The Mary We Forgot: What the Apostle to the Apostles Teaches the Church Today
Ebook
Mary Magdalene's life was transformed when she was healed by Christ and joined his ministry from Galilee to Jerusalem. The Gospels teach that she was also a witness at the cross and the first one sent by Christ to preach his resurrection. Yet her story is often confused, scandalized, and undervalued by the church.
In The Mary We Forgot, award-winning church historian and theologian Jennifer Powell McNutt unpacks Scripture and history to reveal the real Mary Magdalene: the first apostle of the good news and a model of discipleship for both men and women today.
McNutt also invites readers along on her journey through southern France, tracing the path remembered by some church traditions as where Mary Magdalene spread the gospel. Christians will learn from the disciple known as the "apostle to the apostles" how to embrace Jesus's calling to "go and tell" with faith and courage. They'll also be encouraged by the reminder that God calls ordinary, imperfect, and unexpected people to share the good news of Jesus Christ. The hope of remembering Mary Magdalene is ultimately to better know the one to whom she pointed, the risen Christ.
From the Back Cover
Setting the Story Straight about Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene's life was transformed when she was healed by Christ and joined his ministry from Galilee to Jerusalem. The Gospels teach that she was also a witness at the cross and the first one sent by Christ to preach his resurrection. Yet her story is often confused, scandalized, and undervalued by the church.
In The Mary We Forgot, award-winning church historian and theologian Jennifer Powell McNutt unpacks Scripture and history to reveal the real Mary Magdalene: the first apostle of the good news and a model of discipleship for both men and women today.
"By helping us find the real Mary, this book does what Mary's own story does. It points us to Jesus, the King and Savior who healed her and changed her life."
--Esau McCaulley (from the foreword)
"At a time when we have forgotten so many biblical women, this book calls us to remember one of the most crucial. Take up and read!"
--Beth Allison Barr, professor, Baylor University; bestselling author of The Making of Biblical Womanhood
"It is difficult to praise this book too highly. I commend it to all who want to follow Jesus, especially those interested in the attention, dignity, and tasks of ministry that he gave (and gives) to women in the church. Highly recommended!"
--Tish Harrison Warren, Anglican priest, former New York Times columnist, and author of Liturgy of the Ordinary and Prayer in the Night
"The fanciful story of prostitute-turned-saint makes for good drama, but what does Scripture really say about this Mary? McNutt rightly dwells on what the Gospels teach: her faith and deep devotion to Jesus. This was a delight to read."
--Nijay K. Gupta, professor, Northern Seminary; author of Tell Her Story
"A rich and provocative book that brings the larger biblical narrative to life again."--Karen Swallow Prior, author of The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis
"McNutt leaves no stone unturned in her quest for the real Mary Magdalene. This book was a joy to read!"--Carmen Joy Imes, associate professor, Talbot School of Theology; author of Being God's Image and Bearing God's Name
Contents
Foreword by Esau McCaulley
Introduction: Mary Magdalene Superstar
1. The Women of Scripture and a Hermeneutic of Surprise
2. Will the Real Mary Magdalene Please Stand Up?
3. Mary Magdalene and Her Church Interpreters
4. France's Beloved Preacher and Evangelist
5. A Woman Possessed--and Healed
6. The "Certain Women" in Jesus's Inner Circle
7. Go and Tell like Mary Magdalene
8. The First Apostle Chosen by Christ
Epilogue: Mary Magdalene for the Church Today
- Title: The Mary We Forgot: What the Apostle to the Apostles Teaches the Church Today
- Authors: Jennifer McNutt, Esau McCaulley
- Publisher: Brazos Press
- Print Publication Date: 2024
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781493446438, 9781587436178, 1587436175, 1493446436
- Resource ID: LLS:9781493446438
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-10-05T07:21:28Z
Jennifer Powell McNutt (PhD, The University of St. Andrews) is the Franklin S. Dyrness Chair of Biblical and Theological Studies and professor of theology and history of Christianity at Wheaton College. She is an award-winning author, a fellow in the Royal Historical Society, and an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian tradition. McNutt serves as a parish associate at her church and regularly speaks at universities, seminaries, and churches across the country. She and her husband cofounded McNuttshell Ministries, which serves as a bridge between the academy and the church, and live with their three children in Winfield, Illinois.