Don't be afraid of Flannery. Let her mess with your head. Let her disturb you. As she observed, "all human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us and the change is painful." She's not the first or the last word, but she has an amazing grasp of Christian drama, and it's hard to see how contemporary Christian culture can mature without having her stories or others like them very deep in its bones. Let her show you how surprising grace is, how dark and healthy it can be, what a gift it is.Since I received her Complete Stories as a birthday present, I've been attempting to read a little Flannery every day. Her stories are fascinatingly rich, disturbing sometimes, yet they stick to your ribs like a good Georgia barbeque, tangy and sweet with just enough kick.
I encourage you to read the entire article, even the entire issue, and pick up a collection of Flanery O'Connor from your local library. Don't know where to start? Try A Good Man is Hard to Find. It was my first introduction to her writing, and I fell in love with the grace-infused stories of this Georgia gal. If you want to know how to write fiction steeped in God's grace, first read Flannery O'Connor.
HT to Travis who put me on the lookout for this weeks ago. I just remembered today.
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