「沒有耶穌的新教」：激進神學、世俗主義，與芙蘭納里‧奧康納的《智血》

Abstract

本篇論文將芙蘭納里‧奧康納的《智血》置入「上帝已死」的激進神學辯論中;筆者藉此檢視《智血》為奧康納對1950 年代美國宗教世俗化的批判。奧康納描述小說主角黑澤爾‧莫茲為「身不由己的基督徒」（a Christian malgré lui）。儘管莫茲堅稱自己非信徒，甚至開創了帶有宗教褻瀆意味的「沒有耶穌的新教」，但是他的教會卻是小說中最不世俗化的教派。更重要的是，在小說結尾，莫茲正是因為他的無信仰而得到精神上的救贖。莫茲表裡不一的行徑與信仰為小說製造戲謔的一面，但也對讀者造成詮釋上的困惑。藉由1960年代激進的「上帝已死」神學辯論，本文主張莫茲的「沒有耶穌的新教」象徵一種激進神學－一種過於極端乃至於徹底倒轉的神學。援引蓋布里爾‧馬赫尼（Gabriel Vahanian）的神學觀，本文視《智血》為奧康納對美國宗教世俗化以及資本主義神聖化的批判。

This paper engages Flannery O`Connor`s Wise Blood (1952) in the theological debate of the radical ＂death-of-God＂ movement and examines how the novel serves as a critique of religious secularism in the America of the 1950s. O`Connor describes her protagonist in the novel, Hazel Motes, as a Christian malgré lui; that is, a Christian despite himself. Hazel vociferously proclaims to be an unbeliever and even starts a seemingly blasphemous ＂Church Without Christ.＂ However, Hazel`s church is the least secularized among the competing churches in the novel. In the end, moreover, it is his unbelief that conversely helps him reach spiritual elevation. Hazel`s incongruous conduct and belief contribute to the comic effect of the novel and also confuse many readers. This paper, informed by the radical theological movement, ＂death-of-God,＂ in the 1960s, argues that Hazel`s Church Without Christ represents a radical theology so extreme that it is turned inside out. Drawing on Gabriel Vahanian`s theological ideas, this paper sees Wise Blood as a critique of religious secularism, in which capitalism is sacralized and Christianity secularized.