Protestants Looking At Mary in New Light
(Friday church news notes, january 5, 2007, http://www.wayoflife.org/ fbns@wayoflife.org)
A growing number of protestants and evangelicals are looking at Mary in a more catholic light today, fueled by Hollywood movies (i.e., the passion of the Christ and the nativity story), books (i.e., the real Mary by Scot McKnight and blessed one by Beverly Gaventa), ecumenical associations, the charismatic movement, organizations such as the legion of Mary, and the spirit of apostasy that is in the air in these last days (2 timothy 4:3-4).
A growing number of protestants and evangelicals are looking at Mary in a more catholic light today, fueled by Hollywood movies (i.e., the passion of the Christ and the nativity story), books (i.e., the real Mary by Scot McKnight and blessed one by Beverly Gaventa), ecumenical associations, the charismatic movement, organizations such as the legion of Mary, and the spirit of apostasy that is in the air in these last days (2 timothy 4:3-4).
An article in the Miami herald for December 24 observed that a Lutheran church in Orlando features a nearly life-sized statue of Mary and the infant Jesus, an Episcopal church in Sarasota celebrates the feast day of the virgin of Guadalupe, and a united Methodist church in Chicago has a statue of Guadalupe in its sanctuary. Christianity today, the associated Baptist press, and the Lutheran have featured articles calling for Mary’s reappropriation. Since its inception in the 1960s, the charismatic "renewal" in the roman catholic church has exalted Mary. In 1979 light of life, India’s most influential evangelical magazine, asked if the charismatic Catholics' views of Mary had changed.
They responded: "nothing has happened to the great mother of god. She still remains queen of heaven and earth, respected, loved and venerated" (light of life, June 1979).
That same year Tyndale house published Michael Harper’s book the three sisters, which traced the growing ecumenical unity of evangelical Protestantism Evangeline), Pentecostalism (charisma), and roman Catholicism (roma). On page 49 Harper, an Anglican, exclaimed: "oh, what an enrichment it has been to meet with Catholics and to be introduced to some of the treasure stores of catholic life! The virgin Mary has come alive and I feel I know her now, in the same way as my evangelical heritage helped to know St. Paul."
At the north American congress on the holy spirit & world evangelization in new Orleans in July 1987, which brought together roughly 40,000 representatives of 40 denominations, there were many books for sale promoting the alleged Mary visitations at Medjugorje, Fatima, and Lourdes. The late and very influential assemblies of god preacher David Duplessis, who was called "Mr. Pentecost," believed that Mary was truly appearing at Medjugorje in Yugoslavia. He is listed on page 135 of the book "is the virgin Mary appearing at\ Medjugorje" (the word among us press, 1984).
A catholic priest who spoke at Indianapolis '90, an ecumenical charismatic conference that i attended with press credentials, told how that Protestants have learned to pray the rosary, which features prayers to Mary, through their relationships with Catholics in the anti-abortion movement. "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners" (1 Cor. 15:33).
Prophezine Special Note:
Note the HEAVY Catholic influence, Mary is alive and living well in the evangelical movements AND TBN today…
