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Disruptive Christian Ethics
They are erroneously seen as details to be ignored or interpreted by a
church leader who dictates their “proper” meaning without letting the
scripture reader think for herself. In this search for the universal ethical
point that must be separated from scriptural particularities, many possi
bilities for intellectual stimulation, spiritual nurture, and social change
can be lost.
This troubling approach to interpreting and applying scripture can also
impair moral perception of current realities. The moral value attached to
particular groups may be diminished precisely because they seem to lack
universal moral qualities. For this reason, single poor mothers who
depend upon public assistance may seem unworthy of being lifted up as
the most likely group that Mary’s message in the Magnificat would cham
pion. Seemingly, these women and girls do not possess moral qualities that
have universal value, and they are frequently regarded as a particular prob
lem group in the society to be either ignored or brought under control
through stringent policies.
However, Mary’s insistent words in the Magnificat carry a message
about God’s concern for the particular lives and needs of the lowly and
poor. Her message stresses God’s powerful actions on their behalf. Fur
thermore, in the canticle, salvation of this particular group, the lowly and
the poor, is linked with the salvation of the broader faith community of
Israel. Christians might be guided by this scripture to judge the morality
of Christian faith communities, and even of the broader U.S. society, by
assessing their public attitudes about and practices in the interests of poor
mothers who need public assistance. To authentically reflect the scripture,
a comparison of community attitudes about and practices in the interests
of the rich would also have to be added to this assessment.
A Christian practice of interpreting scripture with attention to particu
larities is also instructive for an ethical reading of the role of contemporary
public policy spokespersons. When studying Mary’s Magnificat, we
become mindful that any discussion about what is ethically significant in
this passage refers to the author’s viewpoint, not Mary’s actual life. We only
have access to Luke’s representation of this historical person and her
actions, and the moral message found in the representation of those details.
In Luke, Mary is identified as poor. As New Testament scholar Beverly
Gaventa points out, this can be substantiated, in part, in the fact that she
offered a religious sacrifice of turtledoves (or pigeons) at the temple after
Jesus was born (Luke 2:24), rather than a sacrifice of a sheep prescribed
for those who could afford it (Lev. 12:8).14( invent a explains that “the poor