"It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out." [Screwtape to Wormwood]
Screwtape and Wormwood are first met midway into their correspondence. We quickly note Screwtape's prideful arrogance and sense of superiority in the relationship. We also realize we're being allowed to witness one battle in a long war.
Screwtape and Wormwood are first met midway into their correspondence. We quickly note Screwtape's prideful arrogance and sense of superiority in the relationship. We also realize we're being allowed to witness one battle in a long war.
Letter 1: Screwtape asserts that the existence of God, whom he calls "the Enemy", is actually quite reasonable to the human mind. "The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the people have seen His glory." (Psalm 97:6) "When Gentiles ... do instinctively the things of the Law... they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness." (Romans 2:14-15) Fortunately for the demons, early 1940's English culture is quite adept at drowning out such witness with a "stream of immediate sense experience". How much further we have traveled down that road by 2010! You'll not find many today who enjoy spending time in quiet contemplation. We are so easily distracted away from such soul searching opportunities. I'm reminded of Obi Wan's "old Jedi mind trick" which worked so effectively on "the weak-minded". Left unattended, "streams of immediate sense experience" easily drown out "considered reasoning". Our modern hunger is for "amusement" ... an interesting word. The "a" at the beginning means "without" and "to muse" means to think, to meditate upon. "Amusement" literally means an activity "without thinking". Steep your life in it and you could easily become one of Obi Wan's victims!
As followers of Jesus Christ, how can we build the habit of meditating on the things of God, while resisting the flood of "amusement" around us? How can we consciously build it into the lives of our children?
Letter 2: We discover Wormwood's "patient" has become a Christian. Yet Screwtape does not consider it reason for despair, noting, "All the habits of the patient, both mental and bodily, are still in our favor." Sanctification is a lifelong process, a day-by-day, repeated process of "putting off" unrighteousness, "renewing the mind" with God's revealed truth and "putting on" righteousness, all made possible by God's grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 4:22-24)
The most obvious place to attack a new believer is within the church itself. Screwtape points out the difference between the actual "body of Christ" triumphant through the ages and the "visible church", the assembly we sit among every week. We say we love God, but often find His people annoying at best and sinful at worst. How easy it is to perceive and be outraged by sin in others and yet be blind to sin in ourselves. (Mt.7:3) Don't we tend to expect more from others than we do from ourselves? "If I, being what I am, can consider that I am in some sense a Christian, why should the different vices of those people in the next pew prove that their religion is mere hypocrisy and convention?"
In our interaction with new believers, how can we best help them start their journey down the road of sanctification? How do we train our minds off annoyances and onto worship?
Letter 3 deals with the area we probably struggle with most - living out the Christian life in our homes. If we're impatient, unloving and self-righteous among the brethren, how much easier it is to be that way within the grind of daily living in our homes! If we're not careful, we begin to routinely assess the actions of others negatively, shining an unflattering light on every phrase and deed, while expecting only the best light be shed on our own words and actions! We eventually create "an imaginary person", less and less as they truly are. Screwtape advises, "Once this habit is well established you have the delightful situation of a human saying things with the express purpose of offending, and yet having a grievance when offense is taken."
How can you develop an attitude of expecting "the best" of people, instead of expecting "the worst"? What Scripture speaks to this issue? What concrete steps can you take this next week to start to train your mind away from self and towards loving others they way God loves you?
Letter 4: This week's final letter deals with hindrances to powerful prayer. Screwtape believes the "best thing... is to keep the patient from the serious intention of praying alltogther." Barring that, he encourages he make "an effort to produce a vaguely devotional mood in which real concentration of will and intelligence have no part," quoting poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge who described his own prayers as "merely composing his spirit to love." Another tactic involves turning "their gaze away from Him towards themselves... trying to produce feelings ...by the action of their own wills". Equally effective in producing powerless prayer is to have the patient pray to a god created from his own imagination, rather than to the real God who reveals Himself in Scripture.
