This is fascinating. It’s not the pot calling the kettle “black”. But, it is interesting. With a Capital I! The Reverend Joseph Lowery has announced to all and sundry that “White people are going to hell.” Here is a picture of The Reverend Joseph Lowery:
When we look at the picture, it’s hard to tell if Reverend Lowery is white or black. He is, however, more than half Caucasian.
Is he, by his own decree, going to Hell? Or, is there some sort of theological hair-splitting necessary? Depending on his white ancestry, he goes half way to Hell? Or, three quarters? Or, fifteen/sixteenths? At any rate, does that put him out of Heaven? What if he had decided to do what many light-skinned black people used to do, and “pass”? What would his eternal fate be then?
If you are light enough in color to pass for white, and don’t, does that make you better? Or, worse? Is the difference worthy of eternal damnation? Or, is being white a characteristic that evaporates if a person claims not to be? Or, is being white or mostly white a state of being that cannot reasonably be denied without bearing false witness?
These are big questions concerning the fates of immortal souls. No one thinks about them. No one studies them. No one tries to come up with answers. What’s happened to theology? Has it become so disconnected with reality that no one is interested in it? Will people have more interest in it if theologians start to deal with real problems, like this one?
The questions go beyond theology. We have to wonder what goes on in the mind of a man who is what Reverend Lowry is and says he isn’t. What do people think they see in a mirror and how do they describe how it becomes utterly reversed when it comes out their mouths.
It’s not the pot calling the kettle “black”. But, it is interesting. Fascinating. If Reverend Lowery were a Jesuit, he’d be pilloried. Instead, he’s not. He’s spending election night with President Obama, who is at least 3/4 white. Is Reverend Lowery goingto spend part of the evening telling him where he will spend eternity?
