Introduction to The Screwtape Letters Study Guide

The Screwtape Letters Study Guide is intended to help you get the most from C.S. Lewis’ amazing book. It was written in 1941. Written in English. Not “American” English, but “English” English. That makes it harder for us across the pond to understand, as well as anyone else who uses American English. Plus, times have changed. The world is different now, a bit over eighty years later.

Add to the time and the language changes the fact that the book is, in a way, upside down.

Where God is our Father above, Satan’s fallen angels refer t him as “our father below”.

Instead of a hierarchy of angels under God, it’s a lowerarchy of fallen angels for Satan.

As you can probably see, it’s not an easy book for us to read today.

And yet, it remains very popular. People are willing to go through the effort to read The Screwtape Letters. C.S. Lewis has such a keen insight into us, people. The things that affect us. Catch our attention. Draw us toward God. And draw us away from God.

Despite the time difference, in so many ways, we haven’t really changed in those regards. So there’s valuable insight available to us. It’s more than worth the time it takes to understand and read this wonderful book.

Some background on The Screwtape Letters

For a bit more explanation, here’s some background on The Screwtape Letters from britannica.com:

The Screwtape Letters, epistolary novel by C.S. Lewis, published serially in 1941 in the Guardian, a weekly religious newspaper. The chapters were published as a book in 1942 and extended in The Screwtape Letters and Screwtape Proposes a Toast in 1961.

Written in defense of Christian faith, this popular satire consists of a series of 31 letters in which Screwtape, an experienced devil, instructs his young charge, Wormwood, on effective strategies for tempting the human being assigned to him and making sure he continues on a steady path toward damnation. But confounded by church attendance and a faithful Christian woman, their efforts are defeated when their subject dies in a bombing raid with his soul at peace. Through his satiric use of the demonic narrative persona, Lewis examines the opposing sides in the battle between good and evil.

The book’s success begins with its witty use of ironic inversion: for example, God is “the Enemy,” Satan is “Our Father Below,” hierarchy becomes “Lowerarchy.” More important are its depth of spiritual understanding and keen psychological insights into human hypocrisies, lack of self-awareness, and actual motivations. The book was an immediate success, reprinted multiple times in its first year, and it was similarly successful when it was published in the United States in 1943. It was subsequently widely translated.

Introduction: Things to keep in mind as we study The Screwtape Letters:

The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of
Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn.LUTHER

The devil…the prowde spirite…cannot endure to be mocked.THOMAS MORE

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Spiritual Warfare

Yes, spiritual warfare is real.

Some people are fascinated with Spiritual Warfare.  Spend lots of time on it.
Others would prefer to ignore it.  Pretend it doesn’t exist.

What does the Bible say about spiritual warfare?

Here are some verses from the Bible that address the devil and spiritual warfare/

We are involved:

^{1Pe 5:8} Control yourselves. Be on your guard. Your enemy the devil is like a roaring lion. He prowls around looking for someone to chew up and swallow.

What can we do about it?

^{1Pe 5:9} Stand up to him. Stand firm in what you believe. All over the world you know that your brothers and sisters are going through the same kind of suffering.

Can we resist Satan?

^{1Pe 5:10} God always gives you all the grace you need. So you will only have to suffer for a little while. Then God himself will build you up again. He will make you strong and steady. And he has chosen you to share in his eternal glory because you belong to Christ.

^{1Pe 5:11} Give him the power for ever and ever. Amen.

To sum it up:

^{James 4:7} Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Just a quick side note here. Many years after writing this guide, I had an experience that totally mirrored one of the scenarios in The Screwtape Letters. I was trying to have a conversation with my non-Christian father about Jesus and salvation. I thought we were, finally, making some progress. All of a sudden, out of the blue, he said, “Let’s go eat”.

See if you remember this when you come across it. As I said, spiritual warfare is real. And C.S. Lewis’ awareness of us is right on target.

You’ll probably have some of your own experiences to share. I pray you’ll have more success than I did if you encounter one like mine.

Conclusion – Introduction to The Screwtape Letters Study Guide

That’s the introduction. But, it’s only an intro.

To get the most benefit from this study guide, I put together one more piece for you to understand how it’s put together – How to use the Screwtape Letters Study Guide. Formatting to help keep track of who’s who and what’s what. And some notes on studying in a group or on your own.

So I invite you to check out that one last piece, and then get started on your journey through The Screwtape Letters.