Scot McKnight has been married for 47 years, a professor for nearly 40 years, and an author of more than 80 books. His books from Paraclete include the bestseller, The Jesus Creed; Praying with the Church; and To You All Hearts are Open.
For years, the screensaver on the computer of Bishop Sally Dyck
(Minnesota Area) was Fra Angelico's famous painting "The
Annunciation." Depicting the moment the angel first appeared to
Mary, the image reminded Bishop Dyck daily of God's calling in an
"in-your-face-way."
Some would like to see more Protestants following Bishop Dyck's
example of looking to Mary, the mother of Jesus, as a source for
inspiration. In three new books - Mary for Evangelicals, by Tim
Perry, Strange Heaven by Jon Sweeney and The Real Mary by Scot
McKnight - Protestant authors assert that their fellow believers
have neglected Mary. And that's a spiritual loss, they add.
While Mary has long been an important and revered figure in the
Roman Catholic tradition, for Protestants, she's typically been
"little more than a figurine in a manger scene", says Bishop
Dyck.
Why? At the time of the Reformation, Protestants deemed many of the
Roman Catholic beliefs surrounding Mary as unscriptural. "But they
threw out Mary with the Catholic bath water." Bishop Dyck said.
"That was unfortunate."
All Christians can profit from Mary's example, she says, because
"God called Mary to bear Christ into the world. And God calls each
of us, in our own way, to bear Christ in the world, too."
Mary Jacobs United Methodist Reporter December 1, 2006
McKnight wants Protestants to overcome past neglect by holding an
annual "Honor Mary Day." Perry lays ground for a fullfledged
"evangelical Mariology," borrowing that category from Catholic
theology. Christmas as such is no issue (except for liberals who
deny the biblical report that Mary was a virgin when she
miraculously conceived and gave birth). On other topics, McKnight
says, "the Mary of the Bible has been hijacked by theological
controversies." A rundown: Protestants, who believe the Bible is
Christianity's supreme authority, think some Mary traditions go
beyond what Scripture says or violate its teachings. The harshest
polemics say popular devotion to Mary overshadows Jesus and
constitutes heresy, blasphemy or idolatry. One very troublesome
tenet, the Immaculate Conception, means that God forever freed Mary
from original sin. In 1854, the papacy made this a mandatory
"doctrine revealed by God." The Catholic catechism affirms that
"Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long."
Belief in Mary's unique sanctity underlies the papacy's required
dogma of the Assumption (1950), meaning Mary was taken bodily into
heaven upon death. Protestants say Catholicism contradicts the
Bible's teaching that "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23), Mary
included, and that Jesus is the lone exception, "tempted as we are,
yet without sinning" (Hebrews 4:15). Perry says Mary was at least
misguided because she joined doubters who tried to physically
restrain Jesus and thought "he is beside himself," that is, crazy
(Mark 3:21-35). Yet Mary eventually accepted Jesus' vocation and
became one of Christianity's 120 founders (Acts 1:12-15).
Speculations about the beginning and end of Mary's life are
unnecessary when the Bible is "utterly silent," Perry thinks. He
esteems Mary not as the model of perfection above human limitations
but of persistence in faith. Is it proper to pray to Mary and other
saints in heaven? Perry sees some biblical basis, since in this
life believers ask each other for prayers. He proposes that both
this practice and its rejection be recognized as "authentic forms
of Christian witness." From early times, Christians taught Mary's
perpetual virginity, meaning she and Joseph never had marital
relations. Protestants disagree because Matthew 1:25 says Joseph
"knew her not until" Jesus' birth and passages including Mark 6:3
mention Jesus' "brothers" and "sisters." Catholics think these
weren't siblings but cousins. Perry rules that out but says they
could have been stepchildren from a prior marriage of Joseph, as
the Orthodox believe. However, he thinks this belief caused
"regrettable" denigration of sexuality. Fortunately for interchurch
relations, Catholicism has never officially proclaimed Mary's
popular titles of mediator and co-redeemer with Christ. Perry says
that however such terms are used, Jesus' uniqueness as the only
savior must never be compromised. Associated Press December 21,
2006
Los Angeles - Scot McKnight, a religious studies professor, was
teaching years ago when he had an "aha" moment. McKnight had read
the Magnificat, the Virgin Mary's hymn of praise from the Gospel
of
Luke. "What kind of woman would have said this?" McKnight asked his
students at North Park University in Chicago.
As he listened to their answers, McKnight, an evangelical
Christian, became convinced that one, most Protestants know next to
nothing about Mary; and two, the popular conception of Mary as
"hyper-pious, with her hands folded in prayer . . . like a nun,"
has little to do with the "courageous, gutsy" young woman - "the
real Mary" - of the Bible.
McKnight vowed to "reclaim" Mary, a New Testament figure revered by
Roman Catholics and largely overlooked by Protestants. His new
book, "The Real Mary: Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace the
Mother of Jesus," tries to do that.
