REPENTANCE, CONFESSION, AND SPIRIT (7 OF 56)
Scripture: Acts 2:37-41
This content is part of a series.
Repentance, Confession, and Spirit (7 of 56)
Series: The Church in ACTSion
Wyman Richardson
Acts 2:37-41
Read Acts 2:37-41
I mention Flannery O'Connor every so often. That is because I find in her short stories some of the most creative, provocative, disturbing, and unique depictions of Christian truth that I have found anywhere. She was a short story writer from Georgia who died in 1964 after penning, again, some truly amazing stories that understandably won her fame and a following of people, like myself, who appreciate deeply what she did.
One of the most fascinating stories she ever wrote, and, I believe, one of the first I ever read, was her short story ''Greenleaf.'' It is the story about a lady named Mrs. May. Mrs. May thinks of herself as a Christian, but Flannery O'Connor hints throughout the story that she does not understand the truth of Christianity or of grace, that her Christianity really consists of trying to behave rightly, that it is really morality that she has confused for Christianity. In the story, the tree line on Mrs. May's property appears to be a symbol for her lostness as it blocks the light from ever getting through.
The other characters are the Greenleafs. Mr. Greenleaf works for Mrs. May, running her farm for her. Mrs. Greenleaf, Mr. Greenleaf's wife, is a devout Christian who knows she is a sinner and prays for God's grace. Interestingly, Mrs. Greenleaf prays aloud that God would ''stab her heart'' with His own presence and show her His grace.
The story ends in a shocking and very unexpected way. One of Mr. Greenleaf's bulls gets out and begins running loose on Mrs. May's property. Mrs. May, angered by this, demands that Mr. Greenleaf come and shoot the bull, who had rooted up some of her bushes and appears to be wearing a wreath on its head. They drive out in the field and, while Mr. Greenleaf is looking for the bull in one area, it emerges, tellingly, from Mrs. May's tree line, charges her, and gores her to death ...
Series: The Church in ACTSion
Wyman Richardson
Acts 2:37-41
Read Acts 2:37-41
I mention Flannery O'Connor every so often. That is because I find in her short stories some of the most creative, provocative, disturbing, and unique depictions of Christian truth that I have found anywhere. She was a short story writer from Georgia who died in 1964 after penning, again, some truly amazing stories that understandably won her fame and a following of people, like myself, who appreciate deeply what she did.
One of the most fascinating stories she ever wrote, and, I believe, one of the first I ever read, was her short story ''Greenleaf.'' It is the story about a lady named Mrs. May. Mrs. May thinks of herself as a Christian, but Flannery O'Connor hints throughout the story that she does not understand the truth of Christianity or of grace, that her Christianity really consists of trying to behave rightly, that it is really morality that she has confused for Christianity. In the story, the tree line on Mrs. May's property appears to be a symbol for her lostness as it blocks the light from ever getting through.
The other characters are the Greenleafs. Mr. Greenleaf works for Mrs. May, running her farm for her. Mrs. Greenleaf, Mr. Greenleaf's wife, is a devout Christian who knows she is a sinner and prays for God's grace. Interestingly, Mrs. Greenleaf prays aloud that God would ''stab her heart'' with His own presence and show her His grace.
The story ends in a shocking and very unexpected way. One of Mr. Greenleaf's bulls gets out and begins running loose on Mrs. May's property. Mrs. May, angered by this, demands that Mr. Greenleaf come and shoot the bull, who had rooted up some of her bushes and appears to be wearing a wreath on its head. They drive out in the field and, while Mr. Greenleaf is looking for the bull in one area, it emerges, tellingly, from Mrs. May's tree line, charges her, and gores her to death ...
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