Book Review: The Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters
C. S. Lewis

So, for the last two weeks I've been reading a series of letters from Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood about how to best tempt his human. Screwtape covers a wide range of topics including: misdirecting prayer, sowing seeds of dischord in a courtship, keeping the human involved with bad company, and making him overly spiritual. Oh...Screwtape and Wormwood are, uh, demons. I know, I know, what good could possibly come from reading correspondence between demons? A lot, actually, when it's written by Christian author C. S. Lewis.

C. S. Lewis has got to be one of my favorite authors. He has a knack for packing his books full of spiritual wisdom and he certainly does not fail here. He shows through Screwtape's letters many of the ways in which we humans can be deceived--and some of the ways to overcoming that deception. One of the biggest lessons I learned (or was reminded of) in this book is the importance of living day by day, hour by hour. Screwtape writes about how the future is a great way to distract humans simply because it is so uncertain. It is so easy to tie ourselves into a know about something that may not even affect us when we get there. Rather we must trust God for our daily bread.

The Screwtape Letters is not simply a dull book of proverbs either. C. S. Lewis creatively describes the workings of the enemy, full of cruelty and bureaucracy. They even have an "intelligence" department in charge of figuring out the supposed secret behind God's love for man. Apparently, they've been at it a few thousand years with still no results.

Before closing this review out, I must give a note of caution: Not all of the issues dealt in this book are appropriate for young children. That being said, I would definitely put this book high on my list of recommended books. Oh, and this book is very quotable (as my Facebook friends can attest to).

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 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. -- The Screwtape Letters (C. S. Lewis)