The Reading Today
• Daily Theme: Spiritual complacency, judging our neighbours, and the danger of feeling superior.• Source Material: The Screwtape Letters
My Reflection
Today’s excerpt comes from my dreaded Screwtape Letters, a book I frequently struggle with. The upside-down logic regarding the 'Enemy' (God) always trips me up, making it one of Lewis's most confusing works for me. That being said, I do find a lot of humour in it and marvel at the sheer creativity of his concept.
From my meagre understanding, Screwtape is advising Wormwood to keep his ‘patient’ in a state of spiritual complacency. The goal is to ensure the man's own faults remain entirely obscured by his harsh opinions and judgements of the people in the next pew. Personally, I have never felt that simply declaring myself a Christian elevates me above anyone else. I certainly do not believe there is some kind of ‘celestial score-sheet’ where my beliefs and actions promote me above my neighbours.
I did laugh at the vividly specific image of the man with the squeaky boots. It perfectly evokes a time when we would regularly repair our shoes—a task this particular miser is evidently too mean to pay for!
More broadly, reading this passage made me reflect on how my perception of Lewis himself has changed over the last sixty days. When I started this project, he was a literary and theological hero who could do absolutely no wrong. Now, he has become a person whom I respect greatly, but one I can confidently disagree with from time to time. I know this is a much healthier, more mature viewpoint, yet it is still filled with a quiet sadness. It is always a little bittersweet to realise that your gods have feet of clay.
Historical Footnote (20th September)
1926: Dymer is published by J. M. Dent, London, under the pseudonym of Clive Hamilton.
1942: Lewis delivers the first of nine talks on "Christian Behaviour" over the BBC. These talks are later expanded and become Book 3 of Mere Christianity.
Why This Matters
Removing people from pedestals—whether they are the people in the next pew or famous authors we admire—allows us to see them as human. Rejecting the idea of a celestial score-sheet frees us from the trap of spiritual pride and helps us focus on our own quiet growth.
My Action for Today
Today, I will celebrate reaching Day 60 of this challenge. I will take comfort in my healthier, more realistic view of my literary heroes, accepting that feet of clay make them human, not worthless.
Reader Question
Have you ever experienced that bittersweet sadness of realising a hero or role model was just an ordinary, flawed human being?
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