Ted Kennedy. The “theology of glory” is at work in the pursuit to idealize the Kennedy family, to make them into the beautiful, successful, American dream for which we all are to strive. This is a pressure the late Senator Ted Kennedy publicly contended with everyday. His faults with women and alcohol were persistent; his losses, the assassination of his two brothers to say the least, were public; his failure to win the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination was a disappointment to family and political expectations alike. In the Time article, “More than Myth,” David Von Drehle writes, “While the Senator [Ted] grew fat and seemed to fall apart, his brothers remained ageless and timeless, slim, breeze-kissed. If he was reality, then we wanted no part of it.” Weakness, death, and failure—can anything good come from this? Not according to the theology of glory.
The theology of glory is at work in the Christian life too; it’s the pressure to lead a beautiful, successful, loving, joyful, bright shining Christian life in the darkness of a depraved world. And I want to live up to it all! But the reality is that, like Ted Kennedy, I keep living in reality, growing older with all my insecurities and mistakes even after that eternally wonderful day when Jesus Christ claimed me as his own.
At the same time justified and a sinner. This the Christian life: a life spent receiving grace in our time of need from a Savior who did have victory over our weakness, death, and failure.
I’m sure Ted Kennedy would have liked to serve out of his victory (as President) rather than his failure (as Senator) and out of his strengths (as lawmaker) than out of his weaknesses (as a human Kennedy). I know I would. Yet it was his service in light of weaknesses that he inspired so many. I see a parallel with the Christian life. I pray he knew the acceptance and freedom St. Paul did: “I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
I see the press recognizing this upside-down work of grace in the interviews and eulogies about the late Senator. I leave with this quote from Richard Lacayo’s, “Ted” in Time: “On the weekend of his Inauguration in 1961, Jack Kennedy gave Ted, the last born of the Kennedy siblings, an engraved cigarette box. It read, ‘And the last shall be first.’ That was almost 50 years ago. Neither of them knew then in just what ways that prophecy might turn out to be true. We do.”
But he [the Lord] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12: 9).
COMMENTS
23 responses to “Ted Kennedy and Living up to Expectations”
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I love this, Kate! Since watching his funeral the other day – or part of it – I've been thinking about him a lot. I especially loved what his son, Ted Kennedy, Jr. said:
"My father was not perfect, but he believed in redemption."
…so good!
Great post Kate.
There is an interesting record of his correspondence with the Pope:
http://tinyurl.com/n9c88v
It makes me sad to see how Kennedy is trying to atone for his sins by listing his works. The pope does offer him some measure of grace:
"His Holiness prays that in the days ahead you may be sustained in faith and hope, and granted the precious grace of joyful surrender to the will of God our merciful Father. He invokes upon you the consolation and peace promised by the Risen Savior to all who share in His sufferings and trust in His promise of eternal life."
Let us not forget, too, that he was no friend of our Protestant brethren in Northern Ireland.
I found this article really thought provoking, as well as very sad:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2009/08/kennedy-funeral-prayer-praise-and-hope-of-heaven/1
"Like most Americans, you may believe all good people go to heaven. So who is good enough? Was he a good enough Catholic? A good enough Christian? A good enough man in the end?"
I am personally extremely thankful that the answer to questions about whether I am (or Ted Kennedy is) "good enough" is not the last word.
"I keep living in reality, growing older with all my insecurities and mistakes even after that eternally wonderful day when Jesus Christ claimed me as his own".
These words resonated, and reminded me of Paul's use of the example of Abram… in himself, a man, unable to be what was needed, but God took him, sustained him by His great and precious promises, gave him faith to trust and have confidence in a righteousness beyond his own – therein is the comfort we all so need.
Kate,
Amen and amen. There is no strength in weakness as far a natural man in concerned. The word of the cross is foolishness to them.
Much less in the church, where the message you are stating is also foolish, in that it seems to limit the power of God to make people better. But God's business is not primarily to make people better, but to make people broken.
Brilliant post.
Thank you all for your insightful thoughts and helpful links! I am blessed by all your comments (well, almost all ;).
Don't mean to rain on the Kennedy love-fest, but his persistent, proud and totally unrepentant support for abortion laws that virtually guarantee abortion on demand in this country is a pathetic fruit of his "redemption", whatever that means. Also, as David pointed out, he was no friend of the helpless Protestant victims of IRA bombs in Northern Ireland. He could and did turn a cold blind eye to suffering that did not play well to his own political predilections.
I see your point, Mike…I was thinking redemption as redemption by Christ. Kennedy being Catholic, though, probably meant that he could redeem himself with his good deeds.
