The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis

Ever get the sense that there is more to life than meets the eye? While the reality of the spiritual realm is fundamental to my faith, I often take the world around me at face value.

C.S. Lewis’ darkly comedic and revealing fictional tale of an old devil counseling his nephew in the ways of effective human corruption creatively reminds me that the pain, strife and brokenness in our world is symptomatic of the spirtual battle that Satan wages against human hearts. Through his masterful storytelling, CS Lewis grabs the reader by the hand and leads him, as an observer, to examine his own heart and life, in an Ebeneezer Scrooge or George Bailey fashion.

As with our dear friends Scrooge & George, Lewis’ satirical expose can hardly leave the reader an immobile, passive observer. While unsettling in its implications, The Screwtape Letters have provoked me to prayer countless times, as I remember that this life is not all it seems: Satan is real and active, but Jesus has conquered Satan, sin and death, and strengthens His children through his Spirit & Word to resist temptation to rest in His saving grace, echoing 1 Peter 5:8-11.

The Screwtape Letters