We recently saw a performance of “The Screwtape Letters,” a story by C.S. Lewis which was made into a 90-minute play.

It was extraordinary. I would recommend reading the book, although I will warn you, most folks find it necessary to re-read parts.  Sometimes, the language of the overly sharp Lewis can be tough to understand and digest, and if you don’t feel that way, you are far, far smarter than this columnist.

For those of you who have never heard of “The Screwtape Letters,” it is the story of a senior demon who writes letters to his nephew – a junior demon – to give advice on how to assure the damnation of a British man referred to as “the patient.” After reading the book twice and seeing the play, I find the content more and more haunting.  

The story shows how we, as humans, are tempted in very subtle, sneaky ways and are often lured into things we don’t see coming.  

It’s a brilliant piece of literature, which I plan to read again, and I highly recommend it.

But I warn you, it may lead to a conviction and a spiritual journey you didn’t prepare for.  

I am a huge fan of Lewis, who was raised as a Christian, became an atheist, and then, with the guidance of a circle of friends who included JRR Tolkein, set out on a spiritual journey to figure out the whole existence of God.

When one reads the works of Lewis, it is evident he is not only devout, but also a deep thinker, intellectual, and extensive researcher. At first, he pushed hard against the existence of God, yet also knew he would eventually discover something if he kept searching. 

“You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling… the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet,” he once said of his time at the University of Oxford.  

This is how God works.  He promises to reveal Himself to anyone who seeks Him. Yet, he also pursues folks – often those who run from Him.

I could continue writing about Lewis until I filled up the rest of this page and then some, but I thought I’d treat you to some of his profound quotes during this Easter season. These quotes, from the various writings of Lewis, have so much to say about this season.  

In his book Miracles, published after World War II, there is quite a bit of talk about how we cannot grasp the concept of miracles because we have to make up our minds if miracles can occur logically. On the subject of Christ rising from the dead, Lewis says “New Testament writers speak as if Christ’s achievement in rising from the dead was the first event of its kind in the whole history of the universe. He is the ‘first fruits,’ the ‘pioneer of life,’ He has forced open a door that has been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought, and beaten the King of Death.  Everything is different because He has done so.”

I heard once that it is easier to prove Jesus really did rise from the dead than it is to disprove it. There were over 500 witnesses to the Resurrection, with several of those folks being listed in the writings of Paul. So, it would seem that the miracle of rising from the dead is quite possible and real, and those of us who are on spiritual journeys have to decide and grasp the truth. It is quite evident that Lewis himself tried many ways to refute it; at least it seems that way to me.  Most of his writings say things like “we have to decide” and “the logical answer is.” 

One can only surmise that, at one time in his life, he tried his darnedest to use his knowledge and research to go against Christianity.  

The witnesses to the Resurrection also touched Jesus, which some people have wondered about.  I’ve heard arguments about Jesus just being a spirit, but there is also so much evidence to prove He indeed rose physically.

Lewis said, “If the truth is that, after death there comes a negatively spiritual life, an eternity of mystical experience, what more misleading way of communicating it could possibly be sound than the appearance of a human form which eats broiled fish?”  This, of course, refers to the account in the Book of Luke when Jesus ate fish and honeycomb to prove he was a living, breathing person.

Imagine, as a disciple, trying to take this all in.

As I said before, I could write about Lewis and talk about him all day, but I think I would like to close by sharing my favorite quote from Lewis’ collection of previously unpublished writings from the book God in the Dock, compiled and published after his death.   

To me, it speaks volumes to those of us, again, on journeys.  

“What are we to make of Christ? There is no question of what we can make of Him, it is entirely a question of what He intends to make of us. You must accept or reject the story.”