Screwtape Letters

I have heard of "The Screwtape Letters" but they are not a work of C.S. Lewis' that I had actually read before coming to this class. I think Lewis had a very creative way of approaching the problem of temptation to sin. He writes from the angle of one who would seek to pull us away from God, and this perspective helps us to be more aware of the devices and traps that cause us to stumble in our own lives.

Lewis' focus in chapter XII was the dilema of a Christian caught between the discomfort of a guilty conscience and an ignorance of the desperate spiritual state they are in. In this letter, Screwtape advises Wormwood not to let his "patient" realise how far he has strayed from God, but he also advises him not to take away all of the patient's guilt. He goes on to explain how this will ensure that the patient will be uncomfortable facing his Lord and will tend to avoid contact with him as much as possible without realizing how deep is his NEED for the Lord. I think this is a very real-life situation which almost every Christian has faced. When you know that you haven't been faithful in your devotions, or that you have been spending your time immersed in the fun of this world rather than seeking to glorify God, it is uncomfortable to face him and admit to that. We have to realize, though, that this is the time that we really need it. If we allow ourselves to go astray, we will only be setting ourselves on the path that leads away from him.

There was something that Screwtape said while giving his advice to Wormwood that really caught my attention. Screwtape does not often talk about the "Enemy" (God), and when he does, it is usually a vague refference to him as the one from whom the "patients" must be dragged away. However, when Screwtape is suggesting to Wormwood the degree to which his patient's conscience must be dulled, he says this. "On the other hand, if you suppress it entirely- whih,by the by, the Enemy will probably not allow you to do-we lose an element in the situation which can be turned to goodaccount." Here, he reffers to fact that God will not let his children fall away from him comletely. Though they may walk in sin for a time, he will not give them peace in such a life. The Holy Spirit will testify in their heart that they have chosen the path leading away from God. Eventually, though the process may be painful, he will bring them back to himself, and when they repent, he will be as a Father, ready with open arms to forgive them.