Magic Like This – A C.S. Lewis Book Club Podcast

What happens when we start to see church tradition through a lens of “us vs. them”? What are we missing by assuming that our style of worship or prayer is more holy than someone else’s? Joining me to discuss Screwtape’s 25th letter is Victoria Bøe, a Speaker for the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics . She candidly shares her testimony of growing in humility and openness as she discovered lit...

What happens when new Christians start to judge the people who just “don’t get” their faith? Is it all too easy to get a bit “up ourselves” when we find camaraderie in our new Christian circles? How do we starve the pride that Screwtape hopes will cut us off from our non-Christian friends? For letter 24, I’m joined by two guests who have different perspectives on how they related and loved on thei...

“That’s not my Jesus.” It’s a sentiment we see all the time on social media — maybe we’ve even used it ourselves — when people cherry pick parts of Scripture to create a version of Christ that suits their world view. Uncomfortably prophetic to this cultural moment, Screwtape’s 23rd Letter shows us that this phenomenon is not new. It was happening in Lewis’ day through what he defines as the “histo...

What if we could make Screwtape so angry with our faith that he spontaneously combusts into a centipede? Well, the patient is in love, and his beloved is so on fire for Jesus that it sends Screwtape into a rage that actually transforms him into the vermin that he is. To discuss Letter 22, I'm joined by Sara Parsons, a church youth leader in Oxford who did her Master's degree on C.S. Lewis and the...

This Screwtape letter was a real kick in the pants for me. Because y’all, I really struggle to relinquish control of my own time. But Screwtape reminds us that even the idea that our time is our own is an illusion. Why does this feel like such an assault? Why is it so hard to just release my sense of control? Paula Bostock is a missionary from Brazil who moved to the UK for what she thought would...

Listening to this episode around children is not advised. Letter 20 of Screwtape takes an even deeper look at the mechanics of spiritual warfare in terms sexuality — specifically in the context of society’s portrayal of beauty. There are SO many avenues that I could have explored in this chapter, and as someone who grew up in purity culture, I initially bristled at the idea of discussing the topic...

No matter how much we try, it seems like Christians never quite know how to “deal” with the topic of sex. Not just in the creation story but in the grander story of humanity. We are hounded by noise: porn on one side and purity culture on the other. Fear. Pride. Lust. It all muddles our understanding of God’s design, and Screwtape couldn’t be more pleased. But Anna Shuman invites us to look at the...

I met Anna Shuman at the Edinburgh Writing Retreat with Kristen LaValley this past April, and she was immediately one of those people who made me go “Can I be your friend?” She has a Doctorate in Global Leadership and a Master’s in Biblical Literature, but this impressive resumé isn’t why I asked her to join me for letters 18 & 19 of Screwtape. As we really start to “go there” by plumbing the dept...

As we cover Screwtape Chapter 17, author and current seminary student, Jonathon M. Seidl joins me for a deep dive into disordered relationships with consumption, from food and drink to digital content to lust to work (and everything else in between). Jon beautifully distills the tactics of Screwtape into one simple statement: “Misordered is disordered.” Yeah yeah, we know that “misordered” is not...

In this special free, extended episode of Magic Like This , I’m joined by my friend, Lauren, who is a devout Catholic and clergy wife with a history growing up in the Evangelical church. As Screwtape encourages Wormwood to entice the Patient into “church shopping,” (i.e. a dissatisfaction with any one church community), Lauren and I look at what it really means to love the Bride of Christ in light...

Have you ever felt like your Christian faith is always chasing the rainbow’s end? Like the promise of eternity feels too distant and far away to matter right now? What if I told you that this chapter of The Screwtape Letters might single-handedly change your relationship with eternity and by extension, God Himself? That’s not an exaggeration. Current Oxford theology student, Blair Milo, joins me f...

Oh dear. The Patient is becoming humble. Not artificially humble – no, but truly humble in a way that has Screwtape quaking in his boots. But ahh… for the counterattack. How can Satan sideswipe the rest and ease of true humility in exchange for something… manufactured and exhausting? In this episode, we dive deep into the mechanics of humility, and you might find that the invitation to be truly hu...

