During World War II, C.S. Lewis wrote The Screwtape Letters, a series of letters from Screwtape, an assistant to “Our Father Below” (Satan), written to his nephew Wormwood, an inexperienced demon. In his letters, Screwtape advises Wormwood on how he can lure his “Patient” (an English man) away from “the Enemy” (God).
There is much in these letters to reflect upon in our own lives, including what we should love and the causes that motivate us.
In Letter VI, Screwtape wonders who the Patient can show benevolence or malice toward. Screwtape surmises that the Patient has both benevolence and malice within him, so “the great thing is to direct his malice towards his immediate neighbors whom he meets every day and to thrust his benevolence out to the remote circumference, to people he does not know. There is no good at all in inflaming his hatred of Germans if, at the same time, a pernicious habit is growing up between him and his mother, his employer, and the man he meets on the train.”
Screwtape would rather see the Patient’s love cast off to people he does not know and his malice pit against those he interacts with regularly. Then love becomes largely imaginary and malice real in his day-to-day interactions.
In Letter VII, Screwtape contemplates if the Patient should be persuaded toward pacifism or patriotism, concluding that the Patient should be led toward an extreme view of either. Similarly, in Letter XXIII, Screwtape encourages Wormwood to coerce his Patient into seeing Christianity as only a means to achieve a cause. This could be the cause of personal advancement, social justice or anything that takes focus away from Jesus.
Screwtape, arguing the cause of Satan, wants us to care more about our partisanism than our Christianity. He wants us to believe that partisan causes are more noble and important than the cause of Christ. That our Christianity be important to us only as far as it can support our partisan causes. That we care more about meetings, policies, movements and causes than prayer, fellowship, evangelism and discipleship.
So, I wonder, who do I love? Where is my benevolence directed? Only toward those that are far away and on the circumference of my life or toward those that I meet and interact with on a day-to-day basis? What partisan causes have I become passionate about, maybe even to the point that Christianity has become only a means to achieve that cause?
Jesus speaks to these questions when he’s asked about the greatest commandment. Jesus responds, quoting from the Old Testament, “‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).
Now, compare this to Screwtape’s instruction. His goal is for the Patient to love people far off from himself that he will likely never interact with and to love causes or movements that can be justified by Christianity.
Let’s not listen to Screwtape’s lie that the people around us are not worth loving or that some cause is more important than following Christ. But rather, may we be anchored in Christ, knowledgeable of the Scriptures and led by the Spirit in each moment.
Cody Meyer is associate pastor of youth and discipleship at Ebenfeld MB Church, Hillsboro, Kansas. He is a 2024 graduate of Tabor College with a major in Adaptive Ministry Leadership and a minor in Communications. Cody credits his time at Tabor and his experience serving at Ebenfeld while in college and at Camp War Eagle, a children’s summer camp, as milestones in his call to ministry.
