In the beauty of the lilies

He yelled at the women, "for God's sake you idiot bitches, get out! It's over! Git! Git! He cried with his inspired certainty, "Can't you see, there is nothing here anymore! Those people outside are your friends!" He waved his gun in their faces and they scrambled towards the door, the children leading the mothers.

Something remains in Clarke that is essentially human, even Christlike. After saving the women and children he dies in the fire.

I do have a theological point to argue with Updike. He places too much emphasis on an undifferentiated monotheism and the existence/nonexistence of such. We see this in his novel Couples. A more nuanced position is leveraged on the truth of the gospel, how it illuminates the human, rather than the existence of a deity. Jesus is the Son of God, not because his existence has a causal connection with a deity but because he lives a truth that is hidden to our gaze. Our understanding of the meaning of the word "God" is turned on its head. He is revelation and that revelation is political, personal, social and spiritual. Thus faith is not based on the existence of a supernatural deity, but on the characteristics and actions of a real historical person whose continued presence among us is foretold by the resurrection.

The narrative arc of Lilies makes a lot of sense but the death of God theologians do not have the last say, faith is still possible, as Updike's hero, Karl Barth demonstrated by basing his theology firmly on Christology; the truth and continuing presence of Christ. It is our experience of Christ that matters, not lip service to a postulated deity.