Generous Orthodoxy: The Case of Joseph Lowery

The slogan "Generous Orthodoxy" is appealing. I've read the Brian McLaren book by that name but I'm not thinking only of his articulation; really, I'm thinking of Paul's direction to speak the truth in love. It's hard to be against that, but, as I think Jesus' example shows, the power is in the particulars -- nice sayings have to intersect with the specifics of Christian doctrine and practice. I recently came across an actual example worthy of consideration -- the Rev. Joseph Lowery.

Lowery spoke at Duke Sunday, Jan. 18, in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., before giving the benediction at Barack Obama's inauguration. I didn't attend, but I have since listened to his address. First, it's funny. He pokes fun at preachers and academics alike. I'd quote a joke, but it truly is all in the delivery. Second, he's old (Wikipedia puts him at 87). He can tease and exhort in ways that would be unkind or unwise for a younger man. He playfully (and ambiguously!) declared the university president's speech to have been "pretty good". He shook his finger at the single women in the audience, telling them to say "uh awn" until their men say "I do".

As for "the issue", he blasted Rick Warren for campaigning for Proposition 8. He teased, in condemnation, anyone who would take up the cause of preventing same-gender marriage. But then he turned and said in his contemplation of marraige, he could envision only a man and woman. In holding together these two positions, he made some interesting distinctions (as I read them). First, he separated law from communal practice. Law, he said, is meant to protect the rights of a minority group, not enshrine the customs of the majority. Second, he separated attitude and practice. He is suspicious of any attitude that says, "I am telling you are wrong for your own good." He seems to lean heavily on the injunction to first take the log out of your own eye. Finally, he implies a distinction between your community and my community. His "live and let live" attitude applies among communities but not within his own. If a son, church member or young pastor asked him about marriage, he seems to have a different answer than for the outsider. For those in his care, he says he can only see the union of man and woman.

I respect this teaching, even before taking into account Lowery's work in the Civil Rights Movement. I don't think he needed to knock Rick Warren, whose teaching I also respect. The distinction between American law and Christian practice I think is an important one (aren't we resident aliens!). I suspect black Christians can more clearly see the difference between America's legal system and God's standard for justice and holiness. I also appreciate the sensitivity to tone when in relationship with gay and lesbian people. In my last post, I said a weakness of (stereotypical) Protestant conservatism is that it largely reacts against liberal Prostantism, instead of casting a positive vision of the church. I take Lowery's point about "homophobia" to be similar.

In sum, I like Lowery. In his 50-minute sermon/speech, I heard a Christian voice, generous and orthodox.