McKnight isn't the only Protestant taking another look at the
mother of Jesus.
"The Nativity Story," a movie that chronicles the lives of Mary and
Joseph and the birth of Jesus, hits theaters Friday. McKnight and
his publisher, Paraclete Press, have organized more than 60
Protestant groups to host forums in early December to discuss the
movie and the book. The goal, as McKnight sees it, is nothing short
of a coup. "There are a few of us who are in a Trojan horse,"
McKnight said. "It's as if we've been released in the Vatican, and
we're swiping Mary and taking her back to the Protestant
world."
"The Nativity Story" will premiere at the Vatican. Filmmakers,
however, held some 60 early screenings for Protestant leaders to
energize their flocks.
"We've taken the film around to every big Protestant leader we can
think of," said Wyck Godfrey, one of the producers. "We've gotten
it to Rick Warren, the Pat Robertson family, Focus on the Family,
Mission America, Young Life, Campus Crusade."
Godfrey, a Presbyterian, said the film tries to portray Mary as
down-to-earth. "The bent we took was very Protestant, really,
treating Mary as a human, someone going through something very
difficult, with real emotions. We were not trying to create her as
some iconic saint."
Tim Franklin, pastor at the evangelical Bridgeport Congregational
Church in Vermont, said he hoped his sermons on Mary would build a
"bridge to greater understanding" between faiths.
Before reading McKnight's book and watching "The Nativity Story" at
Willow Creek mega-church outside Chicago, Franklin would never have
dedicated an entire sermon to Mary, he said. Now, Franklin plans
four sermons on the Virgin.
"It's a big step," he said.
The Plain Dealer November 25, 2006
Scot McKnight, founder of Jesus Cree. and the Karl A. Olsson
Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University, has
written a most conciliatory volume exploring The Real Mary. While
the book is just in time for Christmas and coincides with the
release of The Nativity Story at theaters nationwide, it is not
only for the holiday season. While the movie leaves off shortly
after the birth of Jesus, McKnight is just getting started. He
takes a high-level look at Mary as she is portrayed throughout
scripture and keeps on going. He discusses the accumulation of
traditional Catholic teachings about Mary and suggests a way for
Evangelicals to embrace a balanced treatment of her. This is an
appropriate gift book for the Christmas season, but it is one that
could be read any time of year.
The book is divided into three sections. Part I, making up the bulk
of the book, takes us through a historical look at Mary throughout
scripture. Part II devotes three chapters to the ongoing life of
Mary in the church, explaining the origins of much of Roman
Catholic tradition and dogma surrounding Mary. McKnight treats this
topic with respect, pointing out the essential presuppositions that
mark the divide between Catholics and Protestants on the subject of
Mary. The fact that the book is published by Paraclete Press is
ample evidence of his even-handed, courteous treatment of
Catholics. His charitable approach is a refreshing tonic to the
often vituperative animosity commonly found in Evangelical writing.
Part Ill, consisting of a single chapter, summarizes the crux of
McKnight's theme - that Evangelicals need to reclaim at least what
the Bible says about Mary. To be honest, we are likely to hear more
sermons about 'Doubting Thomas" of whom much less was recorded in
scripture, than we are of the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Heresy is sometimes defined as truth out of balance. Evangelicals
recognize that Mary has received a disproportionate amount of
emphasis in the Roman Catholic church with relation to her mention
in scripture. However, instead of giving a proportional emphasis to
her role in the gospel narrative, many Evangelicals deemphasize her
almost to invisibility, mentioning her only during the holiday
season. I cannot recall ever hearing a sermon taken from or
examining the Magnificat. Attempting to correct Roman Catholic
excesses, Evangelicals may have erred in the other extreme.
McKnight attempts to return balance to the discussion by placing
Mary back into perspective as part of the story of Jesus. I applaud
his efforts in this regard and would recommend this book for that
purpose.
The book s neither a scholarly examination of the place of Mary,
nor an adoring
pagan extolling her virtues, although the scholarship and
respectful treatment behind the text are obvious. This is an easy
book to read, intended for a popular audience and well suited to
reflection on what it was like to be a young mother of the Messiah
in a dangerous world. By humanizing the account of the gospels,
McKnight takes us beyond the encrustation of centuries of tradition
to look at the flesh-and-blood person who was the mother of our
Lord. Indeed, we can join with Mary in her Magnificat praising the
God who saw fit to reveal himself in human flesh in the person of
Messiah Jesus for the purpose of delivering the world from its
sins.
Beyond that, McKnight advocates the collective church setting aside
a Mary Day to reflect on the life of Mary and the meaning of her
impact on the Church. Personally, I am disinclined to support such
because we lack days dedicated to Paul, Peter, James and others of
whom the Bible says more. However, for those who would benefit from
the discipline of reflecting on the importance and influence of
Bible characters at set times, McKnight provides a helpful guide.
Indeed, he includes a comprehensive list of scriptures, suggestions
for reflection, prayers, and hymns at the back of the book for this
purpose
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