I started the last Letters installment (7 & 8) with a disclaimer, so I hate to start out here with another one.  But, I need to - I probably should have included this in the last post.  I just want to reiterate that The Screwtape Letters is not the Bible.  It is not infallible or unquestionable.  It is a fictional work written by a person (C.S. Lewis). So, when I write here about what the Letters 'say' to me, it's my take, my thoughts, my limited understanding --- but it is not, and never will be, the gospel truth (pun intended).  Which is why I continually encourage your thoughts, comments, even arguments on my commentary.  Ok, now let's have a look at the next Letters.  And let me just start by saying that there's so much personal "OUCH" in these Letters, I may need to call a doctor.

Letter 9  
Screwtape, again, uses the word "patient" to describe the young man under the watch of the demon-in-training.  It has taken me a while to figure out the significance of the term (patient) as used in these Letters, and I think I finally have it.  Our pastor, in last week's sermon, made reference to the "sickness of humanity", that we are born, pretty much, a mess.  In our humanness, we are weak, lost, and spiritually "sick", hence our "patient-ness".  Obviously, the demons get that probably more than we do, and take advantage of our 'infirmity' any chance they get. 

On in the Letter, the young demon is reminded by his supervisor that humans are most susceptible to the influence and pullings of "sensual pleasures" when we are in a spiritual "trough" (a term used in the last letter, aka "valley").   Yes, we are also vulnerable to things like sex and alcohol when we are feeling great about ourselves too, yet this tends to be experienced on a more superficial level (not that this is good, but just different).  But, when we are in a spiritual hole, we are seeking to fill a void in our soul with things that "feel good" -- a seriously dangerous place to be.  And the demons take advantage of that - they call it "exploiting the trough" as they attempt to "get the man's soul and give him nothing in return".

Speaking of human pleasures, here's where it gets really interesting.  Screwtape acknowledges that only God is the creator ("inventor") of "healthy", "normal" and "satisfying" pleasures (those that the devil is incapable of producing, btw).  Hmmmm... so any human pleasures coming from anywhere besides God - and even those that are inherently from God but have been twisted and perverted (I think I just defined pop culture) - are destructive?  Answer = yes, and apparently, the demons get a lot of mileage out of confusing and disordering the Godly human pleasures, to the point they are no longer "natural" or even pleasing to us.  As the senior demon explains, their "formula" for our destruction is based on our "ever increasing craving for an ever diminishing pleasure".  

Another way the demons "exploit the trough" is to capitalize on our thinking that a dry spiritual period in life will last forever, that the funk we are in is a "permanent condition".  Which takes us in one of two directions: Despondent and isolated in these thoughts, convincing ourselves we must get out of this spiritual crater solely on the strength of our own will.  (Everybody loves a good "I pulled myself up by my own boot straps" story, I know, but nobody ever really accomplishes that.  Not really).  Or, we just make ourselves comfortable with mediocrity and "moderation" in our spiritual state, content to consider the trough - or, perhaps, even our entire Christianity - "just a phase".  

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​Letter 10  

Here, Screwtape takes on our social life and how it is a reflection of our spiritual condition.  He explains, and I can't argue, that we often tend to lead a double ("parallel") life when it comes to our social relationships.  We 'act Christian' when we're with other Believers, but can hang equally well in the company of our friends who are "rich, smart, superficially intelligent, and brightly skeptical about everything in the world" (including about God). Yes, we shift 'who we are' based on 'who we're with'.   Now, we're not talking morphing from leading the prayer circle to robbing banks.  It's way more subtle (and more dangerous) than that.  As Screwtape says, it's about "be(ing) silent when (we) ought to speak and laugh(ing) when (we) ought to be silent".  Lewis characterizes this flip-flopping as "betrayal", and it is.  And we do it all the time - all in the name of being "hip and cool", "enlightened", "worldly", "open", "tolerant" (watch it, Abby).  Then, you know what happens? According to Lewis, we begin to "assume...all sorts of cynical and skeptical attitudes which are not really ours" and, eventually, we "turn into the thing we are pretending to be".  Uh oh.

