Letter 2 of the Screwtape Letters......

In Letter 2, we learn that the patient has become a Christian. No need to worry says, Screwtape. The church itself can be used against him. Not the "Church" as it stands over time as an united body of Christians, but the patient's church itself. How can this be? The devil uses the image we have in our minds of the Holy church. The gothic style building filled with pious scholars. This image of course does not measure up to the true church we attend with the farmer sitting next to us in his not so Sunday best. The people inside the church are the same as the people outside the church, ordinary. How could they be seen then as holy? asks Screwtape.

Here are some discussion questions the discussion director in the group might ask:
How does the patient see Christianity at this point? He sees it as heavenly images.
How would Screwtape like him to see Christianity? As ordinary people, nothing special or miraculous.
What is the patient's worship like? Surface level, parrot type prayers with a bit of arrogance after his conversion sprinkled in.
What is Lewis warning us about? Looking at the church as a group of annoying, ordinary people which we are above.

Connector: How does Screwtape's plan to keep church ordinary tie in with yesterday's plan to barage him with jargon? Multiple images will confuse his belief or at least make it less holy.
How can we prevent this from happening in our lives?
How can we become more aware of the presence and beauty of God around us?
How does what we think about our fellow church members effect our spiritual lives?

Literary Luminary: The quote I chose, which summarizes the letter is this: "He has not been anything like long enough with the enemy (God) to have any real humility yet. What he says, even on his knees, about his own sinfulness is all parrot talk. At the bottom, he still believes he has run up a very favorable credit-balance in the enemy's ledger by allowing himself to be converted, and thinks that he is showing great humility and condescension in going to church with these "smug" commonplace neighbors at all. Keep him in that state of mind as long as you can." (Lewis, p 8-9)

I'm sure this isn't happening in our pews today....cough, cough.