Generic authority is simply the realm of unspecific options that a command may or may not give us, depending on the language of the command. In a command, God may be specific about the who, what, and how, but leave the where and when general. The method of going is generic. Therefore we can walk, ride, take a plane, ship, and so on, all these unspecified options are in the general command to go . But then again, the method of teaching is general.
People really fail to appreciate the concept of generic and specific authority.
The church must be able to use some of this technology, even though it isn't specifically mentioned in the Bible, without being guilty of adding to the Word of God. But there must be a reliable method of interpretation for determining what is an option and what is an addition. People have failed to appreciate the fact that generic and specific authority are the only method that enables us to make that distinction. We need to remember that virtually every command in the Bible has both general and specific elements. The more specific the statement or instruction, the fewer options we are being given.