The Malgrave Letters about Parenting: Letters from a Senior Tempter to His Apprentice on the Art of Corrupting Fathers and Mothers

“My Dear Beleth…” — so begins the first of sixty letters from Malgrave, a senior tempter, to his junior apprentice, instructing him in the quiet, unspectacular work of corrupting a Christian household. In The Malgrave Letters About Parenting, Dr. Alfred Basta revives the inverted-villain device of C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters and turns it toward one of the most consequential arenas of the Christian life: how fathers and mothers raise their children.

Writing from what he calls “the long descent,” Malgrave coaches Beleth letter by letter — thirty addressed to the father’s temptations, thirty to the mother’s — through the ordinary compromises that reshape a family from the inside: the screen that substitutes for presence, the anxiety mistaken for love, the career that becomes an identity, the control that masquerades as protection, the anger that goes unconfessed, and the faith that performs without transforming. Each letter is anchored in Scripture that Malgrave would rather his charges never read closely.

The correspondence never names the father, the mother, or their children; instead it builds a composite portrait of a Christian home under quiet siege, recognizable to any parent who has felt the gap between the faith they profess and the life they model. In its final letters, Malgrave turns to the deepest layer of his strategy: that fatherhood and motherhood are meant to be windows into the character of God Himself, and that every small corruption of either is an attempt to distort that reflection.

A closing “Note on the Letters” reorients the reader from Malgrave’s voice to the book’s own — an invitation to recognize the patterns exposed in the correspondence and bring them, in prayer, to the God the letters call “the Throne.” Written for Christian parents wrestling with distraction, anxiety, ambition, and grace, The Malgrave Letters About Parenting is a convicting, theologically grounded work of Christian fiction about the parents children actually have — and the parents grace can still make of them.

What is The Malgrave Letters About Parenting about?
It is a work of Christian fiction by Dr. Alfred Basta made up of sixty letters from a senior tempter, Malgrave, to his junior apprentice, Beleth, instructing him on how to corrupt a Christian father and mother through the ordinary pressures of modern parenting — distraction, anxiety, overwork, control, anger, and performative faith — and, in doing so, distort their children’s understanding of God.

Who are Malgrave and Beleth?
Malgrave and Beleth are fictional tempters created by Basta for this book. Malgrave is the senior figure, writing sixty letters of instruction to Beleth, a junior tempter assigned to corrupt one Christian household’s father and mother.

Is The Malgrave Letters About Parenting based on The Screwtape Letters?
It follows the same epistolary, inverted-villain literary tradition established by C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters, applying that device specifically to modern Christian parenting. Malgrave, Beleth, and the household they target are Basta’s own original creations, distinct from Lewis’s characters.

Are the father, mother, and children in the book based on real people?
No. The manuscript states that any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The father, mother, and children addressed across the sixty letters form a composite, fictional household rather than depictions of specific real individuals.

How is the book structured?
The book contains sixty letters, numbered I through LX, alternating between letters addressed to the father’s temptations and letters addressed to the mother’s — thirty of each. It closes with “A Note on the Letters” and a Scripture Index cross-referencing the Bible passages cited throughout the correspondence.

What does “the Throne” mean in the book?
“The Throne” is Malgrave and Beleth’s dismissive term for God, used consistently throughout their correspondence. The device lets the book present serious theological claims about God’s character through the voice of a narrator who resents them.

What temptations does the book explore in fathers?
Across the father-focused letters, Malgrave coaches Beleth toward exploiting screen distraction, long work hours and the “provider trap,” unresolved anger, the emotionally absent “buddy dad” who avoids exercising authority, and a legalistic, tyrannical form of “headship” that weaponizes Scripture.

What temptations does the book explore in mothers?
Across the mother-focused letters, Malgrave coaches Beleth toward exploiting anxiety, overprotective control, a “martyrdom complex” built on quiet scorekeeping, and competitive comparison with other parents and families.

Is the book meant to criticize real parents, or is it fiction?
It is a work of fiction. The Preface explicitly warns against two opposite misreadings: assuming the letters describe someone else’s family, or assuming they describe only one’s own. The book uses fictional correspondence to help any parent recognize familiar patterns, not to describe or judge specific real people.

What role does Scripture play in the book?
Each letter is anchored to specific Bible passages, which Malgrave typically references with contempt as evidence of what he is trying to keep his charges from embracing. A Scripture Index at the end of the manuscript cross-references the verses cited in each letter, tying the fictional correspondence to specific biblical texts on fatherhood, motherhood, anxiety, anger, and grace.

What is the book’s closing message?
The closing “Note on the Letters” shifts from Malgrave’s voice to the author’s own, explaining that God’s design for parenthood is a vocation to be lived rather than a set of techniques to master. It invites readers to bring the discomfort the letters produce to God in prayer rather than treating the book as a manual for self-correction.

Who is Dr. Alfred Basta?
Dr. Alfred Basta is a professor of Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Technology, and Mathematics with a Ph.D. in Cryptography and a master’s degree in Computer Science. He has authored or co-authored more than a dozen academic textbooks and technical guides alongside his Christian writing.

Who is the book for?
The book is positioned for Christian parents, readers of Christian and allegorical fiction, fans of The Screwtape Letters, and anyone interested in spiritual formation and modern parenting from a Christian perspective.

Does the book give direct parenting advice?
Not in the form of a how-to list. Because the letters are narrated by a tempter coaching his apprentice toward corruption, the reader is meant to identify the counsel by inverting Malgrave’s advice; the closing “Note on the Letters” then states the book’s intent directly and points the reader toward prayer and grace rather than technique.

What is The Malgrave Letters about Parenting about?

The Malgrave Letters about Parenting is a set of sixty letters from Malgrave, a senior tempter, to Beleth, his junior apprentice, on how to corrupt one Christian household through the ordinary pressures of raising children. Thirty letters address the father (screen distraction, long hours and the provider trap, unresolved anger, the absent buddy dad, and a legalistic headship that uses Scripture as a weapon) and thirty address the mother (anxiety, overprotective control, a martyrdom complex built on quiet scorekeeping, and comparison with other parents). Each letter is anchored in Scripture, which Malgrave cites with contempt, and his final letters argue that parenthood reflects God’s character, so every small corruption distorts that reflection. A closing Note on the Letters turns to the author’s own voice, and a Scripture Index lists the passages cited.

Who wrote The Malgrave Letters about Parenting?

It was written by Alfred Basta, a professor, author, and musician. The book follows the epistolary, inverted-villain approach of C. S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters but with original characters applied to modern Christian parenting.

What genre is The Malgrave Letters about Parenting?

It is Christian fiction, written as epistolary and allegorical satire. The reader learns what sustains a Christian family by inverting Malgrave’s instructions; the book offers no direct how-to advice.

Who is The Malgrave Letters about Parenting for?

It is for Christian parents, readers of Christian and allegorical fiction, people interested in spiritual formation, and anyone thinking about modern parenting from a Christian perspective. The father, mother, and children are a fictional composite, so readers can recognize their own household in it.

Is The Malgrave Letters about Parenting part of a series?

Yes. It is one of three books in The Malgrave Letters, alongside the volumes about couples and about young adults. Each book stands alone and can be read in any order.

Where can I buy The Malgrave Letters about Parenting?

The book is available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle editions. The paperback ISBN-13 is 979-8199165587 (293 pages, published May 29, 2026).

Amazon (paperback) | Amazon (Kindle) | Indigo (author page) | Goodreads

About the author: Alfred Basta is a professor, author of Ward No. 8 and The Malgrave Letters, and musician as The Bastas Project.

Last updated: October 12, 2026