The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis is a book that came as a shock when it first came out. At first glance, the book seems like it is completely degrading God and Christianity. However, it does just the opposite. The entire book uses satire to get its point across: the everyday problems and sins that every human goes through. Each chapter is a letter written by Screwtape, who is a wizened old devil, who is writing to his nephew Wormwood. Wormwood is trying to secure a man's trip to Hell, and Screwtape is giving him pointers on what to do in the man's life to ensure that this will happen.
In the twelfth letter that Screwtape wrote his nephew Wormwood in The Screwtape Letters, Screwtape tells his nephew how to lead his human down the 'right' path; that is, the path to Hell. The human is a churchgoer, which Screwtape says can be perfect for leading him astray. Church and prayers are starting to become mundane, and the patient's spiritual state has been the same for the last six weeks. He's starting to notice this, and has a "dim uneasiness" about the whole thing. Screwtape says that the best thing is for nothing to change, because in this sameness, the human will start to get separated from the Enemy (God). Lewis writes, "Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one-the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts."
What a wake up call this chapter is. As Christians, are we all drifting into this sense of sameness? This chapter got me to think about my own life. My life doesn't really seem to change very much from day to day or week to week. I go to church, go to school, and do homework. I don't want to get stuck in a rut like the young man was in. I don't want to let my spiritual life be at a standstill. This chapter is such a reminder to me and to many others who read it. I want my life to reflect a newness, passion and zest for life. I always want to be in wonder of God and his new mercies for us every day. This is easier said than done, because everyone seems to get caught up in earthly things at some point in their lives. I believe that if we read our Bible as much as possible and devote specific time to prayer and worship, we may be able to avoid this from happening. We have to trust God and keep hope alive.
"We have to trust God to keep hope alive." That reminds me of what we read in Plantinga's book-hope turning into longing and longing becoming actions. Hope is what we need to change the world!
ReplyDeleteAs simple as it is to say that the answer is to "read the Bible as much as possible and set aside time for prayer and worship," I believe that we all need to hear that. Especially me. Thank you for that.
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