The Sanctification of Humanity En-Godded by Christ: In the Christian Worldview's of Flannery O'Connor and Percy Walker As Incarnational Reality

A Critical Review Of Robert J. Baker's: "That Was a Good Story You Wrote"

Robert J. Baker in his article That was a good story you wrote[1]- written as a cr itical review in the form of a dialogue- says, Being Catholic and writing fictions that were explicitly concerned with matters o f... [Christian]... faith made them doubly alien in the South. Despite their sta tus as outsiders, OConnor and Percy largely initiated a sea change in Southern li terature when they chose to depict a South no longer under the spell of the Civi l War or the romanticized antebellum period, and OConnor and Percy continue to be significant presences in Southern and American Literature (p. 112). Thus, Baker informs us of his purpose for writing the article and his thesis sta tement. The three resources that he uses to provide support for his thesis and f rom which he devises the analytical tools to illustrate his argument logically a re articulate and valuable studies that are each different in their emphasis.* O f the different emphases expressed in the three resources utilized by Baker in h is article, he says, Ralph C. Wood places OConnors work in the social, cultural, and religious milieu of the South in which she wrote to demonstrate that her fiction challenges the bel iefs and complacency of her time and ours as well... [in addition]... John F. De smond presents a careful, meticulous analysis of the tension between solitarines s and community in each of Walker Percys novels; Desmond makes obvious the Incarn ational and Eucharistic nature of the community Percy sought, and he identifies the threats that contemporary culture poses for it..., and [finally]... Farrell OGorman explains the historical and intellectual contexts which shaped the faith and imaginations of OConnor and Percy, and he argues for their continuing legacy among Southern writers (p. 112). In further reference to these three resources Baker says,

In underscoring the great gift OConnor and Percy left all of us in their intersect ion of the Catholic... [Charismatic]... Revival... [of the 1950s]... and the cont emporary South, of faith and literature, of prophecy and sacrament, Wood, Desmon d, and OGormans studies remind us of the achievement of these extraordinary writer s by stressing the depth of their faith through which they understood their regi on, writing, and themselves while additionally illustrating that their faith gav e OConnor and Percy a common vision of the worlds ailments and the joyful remedy o f its ills (pp. 120-121). OConnor and Percy were writers of short stories, novels, reviews, and essays base d upon and sustained by their Christian faith. Their faith caused them to assume the prophetic voice in their writing, which warned us of the dehumanizing and ali enating effects upon human beings that the encroaching menace of consumerism and scientism that began its expansion exponentially after World War II (p. 112). Bakers thinking- informed by his reading and study of OConnor and Percys writing co mbined with Wood, Desmond, and OGormans accentuated studies of them- is logical, s ound, clear, concise, and qualified. The information he utilizes is accurate and highly significant. He defines what he means when he uses terms, and has interp

reted information and those terms fairly. Further evidence of Bakers thoroughness in revealing OConnor and Percys worldview a nd subsequent mind-sets can be found in his discussions of the authors that influ enced their thinking. Bakers economical use of words and laser beam focus on his t hesis is evident by the ground he covers- well below the topsoil- within ten pag es. Based on a preponderance of evidence, Bakers presentation is valid. It is a rare occurrence when one can say unequivocally that one agre es completely with an authors views. This is one of those rare occurrences and I agree completely with Bakers views. I have defined what I mean when I use the ter m Christian Author[2]- Mr. Baker does a much better job. My concurrence with Baker , OConnor, Percy, Wood, Desmond, and OGormans views has been predicated on and info rmed by the works of Leanne Payne[3], Robert Banks[4], Saint John of Damascus[5] , Agnes Sanford[6], Dorothy L. Sayers[7], and the Apostle Paul[8]- a three to fi ve page limit does not allow me to cite all of these references. The Triadic Trinitarian theology of Sayers, Incarnational Reality in the Christological theology of Payne, Saint John of Damascus, The Apostle Paul, and Sanford and the Ecclesiastic Communalism of Banks and Paul of Tarsus is rea dily apparent in the views of Baker and the thinking and writing of OConnor and P ercy. Thanks to Bakers success in achieving his purpose and aims in his art icle one can come to appreciate the tightrope walk that is required to balance t he artistic and the didactic aspects of the style, form, and content of Flannery OConnor and Percy Walkers work as informed by their understanding of Theology and their Christian life experiences. This enabled both of them to pragmatise in th ere work that which is hard to perceive and understand as it relates to Lady Wis dom- ... we will define wisdom as the theory of knowledge that equipped individua ls in the Old Testament...and [us moderns] to understand themselves and their wo rld... Lady Wisdom is a heavenly creature, residing in proximity to God.[9]

[1] Baker, Robert J. That was a good article you wrote: Flannery OConnor and Walker Percy. The Journal of Christianity and Literature (54:1) August 2004.

*Note: Mr. Bakers works cited for this article are Wood, Ralph C. Flannery OConnor , and the Christ-Haunted South. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004; Desmond, John F. W alker Percys Search for Community. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2004; OGor man, Farrell. Peculiar Crossroads: Flannery OConnor, Walker Percy, and Catholic V ision in Postwar Southern Fiction. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press , 2004.

[2] Woods, Rodney A. The Oracles of Christian Men: the Christian Author is a uniqu e and necessary phenomenon of the postmodern church. San Diego: Rhema Rising, 20 07. p. 1.

[3] Payne, Leanne. Real Presence: The Christian Worldview of C. S. Lewis as Inca rnational Reality. (Third edition.) Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1995. Passim.

[4] Banks, Robert J. Pauls Idea of Community. (Second edition.) Boston: Hendricks on Publishers, 1994. Passim.

[5] John, of Damascus, Saint. Three Treatises on the Divine Images. New York: Sa int Vladimirs Seminary Press, 2003. Passim.

[6] Sanford, Agnes. Sealed Orders. (1st edition) Gainesville: Bridge-Logos, 1972 . Passim.

[7] Sayers, Dorothy L. The Mind of the Maker. (3rd edition) Greenwich: Connectic ut, 2004. Passim.

[8] Paul, of Tarsus, Apostle. 1 Cor, 2 Cor, Gal, Eph, and Rom. (3rd edition) New International Version, 1984. Passim.

[9] Dumbrell, William J. The Faith of Israel: A Theological Survey of the Old Te stament. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2002. p. 263, 1p and p. 266, 2p.