Screwtape Letter #22 – Discussion Guide

Screwtape Letter #22 – Discussion Guide is article #46 in the series: Screwtape Letters. Click button to view titles for entire series

Letter #22

The Screwtape Letters Study Guide

Things must not be going so well for little Wormwood.
Maybe they were a little rough for Screwtape too?

 


 

My dear Wormwood,

So! Your man is in love—… You may be interested to learn that the little misunderstanding with the Secret Police which you tried to raise about some unguarded expressions in one of my letters has been tidied over. … Meanwhile I enclose a little booklet, just issued, on the new House of Correction for Incompetent Tempters. It is profusely illustrated and you will not find a dull page in it.

 

22.1) So Wormwood tried to get his “affectionate Uncle Screwtape” in trouble.

Contrast this scenario with our relationship with Jesus in terms of

(a) The chances that taking Jesus’ advice would even lead to the need to call the “Secret Police”

 

Are there even 'secret police'

In a way, this could be considered a trick question.

My first thought is – there’s no secret police in Heaven.

But then – if we follow Jesus’ advice – there is someone who’ll be reporting it in secret.
That’d be whatever little devil is assigned to us. That devil will be reporting down the chain of command to it’s mentor.

Would there be anything to report to God?

There’s also the flip side of this –
that when we do something wrong – the accuser will be there to report to God –
Satan.
Not like God doesn’t already know – but Satan will want to try exploit it.

 

 

(b) When we do something to Jesus – His reaction to us as compared to Screwtape’s reaction to what Wormwood did.

 

Would Jesus correct us and still want us?

Maybe He’ll tell us how to correct what we did – even inviting us to follow Him after that –

The Rich Young Man

Mt 19:16 Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life ?”

Mt 19:17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”

Mt 19:18 “Which ones?” the man inquired.

Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’”

Mt 19:20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

Mt 19:21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Mt 19:22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Would Jesus forgive us?

Maybe He’ll forgive us – and tell to to go and sin no more –

Jn 8:1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

Jn 8:9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

Jn 8:11 “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

No matter what, if we ask, Jesus will always ______

Whatever else – Jesus us always willing and ready to forgive us – when we ask.

 

 

I have looked up this girl’s dossier and am horrified at what I find. … The sort of creature who’d find ME funny! … Why doesn’t the Enemy blast her for it, if He’s so moonstruck by virginity—instead of looking on there, grinning?

 

22.2) Seeing – but not seeing?

How is it possible to see so clearly what’s going on – and not see it at all?

looks as if she’d faint at the sight of blood and then dies with a smile

The sort of creature who’d find ME funny!

Maybe if Screwtape could actually / thoughtfully answer his own question at the end of this paragraph he would get at least a clue as to what’s going on. But, he can’t – or won’t.

What are some possible reasons why not?

 

A simple starting point - Love

To start with – how about Love?

Screwtape doen’t have the least bit of understanding about Love.

He cannot comprehend all the things that will flow from it – such as loving others – a commitment to following God – realization of the truth about life and death – realization that the devil cannot kill the soul – Etc.

 

 

He’s a hedonist at heart. All those fasts and vigils and stakes and crosses are only a façade. … We fight under cruel disadvantages. Nothing is naturally on our side. (Not that that excuses you. I’ll settle with you presently. You have always hated me and been insolent when you dared.

 

22.3) Screwtape seems to be feeling a little self pity. Still seeing – but not seeing.

First, Screwtape says that God doesn’t understand Ugh! I don’t think He has the least inkling of that high and austere mystery to which we rise in the Miserific Vision.

And then he goes on to say Everything has to be twisted before it’s any use to us. We fight under cruel disadvantages. Nothing is naturally on our side.

Following on with the previous question – is there something preventing Screwtape (and us) from seeing the problem here? Given the second statement, should one maybe reconsider which side they’re on when everything is “naturally” against them?

 

 

Think again about what the devil actually 'creates'

Realizing that everything is naturally against them – everything needs to be twisted or corrupted to be useful – that should be a real warning sign that one has a real fight on their hands.

Not having a clue as to the goodness of the things they are trying to corrupt – makes it even harder for the devils. Screwtape knows what he has to do – but doesn’t seem to realize how much work it is – because he doesn’t know what the starting point is.

