The song “Mary, did you know” has become quite controversial. But the real question during this Advent season is not what Mary knew but what we know about Mary. As a protestant evangelical I’m aware that some in my circles are suspicious of any focus on Mary. After all, the Gospels are about Jesus, and there is relatively little about Mary in them, and even less about her in the rest of the New Testament. Christian reflection on Mary has produced a detailed Mariology, viewed at times by protestants as mariolatry. In any event, the gospel story of Jesus begins with Mary, so we turn to her in this post in the hope that we can shed some light and turn down the heat.
Women in Ministry
And now for something completely different on women in ministry . . .
We evangelicals have armed ourselves with prooftexts, laid out our exegetical battle plan, sharpened our rhetorical bayonets, and joined battle over the role of women in the church. . . . To what effect is all this? For me it’s like trench warfare. It’s a stalemate, a theological no man’s land.