10 Reasons Mother Mary is for Evangelicals and Protestants too

Evangelicals and mainstream protestants can love Mary and pray with her. Here's why.

1. It's safe and good to talk with Mary

There is no requirement to believe other Catholic dogmas to love Mary and get her help. Mary doesn't detract from Jesus any more than talking to your mother-in-law interferes with your love for your spouse. It is a greater sign of love to welcome those Jesus loves than to say "I don't want to talk to your mother". Mary is in Heaven with Jesus who said:

"He is a God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive." (Lk 20:39-40).

Heaven is a lively place.

" ... we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses . . ." (Hebrews 12:1)

Mary is the mother of Jesus. She breast fed him, changed him, raised him and taught him to pray.

“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” St. Maximilian Kolbe (priest who died in Auschwitz)

2. Mary is your mother too, a sign of Christian unity

Early Christians called Mary the new Eve. Eve was the mother to all people born in the flesh. Mary is the mother of all those born in the Spirit. Eve was created sinless, but she fell into sin due to temptation from the devil. Mary was obedient to God, her "yes" undid Eve's "no". The Book of Revelation says all those who hold the testimony of Jesus are her children (Rev 11:19 - 12:6). That makes her our Mother. At the foot of the cross Jesus said to John "Behold your Mother". The early Christians said in that instant Jesus gave Mary to all of us, as our mother. (Jn 19:26).

Every mother wants her children to be united and free of division. Christians have been divided for centuries. Any mother is hurt when some of her children stop talking to her or to each other? Martin Luther loved Mary, but soon after many denominations stopped talking to her. We want to say "it's been over 400 years, please start talking to Mom".

3. Mary magnifies the Lord

In the Bible, Mary clearly spells out her role in eternity:

My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of his maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. (Lk 1:46-49)

To "magnify" Jesus is to make him more visible, rather than to distract from him. The words "all generations" includes all Christians.

4. Mary is a prayer warrior, among the first Christians to speak in tongues

Mary was a "born again" Christian who received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and spoke in tongues 2000 years before Pentecostals got the gift:

They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with ...Mary the mother of Jesus... a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages... (Acts 1:14, 2:3-4)...

She is a powerful prayer warrior, who prays for us and with us.

All of us are children of God, but only one human was also the spouse of the Holy Spirit and the mother of Jesus. Those two reasons, and many others, make her unlike any other human.

5. Mary's role didn't end with Jesus' birth

Some Evangelicals say "Mary's role ended with the Birth of Jesus" to which we might answer "did your mother's role in your life end with your birth?" She said "yes" to Gabriel so that he might be conceived (Luke 1:2), in the womb she brought him to Elizabeth and John the Baptist (Lk 1:43). The Magi fell to their knees in front of Mary as she held the baby Jesus (Mat 2:1-12). She told the disciples about Jesus' birth that they wrote in the Bible (Lk 2). She carried him to the temple to be offered to God (Lk 2:22), she raised him (Lk 2:22-38), she was there for the prophesy of his mission at 12 years old (Lk 2:49), she initiated his 1st miracle of water to wine, by saying to the waiter "do as he tells you" (Jn 2:3), she was faithful during his death on Calvary (Jn 19:26) when 11 of his 12 disciples had abondoned, denied, or betrayed him. She prayed in tongues at the birth of the Church at Pentecost (Acts 1:14).

6. Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant

If Jesus is the Word made flesh, then Mary is the Ark made flesh. The Ark of the Old Covenant carried the Word of God made stone (10 Commandments). Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant who carried the Word of God made flesh when she was pregnant. (Jn 1:1, Ez 11:19) The Bible says the Ark was immaculately made (Ex 37) and calls us to honour it (2 Sam 6:6). The Ark of the Old Covenant disappeared during the Babylonian conquest (Jer 3:16). It shows up again in the Book of Revelation.

God’s temple in heaven was opened, the ark of his covenant ... a woman ... pregnant ... a great red dragon stood before the woman so that he might devour her child ... she gave birth to ... a male child, who is to rule all the nations ... [who was] taken to God and to his throne ... the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus. Rev 11:19-12:6

We can honour Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, just as the Jewish people honoured the Ark of the Old Covenant. The Ark was not the Word of God, but it was very important.

