Talking about Mary can feel dangerous, especially if you are a Protestant who adheres to Protestant orthodoxy. Sure, we sing about Mary at Christmas, feel her pain on Good Friday, and maybe even read a little about her in the gospels. But for most American Protestants, almost any other interaction with Mary is borderline Catholic.Continue reading “A Protestant Thinks About the Blessed Virgin Mary”
Tag Archives: Mary
Ep11: Is Mary the Mother of God?
In this episode of the Church Debates series, we ask if Mary is the Mother of God, wrestle with the Marian dogmas, and talk about how the Theotokos controversy impacted the Christology debates of the Council of Ephesus.
Gnosticism, Women, and Elaine Pagels
This post is part of an ongoing series reflecting upon Women and Gender in Early Christianity. For today’s reflection, I outline and reflect on Elaine Pagels’ “What Became of God as Mother? Conflicting Images of God in Early Christianity.”[1] In so doing I argue that while Pagels’ approach to the question of the divine feminineContinue reading “Gnosticism, Women, and Elaine Pagels”
Book Review: After Acts (Liftin)
Many readers of the New Testament are both fascinated and perplexed by the book of Acts, the earliest “history of Christianity” put to papyrus. Acts begins to tell the story of the church, following the miracles, lives, and journeys of Peter, the Jerusalem Church, and the Apostle Paul. But Acts also ends abruptly—with Paul underContinue reading “Book Review: After Acts (Liftin)”
Book Review: Lukan Authorship of Hebrews (Allen)
Few queries surrounding the New Testament are as well known as the question regarding the authorship of Hebrews. Since the early centuries of Christianity—indeed, long before the New Testament canon was finalized—inquisitive readers have investigated who wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews. Origen, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Eusebius, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, and Harnack (toContinue reading “Book Review: Lukan Authorship of Hebrews (Allen)”
Reflections on Mary: Theotokos
This post is part of an ongoing series reflecting on Mary and her role in Christian theology. I begin these reflections on the Marian topic with which I am most comfortable: calling Mary the “Mother of God” or (in the language of the early Church) the theotokos (God-bearer). There are several reasons for my affirmationContinue reading “Reflections on Mary: Theotokos”
Reflections on Mary: Historically Informed Theology
One of the perils of being a graduate student is constant busyness. For me, this busyness often distracts me from writing about subjects which are interesting and important but which are (unfortunately) beyond my ability to find time to address. One such subject is the Blessed Virgin Mary. In my searching for answers, Mary hasContinue reading “Reflections on Mary: Historically Informed Theology”
Church Search: Roman Catholic Church
This post is part of our ongoing Church Search. For more information on our search and the churches we have visited already, please click here. During the “First Exposure” phase of our search, we are visiting different churches to gain a basic understanding of their doctrines and practices. Following these visits, we will post someContinue reading “Church Search: Roman Catholic Church”
Pursuing Veritas 