Mark Lowry, Did You Know Your Mary Song Would Be Controversial?
“The success of ‘Mary Did You Know?’ is a miracle to the songwriter, three decades later.” - CToday
Related (RNS): ‘Mary Did You Know’ writer Mark Lowry good-natured over song’s controversy
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“I hope the song makes people think about the baby Jesus,” he said. “I hope it sends them running to Luke 1 to find out what Mary knew.”
Personally, I enjoy the song. It’s thought-provoking, in a sub-genre of music that isn’t known for stirring the cerebral cortex. To the overly hostile, I would argue: take a look at the Psalms. Are there any questions there that the Psalmist should have already known the answer to? I’d also ask, do we always “know” what we’ve been told? Asking questions that aren’t actually requests for information is a tradition in the Psalms, and Jesus did it quite a bit as well.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
I agree with Aaron. The pushback on the song puzzles me. Often, I’m left with the impression that (some) critics of the song are driven by a desire to demonstrate how much more sophisticated they are than the rubes (like me) who enjoy the song. Not to derail, but I have the same thoughts about those who criticize “In the Garden.” Are they perfect songs? No. But so what?
Not interested in a detailed debate about this song. The song and author cannot be separated. In his comedy routines, Lowry often blurs the lines between the true gospel and false gospels, often making statements that give the impression that Catholic salvation theology is not that different from anyone else’s. The song is interesting, but I don’t listen to it.
Wally Morris
Huntington, IN
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