To Better Avoid Temptation This Lent, Revisit ‘The Screwtape Letters’ Or Its Many Spin-Offs

As people strive to practice prayer and fasting during Lent, it is not uncommon to experience an increase in temptation and weariness during the last few days of Lent, which used to be called Passiontide. It is a cross to bear and a crown to wear for those seeking virtue or holiness at any time of the year. However, staying strong in prayer and fasting is still the best route to take. One way to stay focused and boost morale during this period is through spiritual reading.

When it comes to temptation, there is one work that stands above the others: C.S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters”. The book, written in 1942, is a fictional series of 31 letters from a senior demon named Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood. Wormwood is still learning how to do what demons do best — tempt souls away from God. Throughout the letters, Screwtape provides Wormwood with ample advice on how best to damn the soul of an unnamed British man referred to as “the patient.” The letters cover a range of topics dealing with all the normal vices we are tempted with in life such as pride, lust, gluttony, and moral laxity. But they are always explained in a manner that makes Lewis’ insights and extensive literary and theological knowledge accessible to readers of all backgrounds.

Lewis demonstrates deep psychological insight into the human condition and presents rather diabolical cunning that turns even the most mundane events in the life of “the patient” into a stepping-stone for vice. “The Screwtape Letters” is a work that presents the process of temptation as not being a single “big ask” by the devil, but rather a gradual process that leads us toward damnation. The book highlights how we rationalize or show moral laxity in our actions as we walk ourselves into this pit one step at a time.

The book remains a Christian classic that has inspired many authors to create imitations. The demonic advice format has almost become a sub-genre. Works such as Peter Kreeft’s “The Snakebite Letters” or his popular lecture “How to Win the Culture War,” Dwight Longenecker’s “The Gargoyle Code,” Richard Platt’s “One Devil to Another,” and J.B. Cyprus’ “Letters to Bentrock” are examples of such works.

Cyprus has an innovative and modern take on the “Screwtape” format that takes place inside a prison. This fresh perspective makes “Letters to Bentrock” an engaging read for younger and more jaded audiences. There is also Jim Peschke’s book “The Michael Letters,” which looks at “The Screwtape Letters” from the point of view of a guardian angel.

For those who prefer audio formats, John Cleese’s audiobook version of “The Screwtape Letters” is well worth a listen. Marvel Comics produced a graphic novel based on the story as well. Focus on the Family also created a free online audio drama of all 31 letters. Although several stage productions of “The Screwtape Letters” have been produced, no movie version has been made yet.

Chris Carter, the creator of the TV series “The X-Files,” produced a series called “Millennium” that aired for three seasons (1996-99). One of the episodes was called “Somehow Satan Got Behind Me,” and in it, four devils sit around a table in a donut shop talking about how they go about “gutting souls” in the modern age.

Spending some time in reflection on the topic of temptation is time well spent. Holy Week is based on the 40 days that Jesus spent praying and fasting in the desert before beginning

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