Recently, I had a great sit-down with Matt from the Pints with Jack podcast to talk about the fifth Letter of The Screwtape Letters. I love doing this show–not just because I get to talk about great books, but because the hosts have managed to produce a truly high-quality podcast. In a rushed age, Pints with Jack is part of an emerging digital community of deep readers, resisting cultural haste and investing itself in luxuriously slow reading. All Autumn, these guys are taking an hour or two to review a chapter Screwtape–one of my favourite books, and one of the more sublime and profound brief texts of the 20th century. You can check Pints with Jack out on their website or on podcast apps everywhere, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

I was given a chance to pick a Screwtape letter to spend time with Matt in deep conversation, and I chose the fifth letter, the one on war. It is a great example of Lewis’ upside-down way of thinking about things. I continue to be amazed at how relevant The Screwtape Letters is during the pandemic, which I admit in the podcast surprised me–not for what happened in the outside world, but for what happened inside of me. I was deeply appreciative of this discussion, which was both cleansing and, I hope, informative for others.

Below is the Youtube audio of the Session, but you can find more ways of connecting here.

And see my previous episode on the “Cosmic Preface” to The Screwtape Letters: