C. S. Lewis came across some correspondence in his day, and published them as The Screwtape Letters. It seems that old Screwtape is writing again, to another nephew. Ron Clayton came across this and felt he should share it while he had the chance. 

My Dear, Dear Nephew Bitterroot,

I once advised your cousin Wormwood that it is a good idea to try and get Christians off onto tangents. I cannot believe the wonderful job you have done with Rick Santorum. He has taken the compassion the Enemy taught and made it of no account, making literalism and pet causes the real issues. Be sure to get him to sound more and more strident and militant and extreme in his statements about those issues. 

Your strategy is so brilliant! I likely would not have done better myself! Your counterparts assigned to Gingrich and Romney have even been picking up your lead, causing more division in the ranks of the Republicans as each candidate has to keep pace with the other. Don’t worry about the moderate Republicans who see through your strategy; the confusion and chaos your plan is causing is doing its job just fine. 

And, of course, NEVER discourage division within the ranks of the Enemy! If Mr. Santorum want to divide ranks by declaring half or more of the Enemy’s forces are not TRUE followers, then all the better! That means less communication between various parts of the Enemy’s forces and thus less coordination of the Enemy’s forces.

And saying that we are at war with America! Fabulous! No, no, don’t discourage that. Yes, of COURSE we are at war with America! We are at war with everyone! But Mr. Santorum lives in a time when there is a great deal of skepticism and it just makes the Enemy’s cause look all the more ridiculous and ludicrous.

Your Admiring Uncle,

Screwtape


(Names, contexts, etc. used from C. S. Lewis' original writings are borrowed, and belong to the owner of the Copyright.)

*** Thank you to Ron Clayton who blogs at WyrdWanderers for this piece which completely honors and echoes C.S. Lewis' origional work The Screwtape Letters. Ron is currently a magician by trade and has formerly served as a minister - as he says that was, "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away!" Since leaving the parish ministry, he has worked for various not-for profit agencies, including a couple of homeless shelters and an emergency preparedness agency. He has been doing intergenerational and especially children's magic for the last couple of years has begun focusing particularly on libaries and preschools. Ron also does birthday parties and magic lessons upon request. Learn more at http://magicandmalarky.wordpress.com/.