for your very soul. You may dismiss the reality of it. But I, like Lewis, am convinced it exists.

Book received as announced.Thanks again

I've read this before (around 5 years ago), but this time I enjoyed it way more than last time, and I think I was able to follow Lewis' thoughts much better. In sum, this book was full of insight after insight about how we as humans work, how we are variously and subtly tempted in the Christian life, and even who God (referred to as 'the Enemy' throughout) is and how we works for the good of his people. Many might think this is mainly fiction, or satire, or just a strange book that is about how demons might work, but the book is much more profound than that. It most certainly isn't just fiction; it includes some satire, but isn't mainly such; and Lewis does use the letters from one demon to another as his template; but in reality, this is just as clear and profound as Lewis' other classic works on Christianity-such as Mere Christianity. In fact, I would say that if read slowly, this book is just as profound. Just instead of it being longer chapters with longer arguments, each of the 31 chapters in this book has its own main argument (or multiple) that really shed much insight on the Christian faith.Of the 31 chapters, I marked 15 of them as really great and worth revisiting over and over. I will keep this book always in close range on my bookshelf simply because it is so full of practical advice and illustrations about the Christian life.I will not quote or list most of the insights here-just for the sake of time-but here are the main topics that he talked about. I will word them as coming from evil's perspective, and will put the chapter number in parenthesis.- Keep the Christian "in the stream" and not really thinking about bigger things (1)- Use the War, but watch out for how the Enemy can use it (5)- Use anxiety about the Future; make him lack self-awareness (6)- Make him extreme on either side (it doesn't really matter much) on Politics (7)- Use Pleasures (even though that's Enemy territory), and make him a nominal believer (9)- Make him spend his time, all throughout life, doing and getting Nothing (12)- Manipulate his 'Humility' (14)- Keep him from seeing the Present and eternity; focus him on the Future (15)- How to use sex and marriage (18)- Make him think he has ownership on time; how to twist the word 'my' (21)- How to use this quest for the Historical Jesus (23)- Make him crave novelty; twist his desire (25)- Change the Christian idea of 'Love' for the negative idea of 'Unselfishness' (26)- Use the world slowly over time to attach him to the world (28)- Use a little Fatigue; and twist the idea of what is 'real' (30)These are the main insights about the Christian life I listed. Although, there are many more.SPOILER ALERT BELOW:Finally, I simply want to mention the last chapter. The last chapter was different as it was not about how to tempt the Christian man because he suddenly died. Rather, it was about one demon (frustratingly) explaining what happened to him at those moments after death. In short, this chapter was beautiful. It really was. Almost made me cry tears of joy. Lewis so clearly and cleverly--even through the disgusted pen of a fictional demon!--and so wonderfully captures the Christian's final deliverance from all evil, how the Christian will see all the angels that helped him along the way, and especially the moment when the Christian will finally see God himself, Jesus Christ, and be finally home. Again, the last chapter is beautiful. And it is a perfect ending to the book.In sum, although it uniquely is a book containing 31 letters from one demon to the other, it is super applicable, insightful, clever, and even beautiful as it shows who God is and the future he has for his people.Without a doubt, I would wholeheartedly recommend the book. Read it as slowly as it takes; take it in; and see the shining glory of God, especially as it is contrasted with the backdrop of the darkness.

You will not regret reading this book. It was written around 80 years ago but the topics are still directly applicable to today's world.

This book is generally and imaginatively good, and teaches you a thing or two about the human condition and how unseen forces work against us.

この作品はナルニアなどの童話で知られる作者が書簡体で書いた作品。叔父の大悪魔が甥の新米悪魔に悪魔術の指南をするもの。ルイスは紆余曲折の末、クリスチャンになったので、キリスト教についてかなりの知識を必要とするが、「敵」はもちろんキリストの神である。時代的背景もよくわかる。最後の悪魔の演説の章では特に、デモクラシーのまやかしを暴いていることが面白い。I am as good as you. 人間はこのように平等には造られていないのである。全体の悪魔指南、もちろんその反対のことを行えば善に至るのである。ともかくぐいぐいと興味引かれる書物である。翻訳も出版されているので参照されたい。