So, with this knowledge of our propensity for parallel living, the demons seek to distract us as long as possible from calling our mad 'social skills' what they really are - 'temptation skills'.  This Letter concludes with Screwtape taking a jab at the modern Church for wimping out on teaching about and against temptation because to do so is just too "puritanical" (evangelical?).  Did I just hear a collective "ouch"?

Ok, so let's wrap this up with a few Notes (more like Questions) to Self:

What are my pleasures, and are they from God?

Do I currently have any troughs that could be exploited by the Enemy?

Am I assuming or pretending, in some (any) circles, to be something that I"m not?  

Am I becoming (or have I already become) whatever I've been pretending to be?

And, lastly, what am I going to do about it?


Final thought: When I think about wishy-washy Christianity, this scripture always comes to mind: 

Revelation 3:16 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth.  (Holman Christian Standard Bible, HCSB) 
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+3%3A16&version=HCSB  


Abby

As an Amazon affiliate and Christianbook.com group associated, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Let's start here with just a quick re-visit of who I am and what this blog is about, as I think it can be relevant to my study and commentary of C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters: I am a regular person, living a regular life, working every day to live out my Christian faith as best I can. And I have taken on the reading of The Letters in the same way. I know I won't (probably can't) understand everything in this book, but I know that God uses anything, all things - in this case, literature - to speak to me, and I am listening. I purposely have not read any other scholarly commentary on The Screwtape Letters in preparation for this 'book study', as I do not want anybody other than God telling me what these writings mean for me in my Christian walk. Am I going to miss some key points in this work? Yep. Are other readers going to have different insights than me? Yep. Ok, now that I've cleared that up, let's move on..... 
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Letter 7
In this Letter, the demons seem quite pleased with the fact that many of us don't believe in their existence. Obviously, if something is not considered 'real', then it's not given any amount of our attention. This working incognito is a great model for the demons, although they can't seem to decide whether it works best when we do believe in them, or when we don't. Apparently there are advantages (for them) in both, and they are constantly working to perfect both approaches. The best scenario, according to Screwtape, would be for the human to exist as a "Materialist Magician". What the heck does that mean? Well, here's my best, 2-part interpretation of that title: First, "Materialist". This describes those who need something 'material', something tangible, in order to believe anything. Those people who are all about, and only about, "science". (BTW There is nothing wrong with the pursuit of science as long as the Creator of all science is acknowledged to be God). I thought it was cool when Screwtape says that as long as we (humans) limit our conceptualization of the devil to a skinny cartoon character with horns in a red leotard, they're safe.
Ok, now, "Magician". This refers to those who are all into spirits, ghosts, zombies, UFO's, cable television - in other words, they are enamored with "magic" solely as a source of entertainment (I'm sorry, I just have to add here: The "magic" folks believe it's totally plausible for little green men from another planet to invade the earth, but the 'delusional' concept that the Son of God came to earth to die for our sins is just too crazy for them to believe! Huh?) So, basically, if you're both 'material' and 'magic', you're golden as far as the demons are concerned, as you are oblivious to the real-deal, real-time battle going on for your soul.
Interestingly, then Lewis talks about the evil payoffs gained when, as believers (in God and demons), we engage in "extreme devotion". This is when we practice "profound dedication" (thank you, Webster) to any one person, group (yes, even church), or "cause" (yes, even religion) other than God himself. To do so breeds in us hatred, pride, "mutual admiration" (I love that one), cliques, -- pretty much all the things churches have been accused of being (and sometimes rightly so). I love how Lewis says that in extreme devotion "The Cause" becomes our "sponsor" and "meetings, pamphlets, policies, movements, causes, and crusades" matter more to us than "prayers and sacraments and charity". Now, there's an "ouch".

