Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters, is probably my favorite book or essay I've read by C.S. Lewis as it is full of tons of good thoughts about Christian life. Also, I think its great to be able to read something that is written from the devil's perspective so that we can imagine what they think about our everyday actions. In letter 12, Screwtape tells Wormwood to try to keep the patient just lukewarm in his faith and that it is ok if he is still going to church as long as he has a bad attitude about it. They didn't want anything too dramatic to happen because that could cause him to wake up and see the light again. They want to keep him doing minor sins and let them build up over time because, "The safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."

To me, the most intriguing part of this letter and throughout the book is what is said about our prayer. "A few weeks ago you had to tempt him to unreality and inattention in his prayers: but now you will find him opening his arms to you and almost begging you to distract his purpose and benumb his heart." When the patient first becomes a Christian he wants to pray and Wormwood has to try to distract him from "the Enemy" in any way possible. This is difficult for Wormwood at first but eventually, once the patient's faith cools down and is mostly lukewarm, he is distracted in prayer so easily it is like he wants to be distracted. I think this happens to us a lot and we need to be aware of it. When we pray we need to be focused on God and block out any distractions that may keep us from connecting with God through prayer. This can also be true when we read the bible, because it is easy to just read something and not really think about it. If we make reading the Bible and prayer feel like work, then we are letting ourselves be tempted and will not get anything out of either.