March 18, 2005

Mary for Protestants? What?

Al Mohler (who I actually met in person a few weeks ago!) has a very interesting article on the resurgence of Mary-worship in Protestant circles.

As a missionary on his way to Brazil--one of the most "mariolatrous" countries in the world--I found his thoughts very timely. According to Mohler, this movement among Protestants has its roots in the feminist movement.

The background of this includes the argument put forth by feminists that a male-oriented world of biblical scholarship has ignored the roles played by Mary and other women of the Bible. Going beyond this, some feminist scholars argue that the Bible is itself warped by a "patriarchal" bias that sublimates and hides the role of women. Added to all this is the doctrinal evacuation of many mainline Protestant denominations and the influence of New Age forms of spirituality, often packaged as a "do-it-yourself" mix of whatever elements appear to be most interesting.

After exploring the background of this view, Mohler summarizes with characteristic biblical clarity:

Of course, referring to Mary as "Mother of all Believers" is characteristic of Roman Catholic piety and devotion. The New Testament clearly presents Mary as the human mother of Jesus, and affirms her role as the submissive, obedient, and trusting virgin in whom the Christ was conceived. Without doubt, Mary is presented in the biblical text as a model of faithfulness and devotion. Furthermore, her song of praise to God, commonly known as "The Magnificat" [Luke 1:46-55], offers a masterful tapestry of prophecy mixed with some of the most elevated theological themes found anywhere in Scripture.

Nevertheless, to refer to Mary as "Mother of all Believers" is to go beyond the biblical text and to assign to the mother of Jesus a role that is, to say the least, not explicitly found in Scripture.

In Brazil, I have discovered that people have a tremendous emotional attachment to Mary. Not only is she (in the form of Nossa Senhora Aparecida, Our Lady Who Appeared) the patron saint of the country, but she holds a special place in the hearts of the oft impoverished and mistreated people, who see her as one who sympathizes with their sufferings. (One of the clearest presentation I have seen of this view from a Brazilian context was in the Brazilian film O Auto Da Compadecida.) As a result, many of them react to Protestant missionaries who try to marginalize the story of Mary, or worse yet, make her out to be some sort of evil person. One TV preacher from the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (a charismatic cult many Brazilians identify as being Protestant) even went so far as to kick repeatedly a statue of Mary repeatedly on his program. The national outcry was enormous.

Al Mohler treats this subject of emotional ties to Mary quite well:

Those who argue that Mary offers us a more compassionate understanding of God than is revealed in Jesus Christ alone insult both the person and work of Christ and accept the worst excesses of Catholic piety.

Personally, I think the best tack to take in a Roman Catholic country such as Brazil is the one expressed by Dr. Mohler in the last paragraph of his article:

In the end, perhaps the most important lesson we can learn from Mary is found in the instructions she gave to the disciples of Jesus at the wedding of Cana in Galilee, at which Jesus performed His first miracle: "Whatever He says to you, do it." Take it from Mary.

Posted by Andrew on March 18, 2005 11:50 AM.