The Screwtape Letters Small Group Study Christ Lutheran Church Overland Park, KS Lent 2011
2 These lessons are written and formatted for discussion in a small group setting. They are designed to complement the dramatization of six letters from C.S. Lewis s The Screwtape Letters 1 presented in worship during Lent 2011 and the Sunday adult Bible class teachings that accompany it. Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church (a work in progress, 2011). All rights reserved. Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, Overland Park, Kansas. Any unauthorized copying of this material, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church is expressly prohibited. 1 The Screwtape Letters. Copyright 1942, C.S. Lewis Pte. Ltd. Copyright restored 1996 C.S. Lewis Pte. Ltd.
3 Table of Contents Lesson 1 The Tyranny of Mine p. 4 Lesson 2 A Suitable Church p. 6 Lesson 3 The Safest Road to Hell p. 8 Lesson 4 A Good Settled Habit of Mutual Annoyance p. 10 Lesson 5 When Every Trace Has Vanished p. 12 Lesson 6 A Sudden Clearing of the Eyes p. 14 Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church (a work in progress)
4 Lesson 1 ~ Opening Prayer Almighty God, Heavenly Father; fill us with your Spirit of Truth as we gather today in the name of your Son. Enlighten our understanding of your great love and desire for our holiness. Use this study to teach us how to discern truth from lies, avoid and resist temptation and move forward in living the life of love that draws others to Christ. Your word and your grace overcome every accusation and deception Satan employs. Victory over sin, death and the devil is ours by the blood of Jesus Christ; praise and thanks be to you! Where we fail to believe that, please help our unbelief. In the name of our Savior, Jesus, Amen. ~ Preface 1. Compile a brief list of what is known and believed about demons and the devil and the source of that knowledge. a. Discuss which of these you believe to be true. b. How does that belief affect the way you live day by day? Read aloud C.S. Lewis s preface to The Screwtape Letters and Ephesians 6:10-18. 2. What two errors does Lewis caution the reader against? a. How does that relate to what Paul wrote to the Church? b. What does Lewis want you to remember? c. Why will this be important to this study? ~ The Tyranny of Mine 1. Categorize the ways you used your time this past week, i.e. work, homemaking and maintenance, family, friends, the Lord, sleep, personal leisure. a. How much of your time did you give to each? b. How would you describe your attitude toward each? Read aloud Letter # 21 of The Screwtape Letters. 2. Screwtape says that any of Wormwood s assaults on the patient must be prepared by darkening his intellect : a. What does that mean for us? b. How does Romans 12:2 help us?
5 c. How does Screwtape go on to recommend Wormwood do this on the topic of this letter? d. How can you prepare for such an attack? Refer back to Ephesians 6:10-18. 3. Screwtape lists two areas of ownership in life with which most people struggle: a. What are they and can you name others? b. What do Psalm 24:1-2, James 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 teach us regarding these? c. Take a few moments for self-examination and let the Holy Spirit show you how this is impacting your life. If you are willing, tell the group how you are being tested in this? d. How can you encourage and be accountable to one another in this? 4. The claim of ownership: a. Discuss what Screwtape says the joke is. Does this strike you as funny in any sense? b. Screwtape concludes that at present the Enemy(God) says Mine of everything. 1) On what basis? 2) Discuss whether you agree or disagree and why. 3)Look at the First Article of the Apostle s Creed, how does Luther explain this? c. Screwtape goes on to say that Our Father(Satan) hopes in the end to say Mine of all things on the more realistic and dynamic ground of conquest. 1) What does this statement imply about what has been going on since the time of the fall of humanity? 2)Discuss his basis for the claim, i.e. his conquest. d. Compare and contrast the two claims of ownership. How does the Parable of the Tenants from Mark12:1-12 speak to Screwtape s assertions about these claims. e. In the end there will be a third claim to ownership. What is it 2 and why do you think Screwtape neglects to mention it? Closing Discussion What will you take away from this week s study? Is there some personal warning, correction, or encouragement to do or think differently? Closing Prayer 2 hint: Colossians 1:19-23 Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church (a work in progress)
6 Lesson 2 ~Opening Prayer Almighty God, Heavenly Father; fill us with your Spirit of Truth as we gather today in the name of your Son. Enlighten our understanding of your great love and desire for our holiness. Use this study to teach us how to discern truth from lies, avoid and resist temptation and move forward in living the life of love that draws others to Christ. Your word and your grace overcome every accusation and deception Satan employs. Victory over sin, death and the devil is ours by the blood of Jesus Christ; praise and thanks be to you! Where we fail to believe that, please help our unbelief. In the name of our Savior, Jesus, Amen. ~ A Suitable Church 1. List some common reasons people church hop and criteria they use when they church shop. a. What brought you to Christ Lutheran Church? b. How long have you been here? c. What keeps you coming back? Read aloud Letter # 16 of The Screwtape Letters. 1. Screwtape is upset that the patient is going back repeatedly to only one church and would have expected Wormwood to give him a report as to why, if he were about his business. a. What might be the reasons for a person to go back repeatedly to the same church? b. What is the one reason Screwtape suggests would be acceptable? c. What makes all the other reasons you named a very bad thing to Screwtape? 2. Screwtape states that the next best thing to curing a person of churchgoing is to make him a connoisseur of churches and goes on to list two reasons. In the first he contrasts the parochial versus the congregational organization. As Americans these words would not be used as contrasting descriptors but Lewis is using them in the British sense. a. From the context what is the difference? b. How does this impact the kind of unity the Enemy (God) desires?
