Lewis has thought deeply about the things we do each that lead us away from God, and he articulates them very well. You cannot read this book and not think of how extremely pertinent it is to your life. In fact, they seem to prefer the more subtle means of leading people astray, as they sense that this is a more hidden and thus secure way to accomplish their ultimate design. Ultimately, the tempters in this story do not care what sins are committed by their subjects - so long as they accomplish their goal of separating people from God, and leading them to the adversary. Instead, the tempters focus on much more subtle forms of sins - vanity, pride, distraction, insincerity, forgetting God, and how these can achieve the same effect as more obvious sins. What is truly excellent about the book, though, is that the cunning plans are not centered around obvious sins, that so often are what we think about when we think about temptation and sin. Through the letters, you are constantly reminded and made to think about how the adversary tempts us.

In the letters, Screwtape gives Wormwood adivce and counsel on how to best tempt his 'subject' - a young man who converts to Christianity, and then falls in love with a Christian woman. For those who have not read it, the book is written as a compilation of letters from a 'tempter,' Screwtape, to his nephew, a 'junior tempter' named Wormwoood. 5-6).I love this book - it really makes you think. Mere advice would be no good every sentence would have to smell of Heaven.' (Pp. But who could supply the deficiency? Even if a man-and he would have to be a far better man than I-could scale the spiritual heights required, what ‗answerable style‘ could he use? For the style would really be part of the content. Without this the picture of human life is lopsided. Ideally, Screwtape‘s advice to Wormwood should have been balanced by archangelical advice to the patient‘s guardian angel. 'I had, moreover, a sort of grudge against my book for not being a different book which no one could write.

Lewis gave up on the idea realizing that it is easy to get into the mind of the diabolical and impossible to get into the mind of the angelic (note the ―Preface to the 2nd edition, Pp. Lewis planned to write a sequel featuring one angel encouraging a junior angel on how to be a good guardian angel.

The concept for the book is one devil, Screwtape, writing to his nephew, training him how to be successful as a tempter. One can‘t help but wonder what that sermon was about on that particular Sunday morning. Lewis came up with the idea for The Screwtape Letters as he was leaving his church (Holy Trinity, Headington) after a Sunday service. The Screwtape Letters: Background IntroductionĬ.S.

The screwtape letters book