I had the privilege of seeing the theater production of CS Lewis’ book “The Screwtape Letters” this past weekend. The book is about the letters written between a senior demon, Screwtape, and his nephew who is a junior “tempter,” Wormwood, as they try to corrupt a man. The book is meant to be a broad overview of the temptations and trials that take place in our everyday lives.
During this Lenten Season when we are called to self-examination as Christians, I found Lewis’ insights especially poignant. By taking on the role of the devil’s advocate (literally here), Lewis is able to talk about real distractions and temptations from our walk with Christ: lust, love, pride, gluttony, and war. When Lewis was asked if he had to study philosophy and ethics to find all of the ways Screwtape would try to corrupt the man, he responded that he had to go no further than his own experiences and brain. I find this a powerful acknowledgment from a prolific writer that evil is able to seep into our lives and will continue to do so, but we are called by God to recognize this evil, turn away, and follow Christ instead.
One of my favorite lines from Screwtape is, “(God) wants (people) to be concerned with what they do; our business is to keep them thinking about what will happen to them.” So friends, let us be concerned with what we do… this Lenten Season and beyond. God bless.
