"Mary Christmas: The Mother(hood) of God for the Perplexed"

Recorded live at The Camp House in Chattanooga, TN on Dec. 12, 2017.

From the beginning, Christians have affirmed that Jesus Christ was “born of the Virgin Mary.” Is this confession just a leftover from a superstitious era, or is it a core part of our faith? Why do the Christian creeds bother to mention Mary when they don’t mention, say, Joseph? Does Mary teach Christians anything about the way God views motherhood – or how they should? Does she matter for our salvation? Does she teach us anything about God?

We’ll explore all these questions in an unconventional format – via a conversation about motherhood between William Glass, who is not a mother, and Satoya Foster, who miraculously is. By telling Satoya’s journey through infertility to the surprising birth of her daughter Zoe, we will discuss why Jesus was born of a mother and no father, instead of, say, the opposite. We’ll learn why barrenness is such a big deal in the Bible (hint: it’s not just patriarchy!) and why (Mary’s) motherhood is a crucial part of how God saves us. Finally, we’ll show the part Mary plays in teaching Christians how to read their own Bible and to understand the motherhood of God their father.

About the Speakers:

William Glass is a PhD candidate in systematic theology at Southern Methodist University. His research is on Catholic and Protestant controversies concerning the doctrine of Marian co-redemption. Before attending SMU, he trained in biblical studies at Duke Divinity School, where he received one of two awards given to his year for excellence in Bible.

Satoya Foster is a musician currently based in Chattanooga, TN. Her latest album, Emergence, is available as of November 2017 (https://satoyafoster.com/). She leads worship at Mission Chattanooga, a multi-chapel Anglican congregation, and she is also training for ministry at the Mission School for Ministry.