7 c. Explain whether and why Screwtape would consider your involvement at Christ Lutheran a good thing or bad? 3. There is a second obvious reason Screwtape is pleased by the search for a suitable church. a. Name it and discuss why it is pleasing to Screwtape. b. How would this keep the patient from being the pupil God desires? c. How does Psalm 100:1-5 describe the attitude God desires? d. What makes a sermon dangerous to the devil s side? e. Consider honestly for a few minutes then tell which of these attitudes best describes yours recently and why. 4. Screwtape goes on to suggest two local churches the patient should try because of their pastors. Read also Ezekial 34:1-6 a. What two attitudes is C.S. Lewis warning pastors against in this letter? b. What makes Fr Spike s defect potentially fatal? c. What are healthy attitudes and responsibilities between pastor and flock? See Jeremiah23:1-4 & 22, 1 Timothy 4:7-16 and 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13. 5. Paul s teaching in 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 is referred to here. a. What good point does Screwtape see in both of these churches? b. What does Ezekial 34:17-21 tell us God thinks about this attitude. c. List some of the really doctrinal issues and some of the indifferent things of which Screwtape speaks? d. What does the church look like which focuses on the former and follows Paul s teaching on the latter? Closing Discussion Is there some personal warning, correction, or encouragement to do or think differently that you take away from this week s study? Closing Prayer Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church (a work in progress)
8 Lesson 3 Opening Prayer Almighty God, Heavenly Father; fill us with your Spirit of Truth as we gather today in the name of your Son. Enlighten our understanding of your great love and desire for our holiness. Use this study to teach us how to discern truth from lies, avoid and resist temptation and move forward in living the life of love that draws others to Christ. Your word and your grace overcome every accusation and deception Satan employs. Victory over sin, death and the devil is ours by the blood of Jesus Christ; praise and thanks be to you! Where we fail to believe that, please help our unbelief. In the name of our Savior, Jesus, Amen. ~ The Safest Road to Hell 1. Use a straight edge to draw a line from the dot below to the sun directly across from it. Draw a second line that at a point about an inch from the dot veers sharply off the path of the first line. Finally draw a third line that at that same point deviates only slightly from the path of the first line. a. Where does each line end in relation to the sun? b. What would need to be done with both the second and third lines you drew to make them end at the sun? c. What does this illustration tell you about the impact of a very small or very large change in direction? Read aloud Letter # 12 of The Screwtape Letters. 1. Review the line exercise above and explain it in terms of the first paragraph of this letter. a. What is the line correction called in the Christian life and what does it mean? b. Would you call this a critical practice for the Christian? Why or why not? 2. Wormwood seems to have lured the patient into some spiritually unhealthy relationships and habits. Screwtape thinks that it is now desirable to keep him attending church but with careful handling. Consider Deuteronomy 5:12 and Psalm 100:1-5 as you answer these questions.
