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Responses to our December issue.

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The First Christian

I love Mary as the mother of our Savior. As a former Catholic who was taught she was an intercessor to Christ, I had to learn to comprehend she was only chosen to be his mother. She, too, was a sinner who needed a Savior. She deserves to be admired and respected but certainly not worshiped or prayed to.

Donna Farina-Salustri (Facebook)

While I found “The First Christian” very interesting, I think it had two notable flaws. First, Mary Magdalene would be the first Christian. Believing in the promise of the Messiah does not make one a Christian. Trusting in the crucified and risen Messiah is what makes a Christian. Mary Magdalene was the first human to witness the resurrection; therefore she would be the first Christian. Secondly, McNutt and Peeler ignore the fact that Jesus’ mother and brothers tried to interrupt his ministry (Matt. 12:46–50; Mark 3:31–35; Luke 8:19–21)! In doing that, the authors miss the opportunity to talk about how Mary, like many of her illustrious ancestor-kings, was a good person who did something wrong. That one wrong thing didn’t make her bad, but it does remind us that Mary’s story isn’t about how good she is. Instead, Mary’s story, like every Bible story, is about God, who is in control and works with flawed vessels whom he dearly loves.

Cheryl Okimoto Salem, MO

Thank you for this excellent exegesis and proclamation of Mary’s important role in Scripture, and for the illuminating information about not only Luther’s devotion to Mary, which I knew, but the witness of Zwingli (who knew?) and Calvin. Mary’s “be it unto me according to your word” has been important to me since my early 20s, and she calls to my heart repeatedly when I’ve visited Marian shrines in Israel and elsewhere. I especially appreciated Jennifer McNutt and Amy Peeler’s stating the obvious but neglected truth that men need to learn from the examples of biblical women as well as the usual male heroes. Let’s also hear it for Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel, Mary Magdalene, Priscilla and Lydia, and other biblical women!

Rev. Robert Morris South Orange, NJ

I was pleasantly surprised by the picture of Mary speaking in tongues on the Day of Pentecost! A new thought for me. (I am neither charismatic nor anti-tongues.) However, I do believe the article could have greater depth with a brief discussion of Mary’s failures. Understanding that leads us to a more accurate and helpful picture of who Mary was. Sure, she was a great saint. But she had feet of clay like the rest of the saints. We all know about Peter’s failure, and we are proud of Peter! There is no reason to hide the failures of Mary.

Alan Jarboe Sequim, WA

The Bible Goes Back to School

The article states that because of funding many of the classes were dropped. Perhaps the Bible Literacy Project should provide materials and teachers at no cost to the schools? If it were really important to them … freely you have received, freely give.

Tammie Gardner Williams (Facebook)

How Much Is Restoration Worth?

As a Christian counselor for 15-plus years, I’m continually amazed that certain “biblical counselors” still take the approaches used by those who initially counseled Amanda. Reconciliation is indeed a vital part of therapy for the client; however, the client’s safety is paramount first and foremost. For an abuser, I would counsel extensive therapy (with licensed professional counselors), submission to church authority, and accountability, as well as demonstrable repentance, before I’d ever recommend a client and her (or his) abuser reside under the same roof (if ever).

Justin Meyer El Paso, TX

The very idea that there are so-called “Christians” out there enabling abusive men with their “biblical” counseling and calling women to “repent” of burning dinner or not having enough sex fills me with rage. Do we really still think that a girl molested by her own father was “asking for it”? The very fact that these women and children are fleeing the church to find refuge in the secular authorities should tell us that something is rotten in the church. When the goodness of the world exceeds the goodness of the church, Satan has won. We should be hanging our heads in shame begging God for forgiveness.

William Griese Orlando, FL

Crossing the Road to Christ

I always turn to your testimony page first. Especially blessed with the current issue. I witness continually in my ministry the transformation of drug addicts to Christ, so when I read of an academic coming to Christ, I see it as even a greater miracle than what I witness all the time. Thank you, CT.

Don Wilkerson Locust Grove, VA

Corrections: In December’s magazine, the Gleanings header for “Christians, aid workers targeted by Boko Haram” was incorrect and should have read “Nigeria.”

Also in the December issue, the article “Ten Thousand Charms” misnamed the author of Social Responsibilities of the Businessman. It is Howard Bowen.

Also in this issue

This month’s cover story examines the power of communal confession to heal the church’s—and society’s—deepest divisions. But pastor and writer Jeff Peabody doesn’t point to the early church or to liturgical traditions as the model for how we should pray; he turns to the famous ancient prayer of Daniel at the end of Israel’s long Babylonian exile. The prayer upends our typical notions of what it means to “speak prophetically,” and the implications for our fractious cultural and political moment are striking.

Cover Story

Forgive Us Our Sins (And Theirs, Too)

Set Free by the Cross, Why Do We Live in Bondage?

New Editor, Old Roots

The Motherly Love of a Wrathful God

Democratic Christians Weigh Their Primary Concerns

Real Love Requires a Command

News

Have You Noticed Church Is Farther Away Than it Used to Be?

María de los Ángeles La Torre Cuadros

Why Do Fewer Christian Women Work in Science?

Twelve Christian Women in Science You Should Know

Erica Carlson

Mary Schweitzer

Joanna Ng

Audrey Bowden

Margaret Miller

Lydia Manikonda

Jessica Moerman

Keila Natilde Lopez

Georgia Dunston

Mercy Akinyi

Alynne MacLean

Testimony

I Assumed Science Had All the Answers. Then I Started Asking Inconvenient Questions.

The Old Testament Twins We’ve Forgotten

Our March Issue: Us vs. Us

News

Christian Martyr Numbers Down by Half in a Decade. Or Are They?

News

Despite a Murder and Visa Denials, Christians Persevere in Turkey

The Many Faces of Narcissism in the Church

Review

Religious Parents Are Remarkably Similar, Even When They Belong to Different Religions

Review

Be Careful About Reading the Bible as a Political Guide

New & Noteworthy Books

Excerpt

My Generation Prized ‘Authenticity.’ Why I’ve Come to Love Wearing a Mask.

News

Why German Evangelicals Are Praising God in English

View issue

Our Latest

The Black Women Missing from Our Pews

America’s most churched demographic is slipping from religious life. We must go after them.

The Still Small Voice in the Deer Stand

Since childhood, each hunting season out in God’s creation has healed wounds and deepened my faith.

Play Those Chocolate Sprinkles, Rend Collective!

The Irish band’s new album “FOLK!” proclaims joy after suffering.

News

Wall Street’s Most Famous Evangelical Sentenced in Unprecedented Fraud Case

Judge gives former billionaire Bill Hwang 18 years in prison for crimes that outweigh his “lifetime” of “charitable works.”

Public Theology Project

How a Dark Sense of Humor Can Save You from Cynicism

A bit of gallows humor can remind us that death does not have the final word.

News

Died: Rina Seixas, Iconic Surfer Pastor Who Faced Domestic Violence Charges

The Brazilian founder of Bola de Neve Church, which attracted celebrities and catalyzed 500 congregations on six continents, faced accusations from family members and a former colleague.

Review

The Quiet Faith Behind Little House on the Prairie

How a sincere but reserved Christianity influenced the life and literature of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

‘Bonhoeffer’ Bears Little Resemblance to Reality

The new biopic from Angel Studios twists the theologian’s life and thought to make a political point.

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