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Copywork
About This Passage
Here Screwtape lays out his first reason plainly, and copying it shows how a careful writer builds a contrast. A real parish is a 'unity of place' — it gathers whoever happens to live nearby, and so throws together 'people of different classes.' The opposite, the 'congregational principle,' lets people pick their own kind, until a church hardens into 'a coterie or faction.' Notice how Lewis sets one idea directly against another so the reader can feel the difference between unity given to you and a club you choose.
In the first place the parochial organisation should always be attacked, because, being a unity of place and not of likings, it brings people of different classes and psychology together in the kind o...
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Discussion Questions
Narration Prompt
In your own words, tell the story of Screwtape's sixteenth letter to Wormwood. Why is he upset that the man stays faithful to one parish church, and what two things does he want for the man instead?
Discussion Questions
- Screwtape wants the man to keep searching for a church that 'suits' him until he becomes a 'connoisseur of churches,' while the Enemy wants him to stay in one parish as a 'pupil.' What could be appealing about searching for the church that fits you best, and why does Screwtape want it so much? Use Screwtape's words to Wormwood to defend your reading.
- The Enemy wants the layman to come to church in 'humble receptivity,' while Screwtape wants him appraising everything as a 'critic.' What might be attractive about judging each church and sermon as a critic, and why might the humble listener actually receive more? Use Screwtape's words to Wormwood to develop your answer.
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Vocabulary Builder
Item 1
Faithfulness; staying loyal and committed to something.
Item 2
Having to do with a local parish, a church gathered by neighborhood.
Item 3
Worries of conscience about whether something is right.
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Critical Thinking
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