In Letter 13, Screwtape admonishes Wormwood for a fatal mistake: he allowed the Patient to enjoy a book and go on a lovely country walk, all on his own, for no other reason than to experience pleasure . Once again, Lewis beautifully explores not only the ways in which Satan tries to tempt us but the ways in which we can fight back against him. And one of the most beautiful, underrated ways to exer...

This episode looks a little different from our usual Magic Like This content, and I realise that many of you have actually just discovered Magic Like This through the essay which I’m about to share (if so, hi and welcome! I encourage you to go back and start listening to our deep dive of the Screwtape Letters ). But for those who have been here a while and don’t follow me over on The Battle Cry, h...

Screwtape’s 12th Letter feels like the most hard-hitting yet as he reminds Wormwood that the road to Hell, rather than overt and swift, is often a gradual one. Because Hell is not Satan’s first objective; his first objective is simply to move us further from God’s presence, and what better way to do that but subtly, right under our noses? If you haven’t yet, I’d urge you to grab your copy of Screw...

The relationship between sex and humour was Screwtape’s particular focus in this letter, and while I personally have no prudish resistance to a “That’s what she said” joke, I did consider the YouTube documentary I’d just watched a few days ago: laughter was used as a buffer to minimise the reality of what was taking place here – namely, that society will happily exchange the beauty of sex for a ch...

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 differe...

Back in November, I stumbled upon a bit of Screwtape Fan-Fiction that was honestly some of the most compelling takes on Lewis' writing that I've ever read. Dominick Baruffi , in his Substack essay Screwtape Endorses a Candidate , plumbs the depths of spiritual war tactics that creep every 4 years during the U.S. election cycle (and honestly, let's be real: these issues don't go away once a candida...

It felt like the right time to share my story with you. Happy Easter, friends. Join the Magic Like This Book Club: https://magiclikethis.substack.com/subscribe Read my essays and join my Celtic Prayer Writing Workshops at The Battle Cry : https://christinalynnwallace.substack.com Battling imposter syndrome? Purchase my 7-day journalling devotional for aspiring Christian writers: https://www.christ...

Screwtape's 9th letter is a hot take on all the crappy ways that we choose to cope with seasons of depression and dryness. Buckle up for Christina's spicy opinions on purity culture, pleasure, and the more fleshy delights of life (spoiler alert: this episode isn't REALLY about any of those things). Also, she gets a little dramatic, but it wouldn't be a podcast hosted by an Enneagram 4 if she didn'...

Aaaand we're back! Diving straight in to Letter 8 (my favourite letter in the book). This letter covers so much: the Law of Undulation (i.e. the peaks and valleys of our faith), suffering, submission, freedom, and I maaaay also segue into a full break down of the gospel (sorry not sorry). Books mentioned in this episode (apart from The Screwtape Letters , obviously): God on Mute by Pete Greig (a f...

Dusty and I continue our conversation, looking at how to parent our children (and re-parent ourselves) in the context of disagreements/extremism and loving others well. This is the last episode of the year, and I look forward to joining you again as we resume our deep dive into the Screwtape Letters in the New Year! Join the Magic Like This Book Club: https://magiclikethis.substack.com/subscribe R...

Christmas is such a magical time for us as children, but then adulthood hits, and we often lose the magic of the Christmas season (along with the magic in almost everything else – thank you adulting, ha!). But Jesus invites us, literally, to have faith like a child. So as we enter approach Christmas (a season that often carries as much pain as it does joy), I'm joined by mum of three, Dusty Hegge...

Religion and politics: people's two favourite discussion topics at the Christmas dinner table, right? LOLZ. As we look at the 7th Screwtape Letter, we dive into the topic of political extremism and how its toxicity corrupts even (maybe especially) the Church, as these savvy demons remind us: "All extremes, except extreme devotion to the Enemy, are to be encouraged." Join the Magic Like This Book C...

As Wormwood's patient prepares for the possibility of going to war, Screwtape narrows in on one of the best tools at their disposal: fear. In short, Screwtape thinks that the more we focus on WHAT we're afraid of, the more we forget that God wants to help us with the fear ITSELF. So how can we fight back? How should we pray when we're afraid? Turning this letter on its head might give us a few ide...