Letter 8
Screwtape begins this Letter by clarifying for Wormwood the human state of constant and continual "undulation". He first describes humans as "half spirit and "half animal", in that "as spirits they (we) belong to the eternal world, but as animals they (we) inhabit time". And, while our spirit can be directed to an "eternal object" (God), our "bodies, passions, and imaginations are in continual change". As we seek some level of equilibrium or constancy in life, we "undulate", described by Lewis as a "repeated return to a level from which they (we) repeatedly fall back, a series of troughs and peaks". In life, we experience "periods of emotional and bodily richness and liveliness (aka blessings) that alternate with periods of numbness and poverty". Certainly, we are most vulnerable to the influences of our enemy when we are in the 'troughs' (although, that's not to say that when we're spiritually 'high' we are not vulnerable, as well). In a merciful turn of irony, we allow God to do some of His best work in us when we're in a trough. Screwtape suggests that prayers "offered in the state of dryness" are the ones that please God the most. I am totally on board with this idea, but I am honest enough to ask how many of us ever beg God to put us in a 'trough' so that we can grow nearer to Him?

In Letter 8, Screwtape compares the model of God's desire for possessing our "soul" to that of the demons who simultaneously attempting to do the same. It comes down to how each views our will. Demons aspire to absorb our will into theirs as "food" to their own self-appetite. God, on the other hand, desires for our will to "freely conform to His" in response to His love. As Lewis beautifully compares (and I paraphrase):

The Devil considers us "cattle who can become food"; God wants "servants who can finally become sons"
The Enemy wants to "suck in"; God wants to "give out"
Demons are empty and want to be filled; God is "full and flows over"

Can I get a Hallelujah!!??

Abby

As an Amazon Associate and Christianbook group affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

​Letter 5
Screwtape begins by admonishing his underling for getting too excited about the recent spiritual shudders seen in his assigned human, the young man.  It seems World War 2 is brewing in Europe and citizens - including Wormwood's "patient" - are on edge, scared, thinking more than usual about their own life and death in this uncertain time.  The unknowns are excruciating.  Of course, the demons love it when we are freaked out about such things, as we are never more vulnerable to their work as when we are in fear.  And can't we relate to this scenario in current times?  While we may not officially be in any 'world war' currently, there are more "rumors of war" (see Matthew 24:6 below) right now than we can count.  There are active political and military-type 'conflicts' all over the world, there's persecution and murder of Christians and other religious groups across the globe, terrorism, school shootings....no need to go on. Let's just say we can all, I think, relate to feeling like we're currently living in 'war-torn' times, and it can get pretty scary if we let it.

But, wait a second...... As Screwtape points out to Wormwood.... When humans are 'scared to death', they (we) simultaneously (and, perhaps, in spite of ourselves) get very 'real'.  We get existentially serious.  Priorities become strikingly clear and we find strength we didn't know we had.  We never call on the Lord more than when we're scared, when we think we could die, or when we could lose it all.  Cool irony.  

Matthew 24:6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+24%3A6&version=NIV 

Letter 6 

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Yowza.  Letter 6 is the perfect example of my recent comments about how 'deep' these Letters are and how I end up wondering if I'm 'smart enough' to even understand it all (a distraction tactic of the enemy, I might reiterate, and I will not quit).  Ok, so let's see what I can come up with here -- and please jump in with your insights on this Letter! 

Screwtape is certainly making the case for the spiritual 'bang for your buck' that anxiety provides from the demonic perspective.  He says "There is nothing like suspense and anxiety for barricading a human's mind against the Enemy (God)".  Ain't that the truth?  

I thought it was profound when Lewis pointed out that God wants us to be concerned with what we "do", which I interpret to mean the real, tangible problems in life, those things we can do something about.  While the Enemy wants us to remain in a 'tizzy', all tangled up in the 'what ifs', essentially being no earthly good to anybody.  How much time have I wasted praying about stuff that never even happened?!

