DRAFT 01 – For Classroom Use Only
Reflections on Temptations and Vocation Issues Via
The Screwtape Letters of CS Lewis
A Study Guide
Prepared by Paulo and Adriana Ribeiro ©
Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. Rev. 2: 10
I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. Luke 23:43.
Introductory Remarks
These letters were supposedly written by an experienced devil, Screwtape, to his young nephew, Wormwood. When these letters first appeared as a series in the Manchester Guardian during the World War II, a reader wrote as to to cancel his subscription because “much of the advice given in these letters seemed to him not only erroneous but positively diabolical.” Lewis explained later only that his purpose was not to speculate about the diabolical life but to throw light from a new angle on the life of man. The letters cover many different situations which Christians are faced on a daily basis.
Outline
1 - Reason / Truth, Material Needs and Science Books and Friends
Intellect, Philosophies, Doctrines Material Needs
Meaning of Life
Science & Knowledge
2 - Appearance, Reality and the Church
Habits
Mental
Bodily
The Church
Appearance and Reality Emotions
Humility
Prayer
3 - Relationships, Prayer and Faith and Action Relationship with Spouse and Family Common Ground and Actions
Prayer
Coffee and Heart Attack
4 - Prayer: Why? And Does It Work?
Prayer
Form
Position
Attitude
Direction
5 - War, Fear of Pain, Suffering, Death and Faith Pain, Suffering and Faith
Reaction to War
Death
Faith
6 - My (Not Thy?) Will Be Done Life's Tribulations
General Activities of the Mind General Attitude to War General Attitude
7 - Devil’s Existence, Church and War the Devil’s Existence
Church
Attitude to War (different ages) Church and War
8 - The Natural Law of Undulation Human Nature
Human Freedom
The Continuous Struggle the Best Weapon
9 - Undulation, Moderation and Phases Undulation and Pleasure Knowledge of Right and Wrong Religion
10 - Flirting with the World, Friends and Acquaintances Attitudes
Christian Literature Parallel Lives
11 - Human Laughter: Joy, Fun, the Joke Proper, and Flippancy Joy, Fun
The Joke Proper (Sudden perception of incongruity) Flippancy (frivolous, disrespectful, saucy, impertinent)
12 - Lukewarm Behavior - The Safest Road to Hell Spiritual Condition
Prayer Life
Pleasures
Activities
13 - The Asphyxiating Cloud, Personality, Faith and Action
Divine Grace
Pains and Pleasure: reading a good book, walk to the park, tea at the lawn, etc.
Personality
Ideas vs. Actions
14 - Humility: The Way to God - Pride: Chief Cause of Misery and Sin Humility
15 - Time and Eternity
The Dialectic Nature of Human Life
16 - Church Shopping
Diversity and Unity for Eternity
17 - Gluttony (of Delicacy), Eating Disorders, Chastity Gluttony (of Delicacy)
Eating Disorders
Chastity
18 - Complete Abstinence or Unmitigated Monogamy Sexual Temptation
Philosophy of Hell
Sex
19 - The Essence of God: Love
The Essence of the Devil Marriage and Being in Love
20 - The Devil's Agenda: Sexual Insanity, Promiscuity and Pervasion Chastity
Sexuality and Marriage
Sexual Taste
21 - Our False Sense of Ownership - All Belongs to Him Intellect
Claims on Life
Time
Ownership
Possession
22 - Beatific and Miserific Visions Love
Character Traces Pleasures
Witness
Music and Silence
The Devil
23 - Liberal Theology Spirituality
Theology and
Politics
Historical Jesus
Prayer and Sacrament Resurrection & Redemption Christianity and Politics
24 - Spiritual Pride and Inner Circles Armor of God
Color of our Faith
Pride
Inner Circles
25 - The Horror of the Same Old Thing - Replacing Mere Christianity by Fashion and Christian Coloring
Fashions
Feelings
Experience of reality in time
Emotional Changes
Intellect
The Future
26 - Love, Unselfishness: Charity and Conflict Relationships
Unselfishness
Generous Conflict of Illusion
Mrs. Fidget (The Four Loves)
27 - Prayer, Love, and Truth
Prayer
Love and Petitionary Prayer Time, Prayer and Predestination the Historical Point of View
28 - Time, Aging, and Perseverance
Life and Death, Body and Soul, Time and Eternity Youth
Longing
Optimism
Perseverance
Middle Age
Adversity and prosperity,
Worldliness
Old Age, Pride, Experience,
Death
29 - Virtues and Vices Danger and Virtues Love / Hatred Fear,
Cowardice Courage
Despair
30 - Fear, Fatigue, Emotions, and "Reality" Self Knowledge
Emotions
Fatigue
Reality
31 - Death: Is that The End? Eternal Life: Everlasting Glory or Eternal Damnation Death
New Life
In God's Presence
The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. I Peter 5:8-9
Letter I – Summary Title: Reason / Truth, Material Needs and Science, Chronological Snobbery (the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate common to our own age – anything out of date is to be discredited).
Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth … The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. II Co. 4:2-4
Like a good chess player he (Satan) is always trying to maneuver you into a position where you can save your castle only by losing your bishop.
The truth is that what one calls the interruptions, are precisely one’s real life – the life God is sending one day by day. CSL
Strategy Matrix
Area of Life
/ Devil’s Advice / God’s Way / Observations, ReferencesBooks and
Friends / Relativistic, materialistic / Christian Character Building
Search for Wisdom
Truth, honesty are needed / Jas 1:6,Ro 5:3-5
Pr 4:7
Is 59:14-15, Php 4:8
Intellect / Avoid argument and reasoning.
Use jargon instead. Make him THINK he is strong / God is the source of truth, reason and understanding. God Says BE strong, Avoid stupid arguments… / Pr 4:7
Php 3:13-14, Isa 35:4
II Tim 2:23
Philosophies
Doctrines / Encourage several Incompatible Philosophies inside his head
Doctrines?
Academic or Practical
Outworn or Contemporary
Conventional or Ruthless
Language
Use Jargon (and propaganda)
Materialism?
The Philosophy of the Future / Built on the foundation of Christ ...
Avoid unstable teaching
True and False
Use argument / reasoning
Yes be yes…
Use Scriptures
Store treasures in heaven / Eph 2:20
Eph 4:14-15
We do not use deception – the god of this age has blinded … II Co 4:2-4
Mt 5:37
Guide me in your truth - Ps 25:5, II Tim. 3:16
Mt 6:19-21
Material Needs / Takes Precedence
Use the pressure of the ordinary to enslave your patient. Teach him to call it “real life” / Lower Priority (Material)
Not of bread alone
Seek first the kingdom…
Real Life – Eternal Life / Mt 4:4
Mt 6:33
Jn 17:3
Meaning of Life / Keep pressing home on him the ordinariness of things / Purpose and Meaning of Life
God has an eternal plan / Ps.139:16
Science
Knowledge / Use Chronological Snobbery
General / updated information, modern investigations
Avoid exact science.
Try sociology, economics
Fuddle / Proven science
Be humble
Seek Wisdom / Ps 19:1
Mt 23:12
Pr 4:7
“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
Last Thought: Be prepared – correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instructions II Tim 4:2.
Discuss
1 – How enslaved are we to chronological snobbery?
2 – How can we use reasoning to grow spiritually?
3 – How enslaved are we to the pressures of the ordinary?
4 – How can argument and reason bring us close to God? (Gods ways are not our ways, but should we use our God given intellect?)
5 – Is science (real science) a help or a threat to our understanding of God?
