Lewis presents free will as humanity’s greatest weakness, but also its greatest strength. “Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church… the trouble about argument is that it moves the whole struggle on to the Enemy’s own ground” (1st Letter). Rather than fear critical thinking and focus on blind faith, Lewis wants to use reason & logic to support Christian doctrine. In one each of the 31 letters, Lewis tries to logically prove one part of Christianity to be true. Lewis argues that critical thinking about Christianity will actually lead a person to understand the faith and embrace it. In the 1st letter, Screwtape tells Wormwood that the goal of a devil should be to prevent a human being from thinking.Simply put, the more we hear how a devil hates something, the more we are supposed to like it.Ģ Themes to Look For: 1st – Faith & Reason By giving a perfect “negative” of Christian doctrine, Lewis gives us a thorough guide to how not to be a Christian - and therefore, it’s an equally thorough guide to how to be a Christian.

Lewis invites the reader to reflect on how the demonic may be influencing him.

By taking on important Christian moral topics from the perspective of the evil, not the good, C.S.

Lewis’ fictional novel is a as a collection of 31 letters from one devil to another – from an experienced devil, Uncle Screwtape, to his inexperienced nephew, Wormwood – concerning the corruption of a human soul.

Lewis the screwtape letters