Screwtape talks about patience as the antidote for anxiety.  We should be (patiently) asking God for daily bread for daily tribulations (our's and others') - the operative word here being daily - not what might befall us tomorrow, next week, next year.  The real, the tangible, the right-now.

There is also a reminder in this Letter of an insight first captured in Letter 4 -- that our prayers are weakened when we lose sight of who God is because we get too wrapped up in what we feel.  

Shew!!  Letter 6 was a doozy!  Did I miss something?

​Abby

As a Christianbook group affiliate, I earn from purchases made through my blog.  
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Both of these Letters seem to be focused on our prayer life.  Let's see what we can discern here.... 

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Letter 3​
Once again (as always), the demons' MO is to keep us confused, keep our mind 'fuzzled', so we cannot pray as effectively and as powerfully as we are allowed.  The enemies have noted that our human tendencies and flaws often derail our prayer life - no kidding.  We "neglect the obvious" when we pray, by missing (ignoring?) the things in our heart that we really need to pray about.  We spend a bunch of time trying to be uber-spiritual in our prayer 'performance' which is, at best, a complete distraction to getting down to business. 
When we pray for other people, we tend to over-step our authority just a bit, praying for the healing of their soul (God's job) when we would be better off praying for healing in their body. 

I had an 'ouch' moment with Screwtape's observation that our attitude when praying for a loved one is often w-a-y different than how we treat them in our day-to-day interactions.  Speaking of 'ouch'..... How about when the demon points out that we have no trouble finding fault in others (and, hence, a need to pray for them) while conveniently overlooking the same fault in ourselves.  Just like how we expect our words to be taken only at face value, while we judge the words of others with interpretation worthy of a Ph.D. 

Lastly, a little 'challenge' here at the end of Letter 3...... Screwtape wonders if the mother of Wormwood's "patient" (apparently, a young man) could be jealous of her son's 'religious conversion' as an adult when he had every opportunity to 'find God' as a child (under her exemplary example, no doubt).  Lewis then compares this parent-child dynamic to "the elder brother in the Enemy's story".  What do you think that's all about?

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Letter 4

The topic of prayer (and our inadequacies therein) continues.  Screwtape refers to the "beginner" pray-er which, I take it, could mean the new Christian but also really applies to all of us.  He talks about how our prayers are often centered around our immediate emotional and physical states, rather than on our intellect and will, rendering  them 'shaky' in succeeding.

3 "Biggies" I take out of this Letter are this:

1. The physical posture we take while praying does make a difference.  We all (should) know that what our body is doing has a direct impact on our state of mind/soul.  I can tell you that I have personally experienced the power (an understatement) of a prayer procured while flat on my face on the floor, posture resembling the shape of a crime scene chalk drawing.  

2. The common thought that demons can 'put ideas in our head' is a myth.  What they really (and can only) do is keep thoughts (0f God and Godly truths) out.  A critical distinction, as I see it.  The demons find it most supportive of their prayer-sabotaging work when we focus on ourselves and take our eyes off God.  Screwtape describes how we try to produce 'good feelings' when we pray that we think will produce prayer 'success'.  He offers some 'demon-preferred' ("9 out of 10 demons prefer".... sorry) examples of our ineffective prayerful mindset: 

Praying for Courage while trying to feel Brave
Praying for Forgiveness while trying to feel Forgiven

Like God needs us to feel a certain way before He can do what He's going to do.

​3. We tend to pray to our mental "composite" of what God is, objectifying Him based on our weak, human-limited images of the Creator of the universe.  The demons know exactly who God is.  So, their job is much easier when we are distracted by our imagination and praying to a 'thing' (image) we have made, rather than to the One that has made us. To paraphrase Lewis here, we should pray to God:  Not to what "I think thou art" but (to) "what thou knowest thyself to be".   As Lewis closes Letter 4, he notes that if we were to ever pray in this fashion, we might want to be careful what we pray for, because we just might get it! (this part is not a Lewis quote).

Thoughts, anyone?  Jump in!

Abby
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As an Amazon Associate and Christianbook group affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.