Mary, the Mother of God?

There is no greater emotion that can upset and heat up a conversation between Catholics and Evangelicals more than the doctrines of Mariology - the study of Mary. As I am teaching this 4-part series, a full range of emotions, from anger to thankfulness, has emerged. One man, a Catholic, was seen and heard yelling at his daughter, an Evangelical, as he stormed out of the church for her listening to this "heresy" while another former Catholic wrote to tell me how blessed she was and how informative the sermons have been. Several Catholics admitted they have never understood the full meaning of the Immaculate Conception or the far-reaching implications of calling Mary the Mother of God.

I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools. I have the same memories of the unique "teaching and discipline style" of nuns as many baby boomers who experienced the same life journey. Some of my fondest childhood memories of Christmas include singing in the boys choir at Christmas Eve Mass. God used this upbringing to soften my heart toward Jesus as my personal Savior and my rich religious heritage is precious to me. For some time after I was converted I did not give up my belief in many of the Catholic doctrines concerning Mary. It was a tough emotional struggle. But I simply could not justify believing in doctrines that could not be supported by the Word of God. Not long after acknowledging Christ as my Savior and personal Redeemer, I concluded I had to leave the Catholic Church. My extended family treated me cruelly, even blaming me for my father's premature death. They called me everything from an atheist to a Jehovah's Witness. My wife was blamed for leading me "astray." We were cursed at and assured we were heading straight for hell fire. Of course, this saddened me. As I matured in my own faith, I committed myself to demonstrating kindness and love toward those who disagree with me. I hope that commitment is clear in my present series, Ave Maria.

As I work through this series, the challenge I face is to proclaim what it true while respecting those who do not agree with me. My hope is that I would be treated in kind. These issues generate a lot of heat and passion on both sides. That is not the intent of the series. My main objectives are to teach what the Catholic Church has historically believed about Mary, where those doctrines came from, and why I disagree with them. Along with that objective is to challenge Protestants to understand the uniqueness of Mary as God's choice to bear His Son and to recognize the richness of her faith that is reflected in the Magnificat and what little God has revealed to us about her. As I work through this material, my desire is that, among any who choose to listen to what I have to say, they would gain a greater appreciation for why the Reformation happened in the first place - what I call the three trumpets of Evangelical Christianity, sola gratia (we are saved by grace alone), sola fide (through faith alone), and sola scriptura (the scriptures alone are the Word of God).

Catholics believe that what is true is ascertained by scripture, tradition, and reason. On this matter I disagree with them. And that formulates the basis of my sermon series, "Ave Maria." You can listen to these messages by clicking on the Ave Maria link in the left column. Better yet, you can watch them LIVE on Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM by visiting www.grpc.org. Notes are also available for those of you who wish to check out my sources. But, if you disagree with my conclusions, remember to be kind in the way you communicate your opinions.

In His Grip,
Dr. Chuck Betters