Some additional thoughts to add to my last post. I would ask Mike Frost to reflect on the song “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” which is another example of worship music using a repetitive question. This 19th century traditional spiritual was written more than 1800 years after the crucifixion when clearly it’s author and it’s audience could not have been witnesses to the event. As in all black church music using the repetitive question device, it’s intent is to the place the listener inside the biblical event , connect the contemporary worshipping individual to the biblical character, and to personalize that event through self reflection and prepare the mind for the coming sermon or biblical lesson. The congregation would sing ‘Were you there when they crucified my Lord?’ prior to a reading of scripture on Jesus’s death and a sermon on that topic.

The song “Mary did you know?” asks us to do the same thing. To place us in Mary’s position, and to consider what she knew and who she was giving birth to. The question is never really answered in the song because it isn’t a question to Mary but to the congregation. ( it isn’t meant to teach and provide an answer to what Mary knew but to open the mind to ask and try and discover what she knew through imagination prior to factual discovery through scripture) We aren’t told what Mary knew about her son, but we are given a sense of the immense responsibility she was given as the mother of Christ. In the black church tradition a song like this would precede a reading of Luke chapter 1 and then the audience would learn what Mary knew. I really think if you are going to criticize song literature you need to think bigger than just lyrical content and look at how song literature fits into worship practice and it’s cultural historical and ethnographic history and function. Your critique is very off base here, and frankly some of your criticisms are based in your poor understanding of how this type of song literature is used in a black cultural context.

Regardless, the song was not written for Mary’s ears but for ours. I think it was written to put us into Mary’s shoes, as well as to remind the listener of who Jesus is. It asks us to reflect on Mary’s experience. To think how we might have responded if an angel came to us with a message like this, and then to look at how Mary responded. To my mind, the song elevates how remarkable Mary was as a woman of faith; particularly at such a very young age. It does not diminish her.

Lastly, while not written by a black composer, this song is written with a characteristic repetitive question in the style of the black gospel tradition from which the Gaithers in general draw their musical legacy. Indeed this use of repetitive questions has deeper roots in black spirituals during the time of slavery; and the song Mary did You know is widely popular in black churches because of its use of black church music idioms. As such, the criticisms of the repetitive questions as a musical choice as somehow anti-feminist is in effect an attack on gospel lyrical traditions of a minority group and I would argue is an essentially racist critique that is entirely insensitive to the history of where this type of lyrical devise in church music comes from.

Man, this is a whack way of thinking, Jack. I’ve been with my husband since I was 17 years old and I am now 44. He would argue with you that I do not need him to “show me what is right.” Contrary, he would probably say that I am more of the “wise” one in the family… we complement one another. And if you think we must be liberal, I am sorry to upset you, we do not fit into your “little liberal box.”

I do feel a bit sad that your wife has been conditioned to think she needs you to tell her what is right. I’m sure she is a smart woman who has grown up with this patriarchal nonsense.

Why are you so crabby, Jack? This comment adds nothing to the conversation.

Found the liberal SJW. Merry Christmas.

Yes

I agree with Shannon too. After all, what would it be like, imagine, having that much favor with God Himself, as Mary had. She had to be tough and in daily awe!

I agree, as a WOMAN, I don’t feel it sexist at all! It’s quite odd to me that a man, who has no idea about the feelings & emotions that a mother internalizes, can make a call like this!! Sounds to me like, he’s stepping out of his area of expertise!!

Lighten up everyone. It’s just a song….