OK, so here is a thought for you, and the reason why I have left intercession of the saints until the end of my musings on the Theotokos. Think with me on this. Do a thought experiment with me.
Imagine two cases. The first is the one in which the Anabaptists are 100% correct. Most Holy Mary is not Ever-Virgin. She is not Queen of Heaven. She was not bodily taken up into heaven. The second one is the one in which the Orthodox/Catholics are 100% correct. The Theotokos is Ever-Virgin. She is Queen of Heaven. She was bodily taken up into heaven. Would either case make a significant difference in the message of Christianity? Mind you, either option does change the way one preaches, but that is not my question. Would your Christianity be destroyed if you believed in the one and it turned out that the other was true? Frankly, I doubt it.
Most of the arguments over the three ideas that I mentioned have more to do with the fact that the Roman Church requires them to be believed rather than with the concepts themselves. Once one removes the legalism from those three facets of Our Lady, much of the heat dies down does it not? Even Queen of Heaven, provided it does not mean–in and of itself–authority, is not necessarily unacceptable to Protestants. After all, the Queen Mother of England was highly honored, even by her own daughter, the Queen, but had not authority per se.
OK, so what are the heat items? The two heat items are “Mother of God” and “intercession of the saints.” Both deal directly with two crucial issues. Who is Jesus Christ and what happened at the Incarnation? And, what are the different ways in which we communicate our petitions to God, with the certain expectation that He will hear them. Can you see how those would be rather heat-producing subjects?
Stay tuned!
[Author’s later note:Â I do happen to believe that, following a couple of verses in the Old Testament, the position of Queen Mother does carry some delegated authority. My point was that it is not the title Queen Mother itself that carries the “problem,” it is the thought that the position might also carry some authority, if you see what I mean.]
I think you’ve reiterated what we’ve been saying here for a few days now: The ever-virgin status of the Theotokos is not stumbling blocks to open minded protestants. Her bodily assumption into heaven is somewhat of one, mainly because she plays such a minor role in the gospels after Jesus’ birth, and of course it isn’t even hinted at. We anabaptist types are suspicious of tradition (except OUR tradition)
, as you know.
Having said that, it probably wouldn’t get you thrown out of too many evangelical churches these days if you proclaimed the assumption as your personal belief.
Her status as intercessor is much more problematic. I’m not sure what the meaning of Queen of Heaven actually is.
Belief in her birth without a sin nature (or guilt nature, or pre-fallen status) and her sinless life as the RC church believes is also a huge, probably insurmountable block.
Does the Orthodox church believe in the intercessor status of the Theotokos as a dogmatic point? I hope we see that in the next installment.