This was the most useful and thought-provoking book I read this year:
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
This is an amazing book on so many levels. The psychology is solid. The theology is uniquely accessible. Looking at life through the eyes and thoughts of the enemy is so helpful for understanding strategies and priorities. This is a collection of letters from Uncle Screwtape to Wormwood, a junior tempter assigned to a young man in London during World War II. The letters cover tactics and adjustments in their tempting approach. This book is widely quoted because it holds so many basic truths. This time through, I learned some things about the basics of prayer and its mechanics. I was also reminded of the dangers of becoming attached to this world. We were made for so much more than the drone of middle age. We are made for beauty and wonder. We are made for magic and truth. Hell is content to bore us to a long, old death with no spark, no joy, no living- just pain, complaining, and disconnectedness. Let us ask simpler questions, like “Is it true?”. Let us laugh when the temptations get ridiculous. Let us remember that our time is not our own. Let us be kinder, gentler, and more charitable to our neighbors. For these things will drive our tempters mad. This is my favorite quote: “Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy’s will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.” This feels to me to be what following Jesus is all about. Not really understanding your specific circumstances, but still willing to follow those little whispers to bring the kingdom to life here.
This is for anyone looking for a challenging read with tons of depth and nuance.
(Rated PG, Score 10/10, audiobook read by Ralph Cosham, 3:36, kindle ebook, 155p.)
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