In the first part of this article I looked at several basic character traits that Mr. Lewis present as potential obstacles to a successful Christian walk. Traits such as the novelty of a new faith, relationships with family or acquaintances, prayer,  spiritual ‘dryness’,  humility, a sense of separation from God, and even time,  can be used to stunt, and eventually destroy, a person’s Christian faith.

In the second and final part of this piece I’ll primarily look at Mr. Lewis’s examination of close personal relationships, and how they can help or hinder a fruitful Christian life.

To recap the premise and terminology of the novel: It is written as a series of instructional letters by an experienced demon, Screwtape, to his neophyte protégé and  nephew, Wormwood, who is tasked with securing the soul of his ‘patient’, a young man who has recently converted to Christianity. God is referred to as ‘The Enemy’. The Devil is referred to as ‘Our Father’, Hell is ‘Our Father’s house’, and the ‘patient’ is the young man whose soul Wormwood is attempting to secure.

Love and Sex

Screwtape delivers a primer on how marriage, sexuality, and the idea of ‘being in love’ can be used to capture a patient’s soul, thereby destroying his relationship with God.  Continue reading The Screwtape Letters–Part II →

The Screwtape Letters
By C.S. Lewis

Clive Staples Lewis was born on November 29, 1898, in what is now Northern Ireland and died on November 22, 2963, in Oxfordshire, England.  He was a ‘a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University’ [1]  He wrote more than thirty books including The Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity.

The Screwtape Letters was originally published serially in a British religious newspaper, The Guardian, in 1941 [2]. It was then published as a novel the following year.  Another version, expanded to include the essay ‘Screwtape Proposes a Toast’, was published in 1962.  The work is dedicated to Lewis’ friend and colleague, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and other works.

The Screwtape Letters is a classic in Christian literature. It is written as a series of instructional letters by an experienced demon, Screwtape, to his neophyte protégé and  nephew, Wormwood, who is tasked with securing the soul of his ‘patient’, a man who has recently converted to Christianity.

The novel is ironic, often funny, sometimes difficult, and always insightful.  Insightful in its examination of  human behavior,  in its observation of the  myriad ways in which human beings are constantly buffeted by gusts of good and evil, in the ways in which we succumb to temptations  and are victorious  when deciding on the good. In the 209 pages of The Screwtape Letters and the addendum, ‘Screwtape Proposes a Toast’, it is safe to say that there is not a phrase, not a word that is wasted or superfluous.  Like another masterpiece, Mere Christianity, this novel is densely packed with penetrating intuition and practical suggestions for fighting the daily battles faced by everyone who has made a decision to live a Christian life—as well as those who haven’t.

Continue reading The Screwtape Letters →

Reports on such issues as evolution, the origin of the universe, and climate change, are literally covered daily in the mainstream press, often with a self-confident undercurrent that relegates anyone who dares questions the scientific community’s conclusions on these issues as ‘backward’, ignorant, blinded by archaic, repressive and downright dangerous religious beliefs.

One may even venture to say that science, at least for some, has become a new religion. These scientists, newscasters, pundits and the like see science as somehow unassailable, due to the logic, replicable experimentation, and peer-review standards that are key to scientific legitimacy. This of course is in stark contrast to faith, which cannot be measured like a scientific experiment, and which does not lend itself to verifiable testing and the like.

The current great divide between science and faith was not always as wide as it is today. Dan Graves’ book, Scientists of Faith, published by Kregel Resources, 1996, presents forty-eight short profiles of scientists who have made enormous contributions to their respective fields, while maintaining a strong personal faith.  Continue reading Science and Faith →

Brother Sun, Sister Moon, a film by Franco Zefirelli

The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi, translated with an introduction and notes by Father Paschal Robinson, and edited by Paul A. Boer, Sr.

Intro

With his election to the papacy in 2013, the Argentinian cardinal, Jorge Mario Bergoglio has become a pioneer in a number of capacities: the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere, the first Jesuit, and the first from the Americas.  He is also the first, in the almost 900 years since the death of the Italian saint, Francis of Assisi, to take the name, Francis. And judging from the media coverage he has certainly lived up to the reputation of the 12^th century saint–known for his simple lifestyle and identification with the poor–by pursuing a life of relative humility (living in the papal guest house instead of the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace) and displaying an uncommon empathy for the marginalized and the sick (washing the feet of the disabled and the sick).

The Pope, to many (myself included), is truly inspiring. He has piqued my interest in his namesake. And so, here is an extremely high level view of the original Francis, as seen through a biographical film and a translation of his own writings.

Brother Sun, Sister Moon

In 1972 the motion picture Brother Sun, Sister Moon was released. Produced and directed by the renowned filmmaker, Franco Zefirelli (Romeo and Juliet, Jesus of Nazareth) it presents the early life of the Italian saint, Francis of Assisi, 1181/2-1226.  It follows ‘Francesco’, Continue reading St. Francis of Assisi →