9 a. What feeling toward this situation does he urge Wormwood to sustain in the patient and why? b. Screwtape goes on to describe a useful element of this situation related to an invaluable tendency of humans. Describe that tendency? c. How does it facilitate Wormwood s purposes? d. Tell about a time you experienced this feeling and the resulting tendency. 3. Screwtape states that keeping this feeling alive needs careful handling. Why? a. What does the apostle Paul say about it in 2 Corinthians 7:8-11a? b. Would Screwtape consider repentance to be a critical practice in the Christian life? Explain. c. Read Matthew 3:1-2 and 4:17. Does Jesus consider repentance to be a critical practice? Explain. d. Is your practice of repentance in keeping with the importance placed on it by you by Jesus... by Screwtape? 4. According to this communication from Screwtape, it could be said that the value of unrepentance to the devil s side is that it robs the Christian of life. a. Expand on the meaning of this statement. b. How does it relate to the Christians description of the Enemy (God) as one without whom nothing is strong c. Does this change your understanding of repentance or its importance in your life? If so, how? 5. Screwtape ends his letter with a warning to Wormwood that Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one. Explain. a. Does the devil grade our sins as big or little? b. Does God grade our sins as big or little? c. What is the greatest concern of both the devil and God in this matter? Closing Discussion What will you take away from this week s study? Is there some personal warning, correction, or encouragement to do or think differently? Closing Prayer Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church (a work in progress)
10 Lesson 4 Opening Prayer Almighty God, Heavenly Father; fill us with your Spirit of Truth as we gather today in the name of your Son. Enlighten our understanding of your great love and desire for our holiness. Use this study to teach us how to discern truth from lies, avoid and resist temptation and move forward in living the life of love that draws others to Christ. Your word and your grace overcome every accusation and deception Satan employs. Victory over sin, death and the devil is ours by the blood of Jesus Christ; praise and thanks be to you! Where we fail to believe that, please help our unbelief. In the name of our Savior, Jesus, Amen. ~ A Good Settled Habit of Mutual Annoyance 1. Day in and day out, it seems to be the little things people do or say that are most likely to irritate us. a. Why do you think this is? b. Who are the people most likely to affect us this way? Read aloud Letter # 3 of The Screwtape Letters. 1. Put Screwtape s thought that the Enemy (God) is working on the patient from the center outward, into your own words. a. How does Paul describe it in Ephesians 2:8-10? b. What is to be the result? c. What specifics are given in Luke 3:7-14 and Romans 12:1-2? 2. Screwtape recommends four methods that are useful in causing mayhem for the Christian s close relationships. Explore each one using these questions. a. What is the deception involved? b. What makes the patient susceptible? c. What are the results? d. How can you use this knowledge to arm yourself against such deception? 3. Considering what you learned in questions 1 and 2: a. Where are the deceptions and attacks of Screwtape and Wormwood aimed? b. Is this in keeping with your experience of the Christian life? Give an example.
11 4. At the beginning of the letter, Wormwood is told to work with Glubose, who is in charge of the patient s mother. a. How have you been made aware that you have to deal with the results of the devils work in the lives of the people around you as well as your own? b. Should this knowledge affect the way you feel toward and interact with the people around you? c. How might you apply Matthew 7:1-5 and Romans 12:9-18 to your attitudes and actions with others? 5. Screwtape ends the letter by questioning Wormwood about how the patient s mother feels about his newfound faith life. a. What are the implications of his questioning? b. Who does Screwtape have in mind when he mentions the elder brother in the Enemy s (God s) story? See Luke 15:11-31. c. Can you relate to what the mother or older brother might feel? d. How would you or have you handled such feelings if you experienced them in a relationship? Closing Discussion What will you take away from this week s study? Is there some personal warning, correction, or encouragement to do or think differently? Closing Prayer Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church (a work in progress)
12 Lesson 5 Opening Prayer Almighty God, Heavenly Father; fill us with your Spirit of Truth as we gather today in the name of your Son. Enlighten our understanding of your great love and desire for our holiness. Use this study to teach us how to discern truth from lies, avoid and resist temptation and move forward in living the life of love that draws others to Christ. Your word and your grace overcome every accusation and deception Satan employs. Victory over sin, death and the devil is ours by the blood of Jesus Christ; praise and thanks be to you! Where we fail to believe that, please help our unbelief. In the name of our Savior, Jesus, Amen. ~ When Every Trace Has Vanished 6. Consider some significant activities (work or hobbies) and relationships (family or friends) in your life: a. How would you describe your level of interest and passion at the beginning? b. Have you maintained that level since the time you began? Choose one activity or relationship to plot on the graph below and describe your graph to the group. 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Interest over Time Time c. How does that compare to your interest in the study of God s word? Read aloud Letter # 8 of The Screwtape Letters. 1. What is an amphibian? a. Why does Screwtape say that humans are amphibians? b. Discuss in what ways this seems an apt allegory or inappropriate allegory. c. Does Scripture support it? How? (see Matthew 26:41 and Romans 8:12-17)
