Religion & Spirituality · Book club
The Screwtape Letters book club questions
Here are 12 book club questions for The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. Copy them, print them, or bring them up one at a time.
The 12 questions
- 1.
Screwtape describes small irritations and daily distractions as more useful than dramatic sin. Where in your own life do you see this pattern at work?
- 2.
Lewis argues that spiritual pride — believing oneself humble — is one of the most difficult faults to see. Can you identify a version of this in yourself or in people you know?
- 3.
The book suggests that keeping people focused on the past and the future is a strategy against virtue. What would it mean to live more attentively in the present, and how hard is that in practice?
- 4.
Screwtape counsels steering the patient toward friends who share his vices. Think about your own social environment — what behaviors does it quietly normalize?
- 5.
The 'historical point of view' — analyzing beliefs rather than evaluating their truth — is described as a modern temptation. Where do you notice this in how ideas are discussed today?
- 6.
Lewis was writing in 1942 during the Blitz. Do the letters read differently knowing the historical context? Does that context change what the book is actually about?
- 7.
If you were to write a similar letter from a tempter's perspective aimed at your own weaknesses, what strategies would be most effective?
- 8.
The demons celebrate when humans confuse entertainment with genuine rest and genuine affection with sentiment. What's the difference, in practice?
- 9.
Screwtape is repelled by authentic human love and pleasure. Does Lewis's framework make goodness seem attractive to you, or does the satire make it feel brittle?
- 10.
How does the book's explicitly Christian frame affect its usefulness to a non-Christian reader? What translates, and what doesn't?
- 11.
Lewis uses the device of an unreliable narrator — Screwtape doesn't understand what he's describing. How does that affect how you read the moral argument?
- 12.
The book argues that the goal of temptation is not sin but the gradual extinction of genuine personhood. How does that idea compare to secular accounts of moral failure?
How to run the discussion
- Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
- Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
- Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
- Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.
Themes worth steering toward
If the conversation stalls, these are the threads that usually restart it.
Common questions
What are good book club questions for The Screwtape Letters?
Here are 12 book club questions for The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, ordered to open easily and end somewhere worth arguing about. The strongest openers ask what each reader noticed rather than what they concluded, and the discussion usually turns on temptation, spiritual warfare, human nature.
How long should a book club discussion of The Screwtape Letters last?
Most groups run 60 to 90 minutes of actual discussion. That is roughly six to eight questions, not all of them, so pick the ones that suit your group rather than working down the list in order.
What are the main themes in The Screwtape Letters?
Temptation, Spiritual warfare, Human nature, Moral psychology, Faith. Those are the threads most likely to divide a room, which makes them the useful places to steer a discussion that has gone quiet.
Picking the next one? See books like The Screwtape Letters or questions for other book club picks.