For us – the situation isn’t really much different. Just as Screwtape talks about trying to corrupt everything – so we must / should realize the lengths we go to in order to take advantage of some of these corrupted pleasures. Especially when they have to be done in secret and are maybe illegal – but we don’t.

Screwtape sees – maybe better than many of us – that God has filled the world full of natural pleasures.

 

 

Then, of course, he gets to know this woman’s family and whole circle. Could you not see that the very house she lives in is one that he ought never to have entered? The whole place reeks of that deadly odour. … It bears a sickening resemblance to the description one human writer made of Heaven: ‘the regions where there is only life and therefore all that is not music is silence’.

Music and silence—how I detest them both! … The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end. But I admit we are not yet loud enough, or anything like it. Research is in progress.

 

22.4) The more Screwtape sees – the less he sees.

Given the responses to questions 2 & 3, talk about how this “Noise” can make those things harder to overcome.

Along with that, consider that once it is overcome, what is the “impenetrable mystery” and how can it help to defend against being tricked by Satan again?

 

 

See the letter to the Church in Laodicea, especially the 2nd half

Noise – that would be anything useless – especially if it’s a corruption of something that was originally good.

The “impenetrable mystery” – that would be the Holy Spirit. 

Rev 3:19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Rev 3:21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Jesus is looking for us – calling for us – knocking for us to open the door to Him.

Once we are open to Him – the Holy Spirit – if we trust Him – will continue to be a guide for us – provide comfortand be more of an influence in our lives to help overcome our devil and it’s noise.

 

 

Meanwhile you, disgusting little—

[Here the MS breaks off and is resumed in a different hand.]

In the heat of composition I find that I have inadvertently allowed myself to assume the form of a large centipede. I am accordingly dictating the rest to my secretary. … In my present form I feel even more anxious to see you, to unite you to myself in an indissoluble embrace,

(Signed) TOADPIPE

For his Abysmal Sublimity Under Secretary Screwtape, TE, BS, etc

 

22.5) Uh Oh!

What just happened here?

What does it have to do with us? Can this happen to you or I?

 

 

Hint:

“Pshaw” is a reference to George Bernard Shaw – specifically to his ideas about a “life force” – obviously not God. This is why Screwtape looks at him as having grasped “the truth”.

Is Screwtape correct about this - and what are the consequences?

Screwtape went too far. While God does allow Satan to mess with us to some extent – sometimes a lot – there are limits. To take the approach that somehow this is related to a “life force” means that Screwtape will never actually realize that God is the real cause for what happened – and it will likely continue to happen to him.

We could be on a similar path – if we reject God – assume something of the life force theory – or anything that would take us away from God. In any case – refusal to learn the lesson / correction that God has for us – means more lessons, until eventually we have turned away so completely that we end up allowing Satan to do pretty much as he wants. There is always the ability to turn back to God – but becoming less likely as we go. If not – we’kk turn into something so far from what God intended that we may appear to be a different (evil) person.

If we walk with God – at least trying / not always succeeding – this will not happen.

 

Vocabulary:

Hedonist- He’s a hedonist at heart. All those fasts and vigils and stakes and crosses are only a façade.

Hedonist- a person whose life is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification. 

Austere – Ugh! I don’t think He has the least inkling of that high and austere mystery to which we rise in the Miserific Vision.

Austere – solemn; serious. 

Miserific Vision – is a reference to to an earlier book by C. S. Lewis – Perelandra, which is the second book in the Space Trilogy. In Later editions, Perelandra was renamed to Voyage to Venus. The excerpt below explains the meaning.

 “As there is one Face above all worlds which merely to see is irrevocable joy, so at the bottom of all worlds that face is waiting whose sight alone is the misery from which none who beholds it can recover. And though there seemed to be, and indeed were, a thousand roads by which a man could walk through the world, there was not a single one which did not lead sooner or later either to the Beatific or the Miserific Vision.” 

Dynamisn – Music and silence—how I detest them both! How thankful we should be that ever since Our Father entered Hell—though longer ago than humans, reckoning in light years, could express—no square inch of infernal space and no moment of infernal time has been surrendered to either of those abominable forces, but all has been occupied by Noise—Noise, the grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exultant, ruthless, and virile—Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples and impossible desires.

Dynamisn – great energy, force, or power. 

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