13 2. What is the law of undulation? a. How universal does Screwtape state it to be? b. What opportunities does it afford to the devils? c. What are the dangers it presents to them? Consider the example of Jesus in Matthew 26:36-46, Philippians 2:5-11 and Hebrews 5:7-10. d. How can you take advantage of this knowledge? 3. Contrast the Enemy (God) and our Father Below as described in this letter. a. What differences do you discover in their character? b. What differences do you see in their desires for and relationship to humanity? c. How do these Scriptures support his descriptions: Genesis 1:27, John 12:27-32, Luke 22:31-32, Ephesians 1:3-14, 1Peter 5:8, and Revelation 12:7-9? 4. What does it mean to be a replica of God? a. What is his strategy to accomplish this? b. Discuss what is meant by the Irresistable and the Indisputable the two weapons that God will not allow himself to use? c. When and why have you wished he would use them? d. Does Screwtape s explanation give you peace with the fact that he does not? 5. Screwtape warns Wormwood, Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy s will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys. a. Why is it such a danger? b. When has it happened? c. Ponder whether or not you could put the devil s cause in such danger. Discuss it if you choose. Closing Discussion What will you take away from this week s study? Is there some personal warning, correction, or encouragement to do or think differently? If you do not already have a more experienced believer with whom to share your peaks and troughs, make a conscious effort to find someone. Closing Prayer Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church (a work in progress)
14 Lesson 6 Opening Prayer Almighty God, Heavenly Father; fill us with your Spirit of Truth as we gather today in the name of your Son. Enlighten our understanding of your great love and desire for our holiness. Use this study to teach us how to discern truth from lies, avoid and resist temptation and move forward in living the life of love that draws others to Christ. Your word and your grace overcome every accusation and deception Satan employs. Victory over sin, death and the devil is ours by the blood of Jesus Christ; praise and thanks be to you! Where we fail to believe that, please help our unbelief. In the name of our Savior, Jesus, Amen. ~ A Sudden Clearing of the Eyes 1. There are three things which no one reading this has experienced and yet, likely, have all imagined death, heaven and hell. a. Tell briefly what you imagine each might be like. b. On what do you base those images? Read aloud Letter # 31 of The Screwtape Letters. 1. Screwtape gives some very sensory descriptions of the patient s experience of a sudden death in the second and third paragraphs of this letter. a. What are they? b. In his descriptions what is the simultaneous sensory occurrence? c. What do you read here that is in keeping with what God has related to us through Scripture on this subject? For example Job 19:25-27, Psalm 17:15, 1 John 3:2, Luke 23:39-43, 1 Corinthians 15:50-57 d. What do you read here that is more the author s imagination? e. Why is that important to distinguish? 2. Consider this glimpse of heaven. a. How does Screwtape describe the experience from the patient s point of view? b. How does he describe it from Wormwood s and his own point of view? c. What vision of hell does this give you? d. How does this add to or clarify the vision of heaven and hell found in Revelation 21:1-8 and 22:1-4
15 3. Read John 6:35-40. a. Compare and contrast Jesus I am claim in this passage with Screwtape s appetite in this letter. b. What do some who have seen Jesus here (v. 36) have in common with Screwtape and Wormwood in this letter? c. In the last paragraph, Screwtape uses the phrase, once more the inexplicable meets us then goes on to describe their side s greatest curse. What is it? 1) How does that relate to Jesus audience in verse 36? 2) How does it relate to the rest of the passage? 4. Walter Hooper and Owen Barfield 3 say this about this final letter Though the letter is ostensibly about Screwtape s picture of the horrors awaiting Wormwood, it is really an unintentional tribute to God s triumphant love, and so rich in praise that it beggars even those works which set out to do precisely this. a. How does this letter speak to you of God s triumphant love? b. What praises of God did you find here? c. Add those praises to your closing prayer for this session. Closing Discussion Have you experienced a sudden clearing of the eyes in some small way through this study? Have you gained wisdom? Have you changed some practice(s)? How can your group encourage you in that change? Closing Prayer 3 The Screwtape Letters, Illustrated, With Study Guide prepared by Walter Hooper and Owen Barfield, p. 172 Spire Books, Fleming H. Revell Company, Tarrytown, New York Copyright 1976 Lord and King Associates, Inc. Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church (a work in progress)