The Wormwood File: E-mail from Hell

by Jim Forest

"The Screwtape Letters for a new generation.

Genres: Religion, Christian, Humor, Fiction

115 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2004

About the author

Jim Forest is a writer, Orthodox Christian lay theologian, educator, and peace activist. As a young man, Jim served in the U.S. Navy, working with a meteorology unit at the U.S. Weather Bureau headquarters near Washington, D.C. It was during this period that he became a Catholic. After leaving the Navy, Jim joined the staff of the Catholic Worker community in Manhattan, working close with the founder, Dorothy Day, and for a time serving as managing editor of the journal she edited, The Catholic Worker.

In 1964, while working as a journalist for The Staten Island Advance, in his spare time he co-founded the Catholic Peace Fellowship, working closely with Tom Cornell. This became a full-time job for both of them in 1965, a time that coincided with deepening U.S. military engagement in Vietnam. The main focus of their work was counseling conscientious objectors.
In 1968, while Jim working as Vietnam Program Coordinator of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, Jim and thirteen others, mainly Catholic clergy, broke into nine Milwaukee draft boards, removing and burning some of the files in a nearby park while holding a prayer service. Most members of the "Milwaukee Fourteen" served thirteen months in prison for their action.
In the late sixties and mid-seventies, Jim also worked with the Fellowship of Reconciliation, first as Vietnam Program coordinator and later as editor of Fellowship magazine. From 1977 through 1988, he was Secretary General of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation, work which brought him to the Netherlands. He received the Peacemaker Award from Notre Dame University's Institute for International Peace Studies and the St. Marcellus Award from the Catholic Peace Fellowship.

In 1988, Forest was received into the Orthodox Church. Since 1989, he has been international secretary of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship as well as editor of its quarterly journal, In Communion. Jim had a long-term friendship with Thomas Merton, who dedicated a book to him, Faith and Violence. Jim also accompanied the famed Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh. He and his wife Nancy, a translator and writer, live in Alkmaar, The Netherlands.

Reviews

[Branden Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern take on "The Screwtape Letters".

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have ever read C.S. Lewis’s book Screwtape Letters, you will recognize this “sequel “, written 60 years later. The young Wormwood has now become an older advisor to young demons, like Greasebeek, and dealing especially with a more modern invention, emailing. Now it is time for a third book, using our more advanced technology of social media, streaming and smartphones. I enjoyed the book. It kept the premise of the earlier book, while giving it a bit more of an Orthodox theme. A good, light, book to read during Lent when we all face some of the same struggles in our Christian journey.

[Sofie · Rating 2 out of 5]

After seven letters, you get the point. Too bad, the introduction being so stellar. I spent a long time away from it after those first 35 pages, and coming back to it: Yes, it was finished at page 35 - finished as in I needn't read any more to grasp the gist. The soup cooked way too long (as we Danes like to put it). But I would leave you with this: The problem with the New Testament? It provides no encouragement for killing anyone.

[Lana Bradstream · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is set up to be the sequel of "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis. This guy is no C.S. Lewis. He has some moments where there might be glimmers, but few and far between.

[Daniel Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really clever update or sequel to C.S. Lewis' famous Screwtape Lettes. The premise is that the former apprentice-demon Screwtape is now mentoring his own nephew (Wormwood) in the tempting of a modern person. This is an entertaining and in some ways even more powerful look at how temptation and sin can sneak into and individual's life, and how we can become closer to God. I would recommend not only to religious people, but also to anyone who wants to read an entertaining, document-style book about hypocrisy and human flaws.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is essentially an updated version of The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. It takes the basic idea of that book and applies it to modern (21st Century) issues. While the book cannot compete with The Screwtape Letters, it is still very thought-provoking and well written. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed The Screwtape Letters... just don't walk into it with unreasonable expectations since it is NOT C.S. Lewis.

[Else · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, witty and thought provoking. Makes you think about your own temptations. CS Lewis would like this Orthodox take on The Screwtape Letters.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second time I read the book. Much in the spirit of CS Lewis's THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS. A sort of modern version of that work.