The Screwtape Letters

The Screwtape Letters

by C.S. Lewis

Reviewed by Terry Akers

Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the most popular Christian writers of the last century. He was the author of the Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven books, now being made into movies.

His Screwtape Letters is a satirical collection of letters from a highly placed demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, Worm-wood, a novice demon sent to tempt a newly converted Christian.

In a series of letters, Screwtape advises Wormwood on how to undermine the faith of his "patient," and thus reclaim him from the "Enemy" (God).

Each letter is a beautifully crafted description of how the forces of evil seek to subvert a redeemed humanity, turning them into beings that oppose God and reject his offer of reconciliation.

The correspondence between Screwtape and Wormwood is brilliant in its reverse theology as it explores the subtleties of temptation and the motives of the tempter: fear of punishment and the need to dominate.

Lewis shows the goal of the Creator as well: to bring humanity to himself; to transform us by his grace from "tools into servants and servants into sons."

Although written more than 60 years ago, The Screwtape Letters continues to attract thousands of new readers each year.