I'm glad the truth is that we can only be redeemed by Christ 🙂
I want to be clear that I am not trying to trash the man. I am sure he has done a lot of good as well as bad. We all need to be forgiven all of the time. I don't see him as an example of Christian weakness being redeemed by grace, because he saw himself as a "fighter" who had done a lot of good to make up for a lot of bad, but may God rest his soul anyway.
Kari,
Let's not bash Catholics, please?!? I'm Catholic, and we do not believe in redemption by works. Never have, never will, despite misguided actions on the part of Catholics high and low.
Mattie
Mattie–I can't really picture Kari "bashing" anyone. And as for her little comment about the effect of Kennedy's Catholicism, the official RC line has never been "redeemed by works" but purgatory, now that's a different matter entirely. But no matter what the nuanced "official" line is, most all Catholics AND Protestants hope they have been "good enough" to "make it in."
This is a wonderful post, Kate, one that hits home for me quite personally. Born an Irish Catholic just south of Boston, MA, I was reared on the Kennedy myth and the JFK/RFK glory story. I can attest that it is very powerful stuff and more than whatever Ted Kennedy really did or didn’t do, “Ted” functioned in this myth as a contrast, as a problem, and as a doubt. I can remember in family conversations during his 1976 presidential campaign that there was this coming to grips with so much flaw and failure in contrast to that myth we would otherwise much prefer. The thing is, as you suggest, we are like “Ted,” and I suspect that when my parents and relatives were talking about him in the context of this myth—alternatively judging him, exonerating him, rationalizing him—they were often enough at a certain level simply talking about themselves.
I agree with LGF. The main point of Kate's post is not that Ted Kennedy got it right with his policies or was sympathetic to all suffering groups. Were he to be that man would actually be an example of "theology of glory". Rather, Kate is arguing that Ted Kennedy's life is like King David or St. Peter or you or me: a screw up, one that was not to be desired in the eyes of the world, someone who knows personal failure and brokenness, etc.
In other words, he was human, and all of the examples of his shortcomings given in the comments only further illustrate that. He needed forgiveness. Kate even says explicitly that she hopes he knew the Christian freedom and acceptance that St. Paul wrote about in 2 Corinthians. There's no assumption that he got it right or was anything but flawed. The point is that he was real. He is a relatable character.
It is a powerful thing that God did use Ted Kennedy in may ways (whether or not we agree with or understand these ways) despite the fact (and perhaps in light of the fact) that he was the black sheep. I can only pray that God would do the same with someone like me.
I think that Kate's post is pretty spectacular. But husbands tend to be a little bias;)
Oh no, Mattie! I'm so sorry that I offended you. My dad's whole family is Catholic, and I've just heard from them so often that they feel like they need to "do" something to make up for mistakes that they've made – for my grandfather it was spending a certain amount of time in prayer each week.
I shouldn't have lumped all Catholics together in this because I do realize that this is not the official belief of the Catholic Church and I'm sorry for that.
One more thing – I also realize that Catholics are not the only group that feels like they have to "do" something to make up for mistakes they've made. I often get into this mindset and have to be reminded by my husband that it's not up to me to redeem myself 🙂
You're not alone, Kari!
I didn't mean to be critical of Kate's post at all. I agree totally with the basic concept, and Kate has done a beautiful job of presenting the "theology of the cross" as a way of seeing Ted Kennedy's life. I personally don't happen to see him as a King David figure,(primarily because there is just too much
"I know that I am human and have made many mistakes, BUT.." in his remarks) but for those who do see him in that light, he is a beautiful illustration of the gospel.
I hear you, Michael. I have taken authorial license with his life and used him as an illustration to convey a principle of the theology of the cross. I don't claim that he would agree with the theology here presented or that he would think he was an example of Christian grace or that he would think the Kennedy myth is an (albeit imperfect) illustration of God's Law. From what I little I know of him, I've only heard the types of comments to which you refer… moralism and justification through works essentially. But this post, as LGF pointed out, isn't really about him or his politics or his enlightenment (or lack thereof) about grace. Rather it's about those who never live up to the law save through righteousness accounted to them by a Redeemer.
Amen and amen!
Thanks for your clarification, Kari! I teach at a Catholic school and I have a whole bunch of little semi-Pelagians that I am trying to preach the Gospel to 🙂 So I know we have some work to do…
just discovered this blog, and am very thankful for it.
a note on doing something to make up for the thing we have done — isn't it true that often, with regard to other people, we do need to do something? It is in regard to our relationship with God that we do not….