Screwtape Picks Up Pen Again

My dear Wormwood:

I pick up pen again to remind you of the vital nature of your mission and to give you some pointers for the successful completion thereof. The local church is the key to the enemy’s plan and we must work with great fervor to cripple and weaken it.

I rejoice with you in the lower numbers attending your target. However, I must remind you what our original enemy did with a mere twelve and one of which was one of ours. Keep them focused on numbers but remember quality above quantity should be our focus.

Don’t forget the importance of communicating. Keep them talking about each other and not talking to each other. Keep their talk trivial and dishonest. The last thing we want is for them to discover the power of honest vulnerable dialog.

I don’t hear your charges begging enough to be better fed. It is vital that they consider themselves underfed. Heaven forbid they should learn that they have the ability to feed themselves, or worse each other or the greatest problem that they should learn to do instead of just learn. “I wasn’t being fed” is still the favorite song I hear the former church attenders hum.

Some of your charges are quiet contributors to the cause. This will never work. It is important that your charges believe that the smallest contribution gives them the right to complete control over what is taught and done among them. We can have no widow’s mite among them.

I notice your charges tend to dress casually and comfortably when they gather. I don’t like this. I believe in “Sunday best.” It keeps the fools focused on the exterior and serves as a barrier to new members. Perhaps you could plant the idea of a “best dressed” competition for a Sunday real soon.

I am not at all pleased with the worship time at your target. There is not enough complaining about the music or the music leader. They seemed to be more focused on the object of worship than on the methods. We can’t have that.

There is a similar problem with the preacher. He uses scripture far too much and is way too friendly toward those who are seeking. We need him to spew a lot more hell fire and brimstone and a lot less forgiveness and grace. Remember they don’t really believe in hell so hell fire causes no problem for us. Love, grace, forgiveness and redemption, those are our real enemies.

I hear that your charges are planning some cooperative efforts with other gatherings of believers. This is the strongest evidence that your mission is in danger. Each target must believe that it possesses all the truth and that other targets are merely our tools. If they ever begin to network, we are doomed.

It is obvious that you have much work to do so I will leave you to it. Be diligent, discouraging and disruptive. Some of them are doing that themselves, but not enough. Back to work

Your favorite uncle,

Screwtape