June 13, 1997 (David W. Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061-0368, fbns@wayoflife.org) - The May 1997 issue of New Covenant magazine contains an article by Lutheran pastor Charles Dickson entitled "Mary: Bridge to Christian Unity." New Covenant is a charismatic Roman Catholic publication. Dickson makes the following amazing statements:

"The agony that a mother experiences when her children are squabbling and fighting among themselves may be a fair analogy to describe the agony the Blessed Virgin Mary must experience amidst the quarrels dividing the disciples of her Son. In view of this it is not surprising that the bishop of Osnabruck in Germany has suggested that Mary be regarded as the 'patroness' of ecumenism, the rallying point where Christians of all varieties may find unity, common goals and mutual love. ...

"As Lutheran theologian Harding Meyer recently observed, 'Luther, Malancthon and Zwingli not only did not question teachings about Mary, they explicitly adopted them.' These teachings included the virgin birth, the doctrine of the Theotokos (Mother of God), the semper virgo (ever-virgin) of the Fifth Ecumenical Council, and the sanctification of Mary as advocated by St. Bernard, St. Thomas Aquinas and others. ...

"The job for both Catholics and Protestants in our day, then, becomes one of healing. We need to search diligently for ways of unburdening the Mariological problem that has so splintered our efforts at unity. ... In all these efforts, the Blessed Mother of Our Lord waits with open arms for her children to cease their quarrels and become a family again. She is truly the bridge to Christian unity.

"The starting point for building such unity is the recognition by all that Jesus is our Savior and Lord. Mary, by God's decree, is always a part of that relationship. ...

"What Protestants have had difficulty understanding are the intentions of Catholic teachings about Mary. In the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption teachings it has not been the intention of the Catholic Church to elevate the Blessed Virgin Mary to deity status, but rather to show her as the shining model of genuine Christian hope. It is the hope for all humankind. Such a rereading and enlightened understanding on the part of the Protestant community will help to refocus the attention of the entire Christian world on Mary, not as a point of division, but as the real bridge to unity for us all" (Charles Dickson, "Mary: Bridge to Christian Unity," New Covenant, May 1997, pp. 6,8).

We believe Dickson has a good point. The Catholic Mary can be a source of unity for apostate Protestants who have rejected the Word of God and for signs and wonders-loving charismatics. At the conferences sponsored by the North American Congress on the Holy Spirit & World Evangelization in 1987 and 1990, I saw evidence of this Mary unity. In the exhibition area there were booths promoting Mary pilgrimages. In the book store area there were rosaries and Madonnas for sale. Some of the speakers glorified Mary and prayed to her. These two conferences were attended by an estimated 60,000 ecumenical charismatics representing more than 40 denominations. Copies of the premiere issue of the magazine New Evangelization 2000 were distributed at the 1987 conference. It featured a report entitled "Global Rosary for World Peace," describing Pope John Paul II's televised rosary on June 6, 1987, to conclude the "Marian Year." An estimated 1.5 billion people observed the satellite transmission of the pope praying to Mary and seeking her blessings. Vatican Radio broadcast the program in 35 languages. The pope concluded, "WITH A SMILE FROM THE VIRGIN MARY, THE ROSARY WILL BRING TO OUR WORLD THE TENDER TONES OF GOD'S LOVE FOR ANXIOUS HUMANITY IN THE 20TH CENTURY."

By the way, Dickson claims the Protestant leaders accepted Catholic doctrine pertaining to Mary. Insofar as it is true, it is not surprising, because the founders of the Protestant denominations accepted many of the false doctrines and practices of Rome. A false doctrine of baptism is one example. A false doctrine of the church is another. Our authority is not what a Protestant leader did or did not believe; our sole authority is the Bible. We do not go back to the Reformation or to some "church father" for our guidance; we go all of the way back to the Apostles and to the churches they founded and described for us in the pages of the holy Scriptures.

Yes, the Catholic Mary might be a source of unity for apostate Christians; but for Bible believers, the Catholic Mary is a man-made idol from which we are instructed to separate. Mary is never called the Mother of God in Scripture. The only Queen of Heaven mentioned in Scripture is an idol worshipped in Old Testament times (Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17-25). Mary is never said to be sinless or ever-virgin or co-redemptress. The Bible does not say that Mary ascended bodily into heaven. Not once does the Bible instruct believers to pray to Mary or to any other departed Christian. Not once do we find anyone praying to Mary in the Word of God. Mary, the mother of Jesus, is not even mentioned, in fact, in the Apostolic Epistles. The last time we see her is in Acts 1:14 in the upper room before the day of Pentecost. There are no rosaries in Scripture, no pilgrimages to holy shrines. The New Testament gives no instructions for the construction of shrines and cathedrals dedicated to Mary.