The Screwtape Letters: Annotated Edition

Only read this once and don't remember it very well. I think it's proselytize-y though.

3.6 I read this in order to sample C.S. Lewis' work, and it was fairly interesting, but he and I would not have a lot in common, I'm guessing.

Second time and this STILL HITS LIKE A BRICK BRO

This book was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Never have I read a Christian book as playful, witty, and engaging as The Screwtape Letters. Lewis welcomes the reader into the undercurrent of demonic operations - as a distressed demon elder, Screwtape, writes to his tenderfoot Wormwood. Immediately placing the reader in the shoes of a tormentor, Lewis takes his audience on a journey embedded in sound theology and current day thought (despite it's yesteryear publication date of 1942) - as he journals the mishaps of Wormwood's mission to bring about the bitter end of a newly converted Christian man. I'd highly recommend this book to those curious about the often forgotten world of temptation and possession - as well as those weary souls who are seeking an alternative to overly dry theological-based works.

Find a friend, read a chapter each week and meet up every Monday or whatever day for coffee to talk about it. You can even read the chapter at the coffee shop; it isn’t too long. It’s game changing.

One can read a hundred sermons/lessons and not come upon an inspired point of clarity which naturally directs toward resolve, which Lewis' works so naturally provide. He understands the mind of man more deeply than most, stripping away the intricate layers and cunning ways in which we deceive ourselves. Yet the spirit which goes about this vivisection is ostensibly kind, understanding and forgiving, just far too wise to overlook or tolerate the rewriting of the black into the grey. This is a series of 'letters' of advice by an older demon Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood, as the latter gets a handle around his new job as Tempter of one individual, a man who has recently converted to Christianity. The plot is engaging and sometimes very funny (there's a part where the nephew reports his uncle to Hell's censors for their version of wrongthink). More than fictional cushioning, though Lewis uses this 'colouring in' to extrapolate interestingly and plausibly (i.e. within the confines of Christian i.e. biblical belief) upon vital Christian concepts that undoubtedly most new and mature Christians wonder about - such the mechanics of temptation, how do the forces of good and evil interact, the function & operation of Christian acts and behaviour such prayer, the bestowment of blessings, and how can acts of God and free will coexist. The letters and the contextual background it implies work similarly to the metaphysical 'frame' in the Book of Job, putting singular human endeavour into the larger and more fundamental backdrop of war in the spiritual dimension. Rather than making man small, it serves only to enlarge and give weight to what could be deemed, outwardly, paltry and seemingly pointless, the smallest twists of attitudes, afterthoughts and gestures matter - because the war between principles and powers is rightly inextricably linked, minute to minute, to how an individual speaks, walks, behaves in his daily acts. In this way, Lewis yokes the concerns of the spiritual (i.e. how do I become a faithful believer?) to the everyday. From how one may handle feeling annoyed at uninvited guests, living with relatives, or entertain romantic interests; how one prays, behaves in front of people one desires to impress, the seemingly trivial is of fundamental importance - arguably, well, as it should be. Lewis cites no biblical verses in his writing, but he comes much closer in essence to the heart of the bible, its meaning, its power, and why it continues to matter.

This reread was excellent! I really enjoyed the letters written by the demon, Screwtape. It was strange to hear God referred to as The Enemy. I had to keep reminding myself who Screwtape was referring to. There were some excellent points made and I saw that I had missed many things on my first read. When I read this again I am sure I'll pick up on something new!

I love CS Lewis' books, but I'm not sure why this is not one that I like. Perhaps on a 2nd reading I will appreciate it more. For now, I give it 3 stars. Later, possibly more. Content was thought-provoking, but I found it hard to follow the train of thought at times.

I'm an atheist, or at least an apatheist, but I still enjoyed this. Certainly one to reread, since it's very dense and philosophical (as well as theological).

While reading this I found myself just shaking my head. How true this satirical description is of us mere humans. To see our actions, thoughts and feelings seen from a perspective not many of us wish to be viewed. To know that all humanity is portrayed and to see history as predicted in the after party and not in the positive light we would like to view ourselves. It’s a must read!

"Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one—the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts,..." first heard about this book a long time ago and has been curious about it ever since. I got this book from Book Depository along with other C.S. Lewis' books because they were on sale. At first, I thought this was a non-fiction book 😂—my bad, because I didn't read the summary on the back cover. So when I started reading and discovered the premise of the book, I was instantly mind-blown. It's a brilliant idea to tell a story written in letter forms from the perspective of Screwtape, a devil/experienced tempter—which causes him to call God 'The Enemy' and refers to the devil as 'Our Father Below'. Screwtape writes his letter to his nephew, Wormwood, who's a novice tempter who struggles in tempting his 'Patient' into sin. The story is a bit difficult for me to comprehend at first because everything seems to be in reverse than what I'm used to (calling God the enemy and stuff like that); so it took me a while to process some things. And another thing that's made it difficult for me to read this book is because there are a lot of vocabularies that are unfamiliar to me 😥😥. Despite all the difficulty, I still find this book very fascinating to read 😆. "All extremes, except extreme devotion to the Enemy, are to be encouraged." The main storyline in this book is mostly about how Wormwood struggled to tempt his Patient into sin, which causes Screwtape to be frustrated with the progress. But the most interesting part in this book for me is seeing the devil's perspective of human kind. I know this is fictional but I found some topics that are very relatable to our world these days. I'll share some of my favorite ones that serves as a reminder for me as well:"It remains to consider how we can retrieve this disaster. The great thing is to prevent his doing anything. As long as he does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about his new repentance."⭐ The first one is when the Patient renewed his faith in God (called the Enemy in this book). Screwtape emphasized that Worwood should prevent the Patient to put his faith into action. I recently was reminded that most of the time we tend to delay doing things that we can be doing right now. Many times I resolved to do something to boost my spirituality, but I like to procrastinate and reasoned that I will do it the next day. Sadly, that day usually never comes. "Your patient has become humble; have you drawn his attention to the fact? All virtues are less formidable to us once the man is aware that he has them, but this is specially true of humility. Catch him at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, 'By jove! I'm being humble', and almost immediately pride—pride at his own humility—will appear. If he awakes to the danger and tries to smother this new form of pride, make him proud of his attempt—and so on, through as many stages as you please.""You must therefore conceal from the patient the true end of Humility. Let him think of it not as self-forgetfulness but as a certain kind of opinion (namely, a low opinion) of his own talents and character. Fix in his mind the idea that humility consists in trying to believe those talents to be less valuable than he believes them to be. By this method thousands of humans have been brought to think that humility means pretty women trying to believe they are ugly and clever men trying to believe they are fools."⭐ The quote above really hit me hard when I read it 😂😂. I think humility is something a lot of people struggled with, because I believe pride is part of our human nature. I read these passages over and over because I want to really understand and let it sink in. The idea of being proud of our humility itself shows that we are still prideful. 👏🏻👏🏻 The second quote shows how most of us have gotten the wrong idea about humility. It's not about low opinion of self, but more about self-forgetfulness.Since the Enemy's servants have been preaching about 'the World' as one of the great standard temptations for two thousand years, this might seem difficult to do. But fortunately they have said very little about it for the last few decades. In modern Christian writings, though I see much (indeed more than I like) about Mammon, I see few of the old warnings about Worldly Vanities, the Choice of Friends, and the Value of Time." ⭐ Here's the last one that I will share in this review so I won't spoil too much for those who haven't read this yet. Sometimes several temptations are preached to us more than others; just like what the quote state above. That might make us unaware of all the other things that might tempt us. This part made me aware that the devil is always on the lookout for things that can make us fall. ____________________________________ "Our cause is never more in danger, than when a human, no longer desiring, but intending, to do our Enemy's will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys." I am so amazed at just how much I could learn and get from these letters from the devil 😂. By reading Screwtape's ways of tempting humans, I figured out ways to slip away from those temptations if I could. Another amazing thing is, these days when I have a bad thought/intention in my mind, I always think 'This is the devil working trying to tempt me; I should not give in' 😂😂😂. That trick works wonderfully for me; I guess it's because Screwtape's character kind of personify the devil in my everyday life. I usually never really think that much about how the devil thinks and works. Reading this book makes me so much more aware of it, thus I'm prepared with a counter-attack to prevent it (most of the time). Lastly, I also love how Screwtape sometimes acknowledge the good things about God. Even though he doesn't say it outright as a good thing, Screwtape did a comparison between the devil and God—which obviously showed who's the 'better one' and who wants the best for us human kinds. In the end, I am touched and blessed by this book in numerous ways. And since this is my first time reading a book C.S. Lewis, I'm looking forward to reading more of his works!"We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in, He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself; the Enemy wants a world full of beings united to Him but still distinct." "He wants them to learn to walk and must therefore take away His hand; and if only the will to walk is really there, He is pleased even with their stumbles." Read the full review here: http://www.thebookielooker.com/2018/0...

