On the surface, Flannery O'Connor's stories of enigmatic killers, exploiters of human misery, and churchmen of Christ without Christ would seem somewhat perverse exemplars of the divine. And yet, as Christina Bieber Lake argues in her 2005 study The Incarnational Art of Flannery O'Connor, it's precisely O'Connor's piercing portrayal of the limits and constraints of the flesh that makes her ultimate transcendence possible. Borrowing the title of Lake's book, Vanderbilt Divinity School Registrar Victor Judge gives a lecture on O'Connor's stories that launches a multi-part celebration of the author's work—a labor of love for the school's new Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture program. Watch this space for coming events in the series, including a talk by Michael Kreyling on Feb. 2 and a Mercy Lounge performance featuring Over the Rhine, Old Black Kettle, Mary Gauthier, Minton Sparks and actress Denice Hicks on Feb. 19. 10 a.m. in Art Room G-20, Vanderbilt Divinity School .
Mon., Jan. 26, 10 a.m., 2009
