About this episode

In this episode, Greg Smith examines the Catholic doctrine of Mary as the Mother of God, addressing Protestant objections and providing a defense rooted in scripture and historical context.

In Episode 2 of the series Mary in the Dock: Ordinary or Extraordinary?, host Greg Smith puts the Catholic doctrine of Mary as Mother of God (Theotokos) on trial. Many modern evangelicals recoil at the title, calling it blasphemous or idolatrous and unknowingly echoing the ancient Nestorian heresy that split Christ in two. Greg gives the strongest Protestant objections a full, fair hearing — the lack of an explicit Bible verse, the risk of deifying Mary, and the historical cautions from Calvin — then delivers a robust Catholic defense rooted in Luke 1:43 (“mother of my Lord”), the Council of Ephesus (431 AD), and the affirmations of classical Reformers like Luther (“she is rightly called… the Mother of God”), Zwingli, and the Anglican Articles. Far from Marian excess, the doctrine safeguards the full reality of the Incarnation and the infinite value of Christ’s atonement. Listeners serve as the jury in this conversational yet intellectually sharp courtroom discussion that asks the key question: is Mary simply an ordinary woman God used for a moment, or the extraordinary God-bearer the Church has proclaimed for two thousand years? Perfect for curious non-Catholics, Protestant…

People in this episode

Host: Greg Smith

Topics covered

• Mary as Mother of God
• Catholic doctrine
• Protestant objections
• Incarnation
• Marian theology
• Christianity

Keywords

• Mother of God
• blasphemy
• idolatry
• Nestorian heresy
• Protestant objections
• Catholic defense
• Incarnation
• Marian excess

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Council of Ephesus

Books & works: Luke 1:43

More episodes of Considering Catholicism

• Mary in the Dock, Part 1: Is Devotion to Her Idolatry? (#458) · May 29, 2026 · 35 min
• Mystery, Magic, and the Search for Meaning (#464) · May 26, 2026 · 42 min
• Why I’m Not Giving Hot Takes on the New AI Encyclical (Yet) (#463) · May 25, 2026 · 16 min
• The Sexual Subtext Behind So Many Anti-Catholic Arguments (#462) · May 20, 2026 · 39 min
• Moral Theology, Part 3: Prudential Judgments (#461) · May 18, 2026 · 36 min
• Moral Theology, Part 2: Tools and Norms (#460) · May 11, 2026 · 21 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Considering Catholicism podcast page.