Summary

If we looked at the people we choose to surround ourselves with, what would it say about us? How do we allow our relationships to shape our minds, our beliefs, even our sense of humour? In Letter 10, Screwtape is determined to lure the patient into a false sense of "security," believing that he is both worldly and pious, spiritually deep and practically experienced, all the while being two different versions of himself: the "fun guy" who hangs out with his non-believing friends on a Friday night and the "righteous man" who kneels in prayer next to the local grocer on Sunday morning. Pride blinds him to his own hypocrisy.

This letter might seem like it's telling you who not to be friends with, but it's really about something much deeper than that: it's about examining our motivations behind WHY we choose to surround ourselves with certain people and HOW we choose to be human in the midst of their company.

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Mentions in this episode

Bible references: "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10:5 Matthew 28:1-8Psalm 28 Get weekly newsletters from Christina's OTHER Substack, The Battle Cry here. Read my article on idolatry, Taylor Swift and Our Inky Black Mire, here. Listen to the Magic Like This episode about "jargon" here. (There are links on the Substack post to listen on your preferred platform). Support your local book store by buying a copy of The Screwtape Letters!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Housekeeping

07:01 Exploring the Screwtape Letters

15:13 Understanding Relationships and Spiritual Impact

29:24 Navigating Intellectualism and Friendships

39:08 Navigating Faith and Friendship

42:02 The Dangers of Inauthentic Relationships

Extended Book Club Version

01:02:27 The Call to Wholeness in Faith