Jon,
I don’t know Bishop Curry personally, and I am not in his Diocese, but I have heard him preach on many occasions. He is one powerhouse of a preacher. Bring all that wonderful black Baptist rhetoric and mix it with good Anglican theology, and you have Michael Curry. He is very charismatic, to say the least.
I don’t know how he leads as a Bishop. And now as Primate, it will be of great interest to see him in an International setting, where there is discord.
You ask about whether he will lead as liberal or more traditional. I honestly don’t believe he thinks in those terms. He sees the need for reconciliation within the body of Christ, whether that be between races and cultures, or of class, or of spiritual practice and belief. He is certainly a man of action, but with great respect for the inclusion of all. His priority, I am certain, will be to open the doors of the Church so that everyone is invited to know and love Jesus.
My guess is that he doesn’t take a lot of nonsense from people. You either put Jesus first or, well, you work on putting Jesus first.
I just watched an excellent interview that Religion & Ethics did with him. Perhaps you can get a bit of his personality from that.
pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2015/10/26/october-30-2015-new-episcopal-presiding-bishop-michael-curry/27619/
Jon, he’s traditional in that the bottom line is Christ and the authority of the Church and Scriptures. He is liberal in that he is a black man who wants justice for the poor and marginalized. He will be good for the Episcopal Church and also for the Anglican Communion. I am excited to see his ministry unfold.