Why Mary Matters: EXPANDED EDITION now Available! Also in PAPERBACK!
Friends, I'm excited to announce that my flagship book, Why Mary Matters: Understanding the Place of Christ's Mother in Christianity is now available in paperback. This REVISED and EXPANDED EDITION includes an entirely new chapter, a study guide and much more. I have included the Preface to this second edition below. Enjoy! And don't forget to click the link and purchase your copy today!
Special Offer! If you make a verified purchase on Amazon and leave a positive review, I will send you an autographed copy of the book. Simply purchase the book on amazon, send me proof, and email me your name and address. That's it!
Preface
to the Second Edition
The very first edition of Why Mary Matters was a three-part
blog series I wrote on Google’s enduring platform: Blogger. I
wanted to shut down the blog but didn’t want to lose my
material.
After discovering I could transform my blogs into eBooks on
Amazon, I was all-in. What better way to keep some of my
favorite articles, poems and musing in a perpetual format
available to my posterity!
What I did not expect, were readers. People downloading my
eBook (which was pretty cutting edge at the time) and
paying money to read my essays (which were now
considered “books”).
On top of that, I was receiving reviews (a few of which you
can read in the front material). Reviews stating that this little
book had changed their lives or had led them into a deeper
religious experience. I was blown away and began to feel a
deep sense of gratitude and purpose. So, I began converting
more of my blogs into eBooks (some of which never made it
to Amazon) and writing new material.
After several years of occasionally checking in on this little
book, I decided that I owed my readers, and anyone else
curious about the mother of our Lord, an expanded look into
the life of Mary. She does, as one commenter wrote,
deserves a deeper dive.
So, here’s what I did in this edition:
1. Added some of my favorite reviews (see above)
2. Added this Preface
3. Added Chapter 4 “Consider This”
4. Added a Guided Study for each chapter
5. Added a How the Guided Studies Work Section
6. Added a Guidelines for Leaders wishing to
incorporate this book into a small group/bible Study
group
7. Added a Sources section
I originally wrote the Why Mary Matters material from a
transitioning Evangelical’s perspective. Since that time, My
family and I joined the Orthodox Church and even helped to
pioneer Columbia, Tennessee’s first Orthodox Church, Saint
Anna’s.
Since that time, my family and I moved to Florida and are
still looking for a “permanent” church home. We continue to
fellowship with other believers from different backgrounds
and in different locals, including non-denominational
churches, home gatherings, Anglican expressions and
personal encounters on the streets and beaches of Florida’s
coast.
All of that to say, that we enjoy a unique view of the church
in post-modern America, with all its mess and beauty. This
book is not an attempt to usher evangelicals into the ancient
faith, nor is it an effort to draw Catholic and Orthodox
practitioners into an evangelical expression. My hope is that
this little book can build bridges between all Christian faiths,
especially when it comes to our conversations about Mary.
I desire that Evangelicals open their hearts toward Mary and
embrace her continuing ministry. I hope that Catholic and
Orthodox believers can reach a greater understanding of
why they believe what they believe about Mary, and be able
to clearly explain it to their Evangelical friends and family
members. All of this, so we can keep making progress
toward the unity of faith.
One more thing. Even though most of my books are only available in digital format (trying to fix that presently), I love paper. I like to hold a book in my hand, feel its pages on my
fingertips, mark it, annotate its margins, break out the highlighters, fold the pages, make towers on my nightstand,
and eventually retire it to the shelf to be displayed as a trophy.
A book should be a battlefield.
Thus, the paperback edition, which has been long overdue. Apologies to my fellow book benders and paper feelers. As I write this, I’m actually a little giddy about holding this one in my hands, so I’ll quit rambling and end this Preface. I truly hope you enjoy this Second Edition of Why Mary Matters!
Because she does.
xoxox,
Mark