In what ways have your prayers changed as your knowledge of God has increased? What have you found helpful to strengthen your prayer life?
[Week #2]
15 comments:
Thought I would break the ice on the comments. Is there a quote that has been rolling around in your mind? Any encouragements? Observations? Possible answers to the questions I asked in the blog? Thoughts about this particular style of writing? You'll have all week to comment, and are welcome to do so more than once. Just imagine we're meeting in someone's house discussing these four letters... we' won't care how well you spell or type or compose. Honest!
I find that if I don't spend my quiet time in the MORNING, that I will do it later, that time never comes. I also noticed that I really get distracted from all the stuff around the house, i.e. dirty dishes, computer, telephone and laundry. Before you know it I'm up to my elbows in soapsuds and coffee mugs. It is best for me to be out in God'd majesticly beautiful nature to keep me focused. I know that having an accountbility partner (which I currently do not have) keeps my prayer life strong and consistent.
I really like this book. "It is funny how mortals always always picture us putting things into their minds:in reality our best work is done by keeping things out." When we are too busy and not focused on God the things of God are squeezed out and the "enemy" takes over. The enemy will use the media, our loved ones and how we go about praying to prevent us from getting closer to God. L.D.
emotionally exhausting day- I'm zonked. I answered the questions in the study guide as I went and will add them tomorrow.
If nothing else,this book has totally reminded me of the dangers of "the little things" I so often let creep into my life. Things like writing my grocery list during church takes on a whole new meaning when I look at it as drawing me away from my relationship with Christ. I have become more conscious of the little thoughts that come to mind that cause me to lose concentration on Bible reading or prayer.
So often in my walk, it isn't the big life crises that keep me from my relationship with God, it is the small day to day stuff that I allow in and suddenly realize I've fallen for the world's philosophies again. I prefer amusement over concentration all too often.
It's like watching a TV show with commercials every 10-15 minutes. You get in the habit of focusing for a brief period of time, but expect to be relieved from concentration by the commercial. I forget that "commercials" shouldn't be the norm in my Bible reading or prayer life. I shouldn't need a break every few minutes to be distracted.
This book is, so far, an excellent reminder of the dangers of the little things. The seemingly "harmless" sins I so often fall into, without realizing the path I'm heading down is a slippery slope to the detriment of my sanctification.
This is my first time on a blog. It took me a bit to understand the reading and who was actually the "enemy" on the second read. The notes are very helpful for me.
L.D. brought up a good point. Scripture tells us temptation comes from 3 sources: Satanic forces, the world system at odds with God and our own flesh, the sin nature. I suspect we tend to think of each source working separately, when in fact we most often find them working in concert with one another.
The statement about how enslaved we are to the pressure of the ordinary - how true! I get so distracted from what is really important. Even now; I see my mail from the corner of my eye, and think about opening it! "Things" can wait! His comments about the first weeks at church hit me, too. We are the body of Christ, yet we are all so flawed and human- sometimes it is so disappointing. I need to take the focus off of others, and focus on the best He wants me to be. I think the biggest problem/sin is pride - it hinders our growth, impedes our prayers,affects our love for others because we compare how they act to how we think they should act (and how we think we act) even stops people from being saved, because they are already "good enough". I am enjoying the book - it is such a strange perspective to write from, but very true. b.w.
Letters 1 and 3 really jumped out at me - Distractions and Daily Pinpricks. I have relaxed my proactive parenting this summer and allowed my children to watch more TV, which then becomes a distraction to me as it sucks me in to its mindless vortex as well - we are all then immersed into worldy thinking, behaviors and conditions and led away from devotions, prayer, meditation on God and edification of one another. When this happens, we start picking on one another and griping about their behavior and attitude while ignoring our own selfishness. There's no time like the present to shut off the TV and get back to those devotions and meditate on God! BD
Often we tend to minimize the effect Satan has in our lives, or even not think about him at all. Reading something that is intended to be from his perspective reminds me of how real he is, and that we have to be aware that he truly is "a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour". And generally, as the book points out, it's the small, everyday things that defeat us. It's easy to see the big temptations, and to not recognize the destructiveness of daily sins.
Lately God has been POUNDING on my heart to wake me up from my selfishness, to look beyond myself, to worship Him and look to the needs of others. I have been allowing the "distractions" from day to day to keep me focused on MY needs and MY wants. HOW SELFISH! Paul wrote in Phillipians 2:3&4 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." The chapter goes on to describe how Jesus lived that out while he was here on earth. I would encourage you to look up the entire passage...it's very humbling!
We are going through a book in College and Career Bible Study right now called "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. This week we read the second chapter which spoke about the fragility of life and how we are NOTHING in comparison to God. He used the analogy of life being like a movie...God is clearly the main character and we are less than the measly extra you can only see the index finger of for 1 second throughout the entire movie. IT IS NOT ABOUT US! Francis says in Chapter 2 "The point of your life is to point to Him. Whatever you are doing (See 1 Corinthians 10:31)God wants to be glorified, because this whole things is His. It is His movie, His world, His gift."
I hope that I did not go too off topic from the Screwtape Letters. I think it is important to remember that God deserves better than what we give Him especially when we let the "distractions" get in the way, whatever they might be. Love God and love one another...after all didn't Jesus say these were the greatest commandments? *Katie C.
I think that C.S. Lewis was so skilled at dividing the attitudes/ motives/ emotions, that we like to avoid. The story may be fictional, but his understanding of the way our sinful, darkened minds work is absolutely right on. We are so distracted, easily led on by worldly philosophies, we easily slip into pride and turning our eyes on others instead of praying for them, and encouraging them, knowing that we are "beset with weakness," ourselves. When I say "we", I especially mean, myself! The difference that it makes when we turn and look at our thoughts, instead of getting stuck in them, and stop to think GOD's thoughts, is amazing! Jose
I grew up in what I like to call "Churchianity", and not only that, but I grew up in the Episcopal church, so I can really relate to Lewis' comments on the visible church, the liturgy etc. I read this book long ago before I really came to an understanding that being a biblical Christian is much much more than making a verbal confession of faith that Jesus Christ died for my sins. After more than 30 years of living in the belief that I was saved when in fact I was not, God in His infinite mercy and grace brought me to true salvation and an understanding that obedience to His Word is a crucial part of being saved – it is not optional.
So, what really hit me in letter 3 regarding daily pinpricks, is that if we allow those little irritations to go unchecked, that our thoughts always precede our actions. If we consistently allow our thoughts to be centered on the irritating trivialities of daily life, then it’s a given that our actions are then going to reflect that. It’s just like BD described her family after watching too much TV – the behavior that results is to start picking on each other, griping about everything, and focusing selfishly on ourselves. Is this godly, biblical behavior – absolutely not!
It’s both an encouragement and a challenge to me to work at keeping my very ordinary daily minute by minute thoughts captive to God’s ways and not the ways of the world. Scripture memorization and meditation helps me to stay focused. When I know that I have a particular temptation about certain thoughts, I try to find a Bible passage to write down and carry with me to recite to myself every time I have that thought. After a while, I don’t have to pull it out because I’ve got it memorized, and that is how God helps me to learn His ways and fight against my sin nature. The Word of God truly is living and active! -SPB
I've been away a few days & am thrilled to see the discussion has continue. I believe this will prove a valuable book for us! Btw, Katie mentioned Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love, which is a quick but powerful read. I recommend it to anyone looking for a book to read after we finish "The Screwtape Letters". The two books actually complement one another quite nicely!
It's interesting to see how many read this book in the past, but now have a more mature perspective & are able to take in so much more. That shows the value of rereading classics as we age. I first read this book when I was a new believer, but I'm getting so much more out of it at this stage in my life & Christian walk.
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