One of the most thought-provoking books I’ve read in regards to faith and Christianity. I predict this will be one I return to again and again for years to come.

Amusing letters from the Abyssal Secretary of the low command. Astonishing how one can often relate to it, not at times of war, God forbid.

The amount this book had me laughing out loud and shaking my head. Perfection. CS Lewis really was a master of satire.

I was convicted to pray through reading the entire novel. So captivating but also it made me so aware of spiritual warfare.

I love this book. It is so eye opening and thought provoking. I really think everyone at any stage in their faith could benefit greatly from this lovely work.

A little difficult to follow, but very convicting! The only Truth is God’s Truth, and it is amazing how the enemy tries to twist it.

C. S. Lewis... Must more be said? Every time I read any of his numerous works I have to sit, think, and reconsider everything. He is an absolutely masterful author and theologian. The Screwtape Letters is a series of letters written from a senior devil to a younger devil, advising him in the art of corrupting humanity. This satire exposes the stratagems of the enemy, and how we can resist them, from a new and helpful perspective. I highly recommend giving this a read--it is quite short, but is packed to the brim with profound thoughts which will better equip us to withstand the fiery darts of the devil.

I really enjoyed this book - both entertaining and instructional. I thought the approach was unique and kept me very interested in the story. While some of the recommendations are a little misguided, I generally think it's a good way to reexamine your own habits and tendencies.

To be honest I was a little disappointed by this book, or maybe more accurately because of the great reviews and my expectations. It's a very intelligent piece and encourages thinking for yourself about some of the 'big' issues, which is why I enjoyed it. But there are also a lot of outdated thoughts, so I hope everybody is taking this with a grain of salt. The audio-book was well narrated, and fun to listen to.

Si buscas entretenimiento, no leas este libro. Por otro lado, si no quieres reconocer algunas verdades, tampoco lo leas. Este libro es para aquellos que estén dispuestos a recibir una buena bofetada, porque este libro nos muestra muchas cosas que a veces preferimos no ver. Encuentro a Lewis bastante complejo. Era un tipo demasiado inteligente, y siempre encontraba una manera distinta de presentarnos el mundo y el cristianismo, fuera de los estereotipos (o incluyéndolos de una forma satírica) y con unas ideas amplias sobre la iglesia y su(s) cultura(s) y doctrina(s). Franco, duro, realista, directo. Este libro tiene mucha relevancia para mi vida. Es un libro que se lee rápido y fácil, pero no regresa vacío. De hecho, el contenido es bastante denso.

This book will make you feel very convicted! The tempters especially love making Christians fail. In all my life experiences, I have never been more hurt than by other Christians. Our Enemy pits us against each other. Pride (thinking you are better than your fellow Christian), in my opinion, is one of the greatest weapons of destruction. (Demons are sneaky little creatures!) And this book had so, so many great quotes! Fantastic ending!