C. S. Lewis, a devout Christian, was credited for bringing religious ideas to an audience of intellectual skeptics. An excerpt from Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters" conveys the best ways to how the devil can corrupt humans on earth. He conveys the best ways that a devil can corrupt humans on earth, through rhetorical strategies. Such as: The Pathos. Through these rhetorical devices, he is able to showcase how the devil corrupts, which could act as a warning for non-Christians who are not wary.
Lewis illustrates the power of group prayer in The Screwtape Letters Lewis very creatively writes letters from Uncle Screwtape (the head demon) to Wormwood, who is another demon living in a new believer on earth. Uncle Screwtape gives Wormwood advice on how to turn the man away from God so he advises against things that would bring man and God closer and endorses activities and thought that drives man and God further apart. In this letter Screwtape says “the best thing, where it is possible, is to keep the patient from the serious intention of praying altogether” (The Screwtape Letters 24). Screwtape recognizes the power and goodness of group prayer as a moral activity, because the people are doing it to worship God, not themselves or the devil.
In the Screwtape Letters, C.S. Louis created an indirect dialogue between Screwtape; a senior devil, and his protégé nephew; Wormwood. The text is a collection of letters, composed by Screwtape, addressed to Wormwood, which commentate on Wormwood’s efforts to seduce a human. The Screwtape Letters served as the principal inspiration for Concrete Wafers. Louis’ influence is instantly apparent, as the text is narrated by the ‘observer;’ an agent clearly reminiscent of Screwtape, in powers and motive alike.
Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters explores the struggles of temptations that mankind goes through before and after they become Christians. By taking advantage of vanity, pride, and pleasures, Wormwood attempts to lure the patient into Satan’s camp with the guidance of Screwtape. The Law of Undulation is where a person goes through a series of troughs and peaks and is presented with the options of growing closer to God or falling into temptation. During and after World War II, people began questioning religion and the role it played in their lives. This was a great valley in which many were presented with conflicting views.
"One road leads home, and a thousand roads lead into the wilderness" (Lewis). Lewis saw this truism in action during his travels to RAF bases during World War II. He would speak, but more importantly, listen to the young soldiers and their chaplains. It is during these visits that many speculate he developed a clear understanding of the slippery spiritual battles invading the average person. Here, at the end of The Screwtape Letters, Lewis is now flipping the narrative.
In the most recent couple of weeks of Adams' organization, before President Thomas Jefferson took office, Congress approved the arrangement of 42 judges of the peace in the District of Columbia and Alexandria, Virginia. President Adams made arrangements to these positions, and the Senate affirmed them on March 3, the day preceding Jefferson took office. The formal letters reporting the arrangements were to be conveyed by the Secretary of State's Office. Notwithstanding, not the greater part of the commissions were conveyed by the due date that night. William Marbury was one of those judges of the peace delegated by Adams who neglected to get his arrangement letter (bonus) on time.
“We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in, He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. "-ScrewTape. In this quote, God, who Lewis names the The Enemy is characterized as a selfless, giving father.
In Jonathan Edwards's Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Edwards, through his heavy use of similes and metaphors, thoroughly conveys to the audience that humanity's faith ultimately lies in the hands of an omnipotent, all-encompassing being. Written in this sermon is, "Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead...", and Edwards's intentions towards writing such a substantial line is most likely to emanate human wickedness, distinctly clarifying that the weight of our innate evilness is as heavy as lead is, thus concluding that it is outside of our nature to be able to support this great weight. This is why our wickedness must be carried by a being outside of us that is capable of bearing all of humanity's wickedness. Building onto
Told in the famous C.S. Lewis The Screwtape letter, a well-known demon informs his nephew, Wormwood, of a struggle that the Christians face still today. A well lesson to all Christians, Screwtape advises Wormwood to go and let the patient talk like a parrot without discipline when in prayer. As explained by Screwtape, “When the patient is an adult recently reconverted to the Enemy’s party, like your man, this is best done by encouraging him to remember, or to think he remembers, the parrot-like nature of his prayers in childhood.”
“I have learned that the Father relentlessly works to reshape his blood-brought children into the likeness of his son...our task, however, is not merely to endure suffering, but to embrace it, find God on it and draw closer to him through it. Simply put, ‘There is no remedy for this darkness but to sink in it.” A quote from Bruce Demarest, found in his book Seasons of the Soul, discusses the three stages of spiritual development, orientation, disorientation, and reorientation. Disorientation is the stage where trials and sufferings are faced, but most importantly, a stage where we use our pains and sufferings to help us grow. Murray Decker explains disorientation as a stage of “lostness and dryness.”
Chapter 4: Prayer against Evil Manipulation Prayer against evil manipulation empowers Christians to resist deceptive tactics and break free from unhealthy spiritual influences. By seeking God's protection and discernment, believers can overcome fear and anxiety caused by manipulative forces. Through faith-filled prayers, they claim God's promises, living victoriously and sharing His love with others. Recognizing Manipulative Tactics in Christianity
However, the Christian must not lose hope or focus of the mission before them. George Eldon Ladd emphasizes that Satan has been defeated and reminds the believer “God has not abandoned This Age.” This is a hostile existence filled with
The Bible says in James 2:19, “Thou believest there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” Clive Staples Lewis, the author of The Screwtape Letters, “viewed human beings as being on the road of life progressing toward a state of heaven or hell” (Christensen 27). “Each moral choice [an individual makes] furthers [the individual] along the road and slowly changes [the individual] into a more heavenly of hellish creature” (qtd. in Christensen 27).
This pathos appeal helps Edwards persuade the unconverted because they would not want to be left behind. He also illuminates that “God has so many different unsearchable ways of taking wicked men out of the world and sending them to hell” (Edwards 41). Edwards discusses the interminably amount of diverse means that God could damn the unconverted to try getting the argument across that they will not comprehend death approaching and it could be at any moment. Another use of pathos in “Sinners” is when Edwards describes to the unconverted that “the wrath of God burns against them, their damnation does not slumber” (Edwards 41).
It is the first obstacle in Christian's journey. This swamp is like a test for the amateur pilgrims. If they are carrying a burden of sin and guilt, this miry slough will try to suck down those who lacked courage or gave up the search for salvation as they approach the Savior. Christian's friend, Pliable, is fickle and easily influenced. His desertion in the Slough of Despond was an evidence of this.
