I am not a Narnia nerd.  When my sister and I were young and used to arguing about everything  we would debate the literary merits of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels.  It was a war of worlds and words, the Chronicles of Narnia v. The Lord of The Rings.  (The things sisters argue about!)  Without angering the full and affectionate hearts of Mr. Lewis’s supporters (including my sister) , my estimation is unchanged: with its created languages,  and mythology, LOTR is a broader, more-original creation than the Narnia series.  That being said, I am a fan of the work of C. S. Lewis and my favorite is The Screwtape Letters.

Screwtape, if you haven’t heard of him, is a demon and mid-level administrator in Hell who writes to his nephew, Wormwood, a newly-minted, entry-level fiend, about the true tie that binds: their work on Satan’s behalf.  It seems Wormwood has been assigned to guide some human to despair and a rejection of faith and the rookie needs help from Uncle Screwtape.  Screwtape’s advice is sort of a theology in reverse because the guidance is to keep Wormwood’s “patient” from redeeming grace.  Screwtape suggests that  direct attacks against the human’s religion are inappropriate tactics because, “By the very act of arguing, you awake the patient’s reason; and once it is awake, who can foresee the result?”   Instead, it’s better and easier to distract the human with “real” life, calling his attention to the newspaper headlines, the line at the bus stop and the behavior of the people at the next lunch table.  If you can get a human to accept that as  the “real”  and “important” existence, Screwtape suggests, he won’t think about about any other life.  The same goes for the pernicious habit of prayer.  If Wormwood tries to keep his human from prayer altogether, the human will realize he’s being tricked.  Instead, let him pray for his disagreeable old mother but suggest the prayers should be for her behavior (which irritates the human) instead of her rheumatism (which pains her).   In other words, whenever humans are obsessed with their own comfort, they are paving the way down to Screwtape and his boss.

It’s interesting to see what activities infuriate Screwtape’s boss.  Music is referred to as “that detestable art” and laughter, because it connects to fun and joy are looked down on (except when they distract the Humans from real problems) but, more importantly because music and laughter encourage people to live in the present.  This, according to Uncle Screwtape is a dangerous place.  Let someone live in the present and they accept life as it comes.   Get them to live in the future, constantly postponing pleasures and worried about possibilities, and they’ll miss the improvements they could make today, Screwtape says.  Let them focus exclusively on the rainbow’s end and all humanity will create is a mountain of regret.

There’s a lot to what Uncle Screwtape says even with the author’s reminder that, “the devil is a liar.” It’s a fascinating read for anyone, religious or otherwise because it speaks about humans and humanity.  Whether the devil exists corporeally or not is debatable; man’s inhumanity to man is not and those actions and inaction are what condemn us in the end, according to Screwtape and there’s reason to believe him.  However charming or clever Screwtape is, no reader can believe he has our welfare at heart.

As for me, Screwtape turned me into a permanent C. S. Lewis fan.  My own views may vacillate from time to time (a regular practice among humans, according to the demon) but this book acts on me like the song, “Walking in Memphis”  During the song, a gospel singer asks the observant Jew Marc Cohn mid performance, “Tell me are you a Christian, child?”  He replies, “Ma’am, I am tonight!”   When I read The Screwtape Letters, I believe in it all.