The Screwtape Letters - Part 2

"The prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please Him best." 

C.S. Lewis in The Screwtape Letters has a unique way of describing profound things from unusual perspectives. The above quotation, from chapter eight, is just one of many examples where Lewis uses the point of view of a demon to emphasize what it means to be a Christian, how Christians can live, and the ways followers of Jesus can trust in his promises. Chapters six and eight contained thoughts that particularly uplifted me.

In chapter six, Screwtape lectures his nephew Wormwood extensively on how to manipulate the minds of humans to focus on things that will degrade them spiritually and keep them from growing stronger. First, he makes the point that people will determine the physical hardships they face to be the major trials they must bear and fight against, when actually the trial is fear itself. (This paragraph likely alludes to a famous quotation of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the President of the United States at the time of the writing of this book.) Then the elder demon makes a broader point – that Wormwood should try to make his human turn outwardly in regard to sins and not be introspective regarding his downfalls, but make him turn inwardly in regard to his supposed virtues so that he will think himself to be great spiritually and become prideful. This demonic advice, which Lewis cleverly uses to make just the opposite point as his narrator, helped me to understand more how the human mind works in regard to spiritual things. Moreover, I will now be more on guard to focusing too much on my own spiritual strengths and ignoring my spiritual vices. 

The encouragement Lewis gives in chapter eight regards God’s faithfulness. The entire chapter focuses on what Screwtape names “The Law of Undulation,” which essentially points out that everything about the lives of humans is in a constant state of change. Spiritually, this means that people have times when they feel close to God and able to do His work well, and times when they feel alone and incapable. Lewis (through the words of Screwtape) points out that God generally uses the spiritual “troughs” in life more than the “crests” to draw His children closer to Him. And this is the beautiful lesson about faithfulness. God guides us as new Christians and gives us a sense that He is with us, but then He seems to disappear from our lives, and we begin to doubt His presence and His promises. However, He is with us even when we can not see Him there – “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Screwtape points out in this discussion of God’s faithfulness that “[The devil’s] cause is never more in danger than when” it appears to someone that God has forsaken him, and he obeys anyway. So, Lewis implies, we as Christians should have enough faith in God’s promises that we can follow Him and believe in Him in the midst of our doubts. Thus, “The prayers offered in the state of dryness are those which please him best.”

Lewis writes Christian teachings and encouragements into a book written from the perspective of a demon. That alone is impressive. Although, so far, there are still moments where Lewis uses too much Christian jargon to be fully comprehendible to everyone, his approach to teaching Christians about Christian life is more relatable than the standard theology book. J. I. Packer, Tim Keller, and other Christian authors must walk a fine line to avoid sounding too preachy, and when theology is taught overtly it can easily spark arguments over minor details of the Christian faith. By camouflaging his theology in fiction and a plot, C. S. Lewis engages readers instead of boring them and draws them in instead of turning them away. Another aspect of the appeal of The Screwtape Letters is that theological points can be made based not on science but on the experiences of the characters, which makes them easier to understand for most people. And personally, the encouragement offered in this book has helped me to understand more accurately the depth of God’s love and faithfulness to me, even in the presence of hardships and enemies.