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- Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 22:09:43 EST
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- From: JEK@NIHCU.BITNET
- Subject: Re: CS LEWIS - SCREWTAPE REVIEW
- Lines: 29
-
- Ian Williams writes:
-
- > Today I started and finished 'The Screwtape Letters' by CS
- > LEWIS.... It deals with letters from a senior demon to a junior
- > demon giving advice on how better to tempt the junior demon's
- > "patient".
- >
- > My major problem with the book is the huge Arminianism
- > undercurrent in the theology. The demons themselves did not
- > know for sure the salvation state of the person in question. No
- > born again experience of any sort was noted, just that the
- > person had become a christian. Never throughout the whole book
- > was any indication of any eternal security noted (and I do not
- > think to put it down to author's license).
-
- Ian, you object that the demons tempting humans in THE SCREWTAPE
- LETTERS do not know whether a human they are tempting is one of
- the elect. But suppose they did. Would they not spare themselves
- the trouble of tempting anyone they knew was saved? And would they
- not spare themselves the trouble of tempting anyone they knew
- was damned? Given your premises, namely
- (1) eternal security, plus
- (2) knowledge by the demons of who is secure and who is not,
- it seems to follow that demons will never tempt anyone at all.
- Of course, many Christians who believe (1) will reject (2). I have
- seen arguments for (1). Do you have any for (2)?
-
- Yours,
- James Kiefer
-