The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. I Peter 5:8-9
Letter 2 Summary Title: Appearance, Reality and the Church
When tempted, no one should say, “ God is tempting me” (James1:13)If you think you are standing firm…No temptation has seized you except what is common to man…He will also provide a way out so you can stand firm under it. I Co 10:12-13
You however, are not controlled by a sinful nature (Ro 8:5-17)
We should never ask of anything “Is it real?,” for everything is real. The proper question is “A real what?,” e.g., a real snake or a real delirium tremens? CSL
Strategy Matrix
Area of Life
/ Devil’s Advice / God’s Way / Observations, ReferencesHabits
Mental
Bodily / Now the habits are still in our favor
See with eyes, not heart / Be controlled by the Spirit
Sinful nature/ fruits of the Spirit
Consider others better than yourself Work your salvation with fear and trembling / Ro 8:9
Gal 5:10-26
Php 2:3
Php 2:12-13
The Church / Unfinished buildings
Unpleasant people / Rooted in eternity, spread through space and time, terrible as an army with banners. / Colossians 1:18
Appearance Reality / Lean heavily on outward appearances
Appearance signing out the future
Keep the real question out of sight
Keep everything hazy
Do not let them come past the initial dryness / Reality, the real body of Christ, Inward beauty
Teach us to stand on our own feet, Gods plan is our victory / Col 1:24
OT=Veiled: Ex 34:29-30, II Co 3:7 & NT=Unveiled: II Co 3:17-18
I Co 15:57
Emotions / Fluctuating emotions
work hard at disappointment
and the anticlimax / Real Life: disappointments help to get rid of emotions/suffering produces perseverance
Sound reasoning: see our own faults
God’s word: a mirror / Ro 5:3
Ps 139:23-24;
Heb 12:1 (run the race …)
James 1:22-25
Humility / Avoid humility
Making him Think he is humble / God teaches real humility
A haughty spirit before the fall / Mt 23:12; Mt 18:4 (be humble)
Pr.16:18
Prayer
Today / A culture of the now
No hard work or effort
Only feelings and what you see counts - Teaches self esteem / Loose all to gain all
A pearl
Consider all loss) / Php 3:8-11
Mt 13:46
Php 3:7
“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Jas 4:7;
“It is required of those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” I Co 4:2
Only let us live up to what we have already attained Php 3:16
Last Thought: James 4:7-12 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.
Discuss
Screwtape advises Wormwood to focus the patient’s attention upon the actual people in the church sitting in the pews around him; but not upon “the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners.”
1 - Habits: mental and bodily – the need for discipline and sanctification.
2 – The Church: Visible and Invisible (Building, People, Liturgy - Transcendental Body)
3 – Reality and Appearance
4 – The Conversion Experience
5 – Disappointments in the Christian Life
6 - Hypocrisy
7 – God’s Love and Our Response
8 – Are Christians Better Than Other people?
9 – God wants us to be His “free lovers and servants.”
The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. I Pe 5:8-9
Letter III – Summary Title: Relationships, Prayer and Faith and Action
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before us endured the cross… Heb 12:1-2Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. II Co 7:1
“The most useful human characteristic common among Christians and young revolutionaries is that they want to fix the world before they know much about it”. CSL
Strategy Matrix
Area of Life
/ Devil’s Advice / God’s Way / Observations, ReferencesRelationship With Spouse,
Family / Good and settled habit of mutual annoyance, “Daily pinpricks” / Love and understanding
From the center outwards / Ro 15:1-7 (accept one another)
Common ground and actions / Dualistic approach: horror and neglect of the obvious
Keep his mind on “inner” life
Off the elementary duties / Integrated action
Love your neighbor as yourself / Mt 22:39; Dt 19:18
Prayer / Keep the patient from the intention of prayer altogether.
Parrot like prayers, in devotional mood (no will or intelligence) feeling is important and position makes no difference.
Make it spiritual (find out others peoples sin) separate people from reality(imaginary person)
From prayer to insult (sharp tongued)
Use: voice tone and moment (keep double standard) Luke15:28-30) / Pray at all times, in all situations, all kinds of prayers with WILL, INTELECT, directly to the Lord (Peter at the sea)
God’s peace means no interference’s:
Take the plank out of your own eye / Eph 6:18 (at all times)
Romans 8:26 (The Spirit intercedes with groans)
Lk 18:1-8 (parable of the persistent widow)
Mat 26:41 (Not fall into temptation)
Phil 4:4-7 (Gods peace will result)!!!!!
Is 62:6-7
Mt 7:1-5 ;Ro 12:12
Keep things out of his mind or misdirect: need Charitable feelings to have Charity
Feel brave means to have Courage
Feel forgiven & to be Forgiven
/ Running a race
IN Faithfulness
– as He is faithful / I Co 9:24, Heb 12:1
Rev 2:10
II Th 3:3
Coffee and heart attack / Not see the dependence on initial feeling
Pray to “IT” not to the person who made me / Pray to God the Creator in NAKEDNESS of the soul / I Jn 1:9 (confess our sins)
“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7