Pacifica Stories

In 1942, C.S. Lewis, one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century, published The Screwtape Letters. This popular satire consists of a series of thirty one letters in which Screwtape, an experienced devil, instructs his young charge, Wormwood, on effective strategies for tempting human beings to flee from God.

This past summer, the Pacifica staff read and discussed Lewis' work. During our meetings, I penned my own modern-day 2023 Screwtape Letter to promote further discussion. I offer it here.

June 25, 2023 - A Modern Screwtape Letter

My Dear Wormwood,

The industrial and technological advances that are the basis of modern life and ushered in the 20th century have advanced over the past 100 years to be our greatest weapon against the enemy. This weapon is almost unstoppable in our goal to bring our Patients closer to the darkness of our Father's kingdom. Here are some things to consider.

The current technology developed by Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and the Silicon Valley crowd has unspeakable benefits to society, easing temporal burdens, freeing up time, and advancing the standard of living and the quality of life of the world. About this, there is no doubt. You must keep our Patient focused on the positive outcomes of our technological advances. Even when he sees the negative impact, make sure that it is overridden by the positive changes he sees taking place in the temporal world; the better this world gets, the more he will ignore the eternal considerations of the next. Ensure that he uses technology to have more comfort and wealth so that he will be content with the things of this world. Never allow him to see this new technology's disastrous spiritual and even societal effects. Keep him focused on the good so that he will consume more and use more and more of the machines around him. 

Center his life around technology. Allow his phone to be the center of his life. Ensure he can get everything he needs from his phone—sex, music, food, news, movies, games, clothing, education, companionship, exercise, and even religion. Disconnect him from people, relationships, and nature. Dissociate his being. Make sure he is self-sufficient and lonely, but never make him aware that the source of his problems is glorifying these new toys. Addict him further and further to the latest upgrades and apps. Make technology his God by always showing that the positive aspects are much better than the downside.

Using technology, overwhelm him with information so that it is too much for his brain to handle. Never let him think it is too much. Just give him a low-level sense of dissatisfaction masked with an air of sophistication. Ensure he is aware of the global world and global suffering twenty-four hours a day. Ensure he knows the sound bites of the non-stop “breaking” news cycle. Never allow him to delve deeply into these issues. Have him stay on the surface and make sure he has a popular response for everything around him. Make sure he only sees things he agrees with so that we can create further factions and division in his relationships, community, city, state, and world. Division is our ally. Make sure that there is never any merit to the ideas of his opponents. Label them as extreme, bad, and evil. Never let him think they are the Enemy's creation, made in the Enemy's image. Build up judgment in his heart against them so that he may dismiss them. Make him right! Yes, instill judgment over listening. Make him prideful concerning his adversaries. Keep them fighting, divided, and separated. Make this his cause and use technology to accomplish your goals.

Use technology to feed him what he desires. Inflame his passions and feelings for material concerns. Make his desires, feelings, and passions the purpose of his life using technology as your tool. Distract, distract, and continue to distract him from the source of life and the needs of others.

Your affectionate uncle,
Screwtape

By Jim Knight, Head of School