Show more about Mary as the Ark of the Covenant

Ark of the Old Testament	Fulfillment - Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant
There I have set the ark in which is the [old] covenant of the Lord that he made with his people Israel (2 Ch 6:11)	Elizabeth's spouse, Zachariah says "He has remembered his holy covenant" (Lk 1:72) "the new covenant in my blood" (Lk 22:20)
The Word was written by God on Tablets of Stone (Ex 25:10) placed inside the Ark (Deut 10:1)	The Word of God became Flesh (John 1) conceived inside Mary (Lk 2:38) Mary carried the Word of God.
[The New Covenant] will not be like the covenant that... they broke though I was their husband (Jer 31:31)	The Holy Spirit (God) is Mary's spouse (Lk 1:35)
"Who am I that the Ark of my Lord should come to me?" (2 Sam 6:9)	"Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me" (Lk 1:43)
When the Ark carrying the Word of God returned "Hugh was leaping and dancing before the Lord" (2 Sam 6:14)	When Mary came into Elizabeth's presence carrying the word of God, the baby leaped for joy in Elizabeth's womb (Lk 2 38)
The Ark carrying the Word of God is brought to the house of Obed-Edom for 3 months, where it was a blessing. (2 Sam 6:11)	Mary (the new Ark) carrying the Word of God goes to Elizabeth's house for 3 months, where she is a blessing (Lk 1:56)
The Ark is captured (1 Sam 4:11) and brought to a foreign land and later returns (1 Sam 6:13)	Mary (the new Ark) is exiled to a foreign land (Egypt) and later returns (Mat 2:14)
The Ark of the Old Covenant disappears (Jer 3:16) never to return	The Ark of the New Covenant appears as Mary (Rev 11:19)
The Ark was in God's Temple on earth (Ex. 30:26)	Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant is in God's temple in Heaven (Rev 11:19)
Joshua summoned the twelve men carrying 12 stones representing the tribes of Israel. "Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God." (Josh 4:3-5)	The Ark of the New Covenant, Mary with a crown of twelve stars representing the tribes of Israel. (Rev 12 :1, 11:19)
The Israelites circle Jericho with the Ark of the Covenant and blowing horns for seven days before their victory. (Joshua 6)	The angels blow seven trumpets to herald the victory over Satan, (Rev. 8-11) before the introduction Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant (Rev. 12) which proceeds the final battle in Heaven.

7. Mary is the authentic face of modern feminism

She said "yes" to the Holy Spirit without asking permission from Joseph or her parents, both of whom were significantly affected. She trusted that it would work out, and thanks to Archangel Gabriel's message to Joseph, it did. (Mat 1:18-25) She was tough, had endurance, was humble but strong. She was submissive yet unflinchingly faithful.

Some good Christian women have husbands who have lost faith or have fallen away. Mary shows women how to take the spiritual lead when God speaks. But she wasn't defiant. She followed Joseph when he heard from the Lord, such as when they fled for Egypt (Mat 2:13).

8. Mary helps men during difficulties in marriage and/or porn

Every marriage has its ups and downs. Prayerful Christian wives run to Jesus when there is emotional distance between spouses. Not only do they receive his healing love, but there is also something particular about Jesus being a male and them being female. He gives them the male attention they need, in a healthy and wolesome way.

During marriage difficulties the devil tries to lure men into resentment for not receiving affection and tempts them with masturbation, porn, and adultery. Christian men need to run to Jesus just as their wives do. However, there is something particular about also reaching out to Mary during these times. She soothes wounded emotions and gives men the female attention they need, in a healthy and wholesome way. Soon the emotions subside and we can return to a strong marriage, rather than letting the distance create a foundation for further division and/or disordered habits. Mary has helped many men avoid and/or escape the ravages of pornography through her prayer, intercession, and example of chastity.

9. Mary is the ultimate prolife witness

Mary was a pregnant teen. She helps mothers who are contemplating (or have had) abortions. She said "Yes" to life, in the biggest way possible, even when an "out of wedlock" pregnancy could result in being stoned to death under Jewish law. She risked the safety of her betrothal to Joseph, who initially rejected her, and she didn't ask his permission to have the baby. She didn't ask for her parent's permission to have the baby. She just went ahead in faith, trusting it would all work out, and it did. Mary knew what rejection felt like. She also spent years as a refugee in Egypt. (Mat 2:13–23). Pregnant teens can look to her. They don't need their boyfriend's permission or their parent's permission to keep the baby. The little boy or girl in her womb is God's creation.

10. If you pray to Jesus about Mary, he'll answer

Any Evangelical would say it is perfectly safe to pray to Jesus about anything. We invite you to pray to Jesus about Mary. Give him time to respond. We suggest you try this for a couple of weeks daily. We expect you will have the same experience that has led to our powerful convictions about the validity of Mary as a helper for the helpless, and a great prayer warrior.