Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

It's been a little over a weeks since I read The Screwtape Letters, so this probably won't be the best review ever (which is not to say that it necessarily would be otherwise). However, I would like to give a very brief summary. I've been wanting to read The Screwtape Letters for quite some time, but never remembered when I was at the library or bookstore. Fortunately, I finally remembered last time I was at the library, and so the book was added to my ten-high pile, and eventually was read.

If you haven't heard of this book already, The Screwtape Letters is a fictional book of letters from senior demon Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood, who is just begininng his career as a tempter for Satan. Throughout the series of letters, Wormwood is anxious to get his Patient to commit a deplorably evil sin that will damn him to hell; however, Screwtape assures his nephew that "the safest path to hell is the gradual one." The Screwtape Letters is a commentary on a wide range of social and moral issues, from love, war, pride, and gluttony. And while the book wasn't one of my favorites--I can understand why C.S. Lewis said it was "not fun" to write--I do appreciate the theological views behind the letters. All in all, a fairly good read, but nothing I was tempted to shout from the rooftops about.

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