　本書は、悪é­"Screwtapeから彼のç"¥Wormwoodに宛てた31の手ç'™ã‹ã‚‰ãªã‚‹ã€‚その手ç'™ã«ã¯ã€äººé-"ã‚'どのように誘æƒ'するか、どのように堕落させ、「地下の父」悪é­"のものとするか、というæ-¹æ³•ãŒæ›¸ã‹ã‚Œã¦ã‚る。クリスチャンになったばかりの名もなきç"·ã‚'どのように神から遠ã-ã'ればよいのか。1番の大罪はSelf-Rightousness（自分はæ¸...廉æ½"白であり、正ã-いと信じ込むã"と）であるが、そのä»-色ã€...とæ-¥å¸¸çš„な事柄ã‚'題材に人é-"の弱い部分、æš-い部分、é-"違った部分ã‚'鮮やかに分析ã-ていく。ときにユーモラスに、ときにæ°-高く（悪é­"は実際何がå-„いã"とかすべて知っている）、ときに恐ろã-く（今まで罪と思っていなかった罪が時ã€...出てくる）手ç'™ã¯é€²ã‚"で行く。それにã-ても、ã"ã‚"なに人é-"のã"とã‚'よくわかっている人がいたなã‚"て、と感!å‹!!•ã-てã-まう。ã"の本ã‚'読ã‚"だだã'で、人ç"ŸãŒå...¨ãé•ã£ã¦è¦‹ãˆã‚‹ã€‚いかに毎æ-¥ã®ç"Ÿæ'»ã¯è‡ªåˆ†è‡ªèº«ã®ä¸­ã®å-„悪の戦いに満ちているべきであるか。C.S.ルイスによっていかに多くの人が目ã‚'覚まされ、screwtapeのような悪é­"の手から逃れたã"とか。クリスチャンであるかないかはã"の本ã‚'読むのにå...¨ãé-¢ä¿‚ない。è«-理的で分かりやすく、普遍的であって独創的である。また、“letters”のä»-に、ã"の版にはルイスが後から書き足ã-た“Screwtape　Proposes　A　Toast”がついている。

I have read The Screwtape Letters before and it's a wonderful, thought-provoking book written in an engaging way. But the Kindle version I downloaded from this link is APPALLING. The person who has prepared it as an e-book has zero knowledge of English punctuation or e-book formatting. It begins with a notice that it must be made available for no payment (so why was I charged for it?) and then has some kind of copyright disclaimer, presumably because the person who produced it may not have permission to do so. Supposedly produced by Samizdat University Press in Canada....AVOID this version. Buy the real book and gain from its wisdom but don't waste your money on this kindle one

This book aims to provide the view of the world from the viewpoint of a devil. Screwtape was a senior member of the Father-from-Below camp. Through these letters, he was advising a novice demon how to do his job in leading man, referred to as “a patient”, to stay away from God.Judging by the blurb at the back of the book, it was well received: “this masterpiece of satire is wildly comic, deadly serious, and strikingly original. Through the correspondence of worldly-wise Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, a novice demon, C. S. Lewis shows us his darkest and most playful work.”I am not sure if this captures well of how this work comes about. I wonder if Lewis was trying to entertain. If we are “entertained” by this book, we have taken Hell seriously enough, and this is worrying. I do not think that Lewis’s intention is to be playful. The matter covered is dead serious, concerning eternal life and death. It is done in a playful tone only to make such serious matter more palatable so that we will read through it. Otherwise we will be so threatened and terrified that we will drop it like a hot potato.The seriousness of this endeavour is shown in the Lewis’s introduction to “Screwtape proposes a toast” like a bonus track attached at the end of the book. In that he writes: “I was often asked or advised to add to the original ‘Screwtape Letters’, but for many years I felt not the least inclination to do it. Though I had never written anything more easily, I never wrote with less enjoyment… I would run away with you for a thousand pages if you gave it its head. But though it was easy to twist one’s mind into the diabolical attitude, it was not fun, or not for long. The strain produced a sort of spiritual cramp…. Every trace of beauty, freshness and geniality had to be excluded. It almost smothered me before I was done. It would have smothered my readers if I had prolonged it.”Writing is deeply connected to the mind. To write from first person as the devil will take the writer to force himself to think like the devil. We are commanded to “consider Christ” in Heb 12:3. Here, the service that Lewis has done for us is to “consider the devil”. This is a spiritual ordeal. He is absolutely right to say that the process shuts out all notions of beauty as Christ is the source of all beauty.So what Lewis has achieved for us in this work? He has made the devil scheme vivid to us. I believe that we are off guard about the devil that we are his easy prey. Alternatively, we are so united with the devil that we are familiar with each other and are not in the least frightened. There are analyses of ourselves that we may not want to hear or confront. Would we listen to Lewis when he wraps it in a playful tone? It will help us spiritually if we would gain an understanding of the spiritual warfare we are in.The chilling reality is that I don’t think Screwtape is that wicked – I do believe it can go much further yet but it will be depth that we would never want to imagine even if only as a mind exercise. The nature of this exercise is against the Bible advice: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever I sjust, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil 4:8). That said, it will profit us if “we would not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Cor 2:11). One book that serves in a similar way is “Precious remedies against Satan’s devices” by Thomas Brooks, available here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Precious-Remedies-Against-Satans-Devices/dp/1800401671/ref=sr_1_1?crid=RGSDACW1ROLH&keywords=precious+remedies+against+satan%27s+devices&qid=1655324885&sprefix=remedies+to+satan+%2Caps%2C72&sr=8-1It will not have the difficulty of reading this book whereby “Screwtape’s whites are our blacks and whatever he welcomes we should dread”. This mirror image easily makes reader feel disoriented while reading it.

This is a is series of letters from a senior devil to a junior on the most effective way of tempting people to sin. In an age where the concept of sin is unknown and only 'my truth' is acceptable this exposes the essential selfishness behind this lifestyle.It is not a heavy treatise, rather a series of comments on how self-love turns on the practitioner; but done in an avuncular veiin. I recomend it.