Christian Theology in A Good Man is Hard to Find Essay

A Good homosexual is potent to key out by Flannery OConner reflects the Christian belief that even the close to un comparablely of plurality can be recipients of immortals dress. The granny and the Misfit, two(prenominal) bad in their stimulate counselings, be each unlikely and despicable recipients of approval. According to Christian theology, gays be given(p) salvation with matinee idols grace, which can be instituteed upon to even the most unlikely.The grannies and the Misfits honorable codes they rattling by that affect their actions, decisions and perceptions. The enclosure moral doesnt necessarily mean good, but is simply the way tidy sum carry to live their lives. At first it seems as if it is the Misfit who lacks counsellor as he continuously murders people. It is the grannie whose moral code is faint and inconsistent. She has built her morals solely on what she believes wee people good. She pays a great amount of attention in being a lady, repeat edly deceives her family, and lacks a clear standpoint on the world around her. She boasts closely her love for Christianity, but does not seem to be able to tap when she finds herself in crisis. She even begins to question the power and divinity of Jesus. It is clear the nanna is not sincere and aware of her actions. The Misfit has a strong and consistent moral code. The Misfit believes that the punishments he received from his experience of being a convicted criminal were constantly disproportional to his crime, and the crime doesnt even matter at the end.He also shows a genuine curiosity about religion. The grandmother accepts assurance unquestioningly while the Misfit ch tout ensembleenges these beliefs and thinks deeply on how he should follow them or not. The Misfit has chosen to live nether his assumption that religion is pointless and goes with his own belief No enjoyment but meanness. (OConner 941). The Misfit only indirect requestes he was turn over to see Jesus ri se from the dead so he could spang the events were particularual. It is obvious the grandmother in A Good Man is Hard to Find lies to her grandchildren, manipulates her son, and makes several remarks as to why thepast times develop superiority to the present. She believes she is morally superior to those younger than her. She also believes she has the right to pronounce the goodness of others and tell them how to live their lives. The grandmother seems quite oblivious to ingenuousness as she heads the family to somewhere completely different than where she impression they were. The tragic clangour was all due to the grandmothers ignorance. Towards the final moments of her life, she instructs the Misfit to pray, despite the fact she lacks the sincere qualities herself necessary to form a prayer. As she grows afraid of what pull up stakes happen to her, she agrees with the Misfit and changes her mind about Jesus rising from the dead.Her doing so reflects she is overturned and unsure of her beliefs making her a genuinely unlikely recipient of grace. The Misfit is an flinty murderer who finds no joy in eachthing but meanness. He shows no remorse for his actions. The Misfit was aware of Jesus being crucified, but felt that he would have had to see it to believe it for sure. Both denotations show habitual sins and eventually are each undeserving recipients of grace. Even people like the grandmother and the Misfit have potential to be saved by idol, according to Christian Theology. The grandmother experiences a moment of grace after the Misfits wish to know for sure what Jesus did and didnt do. Her head clears momentarily and she says why youre one of my babies. Youre one of my own children (OConner 948). This suggests that the grandmother is factualizing that they both are of the same kind. Given the circumstances, her comment seems pretty insane, but this is the grandmothers clearest moment in the story. She shows compassion which implies that God has granted her grace just before she is shot by the Misfit.The Misfit too, is open to grace at this moment. He claims earlier in the story there was no pleasure but meanness in life, and now denies there is any pleasure in life at all after killing the grandmother. alone his killings have quit giving him happiness, suggesting that he, too, may foster the possibility to change. A Good Man is Hard to Find has a strong, somewhat caustic portrayal of religion. The characters in this story are both awakened and their organized religion is altered. The Christian idea of moments of grace in this story apply to real life. It is believed among many an(prenominal) Christian followers that Gods grace is very powerful, unlike any other human could give to another. Most people misunderstand this and think that blessings are granted upon those who do good whole shebang andpunishments through bad work.The procedure of grace has nothing to do with any kinds of works, which is where most peo ple are mistaken. Rather, the principle to the Christian theology of grace is recognized in the bible by Solomon. He said it is useless to judge God on matters of good or bad works. God can surely do as he pleases and His ways are opposite of mans ways. Solomon says There is vanity that is done under the earth that there be just men, unto whom it happens according to the work of the filthy again, there be wicked men, to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous I said that this is also vanity. (Ecclesiastes 514)This quote suggests that despite the actions one may do, it is up to the grace of God that determines what that person deserves or does not deserve. The use of grace is all part of Gods plan for humans. No matter how many men judge a person, it is only Gods judgment that determines who receives grace. The grandmother and Misfit have been awarded the positive aspects of grace, which is not qualified on works of any kind. According to Christian theology, humans are commanded to be righteous and not evil. It says in the bible that God loves his creations so intensely he gave his only son to die for all human sins, which was a big question mark for the Misfit. If only he had cognise for sure maybe he would have never committed the baseborn crimes he did. If the Misfit would have only known that according to Christian theology, all humans are destined by Gods churchman grace no matter what deeds that have been done on earth, he would have made wiser decisions. If only the grandmother had been shot either day all of her life, according to the Misfit, would she have been a better lady.When mentation of Christian theology, one would agree it just pertains to religion and God. Theology is the employment of religion, and Gods relation to the world. Theology is found upon the Old and forward-looking Testament in the Bible, as well as historic traditions practised by Christians. It has been practiced for thousands of years. People have alwa ys tried to make justifications to argue, examine, clarify, defend or promote Christianity. The Misfit seems to know most aspects when it comes to the Christian religion, as he talks about all of Christs works in the story. The way he viewed Christian beliefs was all an outcome on how he lived his life. Our concepts about the divineinform our lives more deeply than most people can trace. Whether God is viewed as distant or near, as gracious or capricious, as concerned or apathetic, the conclusions we reachwhether the egress of careful reflection or negligent assumptionsguide our lives. (Kapic 1) The way people live their lives depends on an individuals belief about theology and the way God relates to the world. It is the beliefs people choose to accept that ultimately guides everyday lives.Whether people choose to accept or deny that there is a God, it is all based on individual experiences and beliefs. The grandmother seemed to have thought she knew all about Christianity, but jud ging by her actions, it is clear she did not genuinely live righteously. There is no factual evidence that Jesus is real, but many have come to receive grace in their final moments, as shown in A Good Man. Believers of Christian faith are thought out to be hypocritical and this stereotype fits the grandmothers character in A Good Man Is Hard to Find. Just like the grandmother and Misfit in the story, it is grace that enabled them to come to Christ sincerely.The final lines in the story depict both the grandmothers and Misfits realizations as if they have received answers to all questions about life. A Good Man is Hard to Find reflects the Christian theology of grace. The grace of God is a gift, and if willing to accept it, even when undeserving, humans can be granted salvation like the grandmother was. The grace of God has been shown not to bestow upon the mere form of actions, but onto ones who are open to Christ, according to A Good Man Is Hard To Find.Works CitedNew King throng V ersion. Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1982. Print.Kapic, Kelly M. A Little Book for New Theologians. InterVarsity Press, 2012. Print. OConner, Flannery. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. The Writers Presence. Bedford/St. Martins one-quarter Edition, 2003. 931-943. Print.