A Complicated Pregnancy: Whether Mary Was a Virgin and Why It Matters

by Kyle Roberts

The virgin birth is a much-loved story in the Christian tradition. It is the standard "origin story" of Jesus, marking the incarnation of the Son of God. Today, however, many theologians dispute the tradition of the virginal conception on both historical and scientific grounds.

Genres: Theology

192 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2017

Reviews

[Jann Cather · Rating 3 out of 5]

A brave book for a former evangelical theologian to write. While this book still has an undergirding of evangelical doctrine, it is accessible for those questioning the doctrine of the ‘Virgin’ birth of fundamentalism. While I found the book interesting to read, many conservative theological assumptions got in my way. Toward the end of the book, however, Dr. Roberts wrote his conclusions with eloquence and inspiration.
The ‘virgin’ birth of Jesus of Nazareth has never been a burning issue for me; it is not an important belief in progressive Protestantism. Furthermore, I found Dr. Roberts' book lacking the significant scholarship I found in Jane Schaberg's book, "Illegitimacy of Jesus: A Feminist Theological Interpretation of the Infancy Narratives," which I read in the early 1990s.
Perhaps, it is is unfair to compare the two books, for the authors come from vastly divergent perspectives and life experiences. For Dr. Roberts, this book marks a public break from a fundamental doctrine of evangelical Christianity—a fundamental doctrine that many evangelicals find essential to their faith. Dr. Schaberg wrote her book for scholarly peers. It was not meant to have people question the foundations of their faith. (Regardless, Dr. Schaberg was vilified even in the academic theological community for her ground-breaking research into the infancy narratives.) If you want good scholarship, read Schaberg. If you want an accessible, critical introduction to a fundamental doctrine of your faith, read Roberts. Ideally, read both.

[Matthew Ulven]

The author seeks to create a space where it is plausible to consider that Mary was not a virgin as Jesus was conceived and that it is not necessary to hold that she was a virgin to still believe that Jesus is the Son of God and in the salvific work of his death and resurrection. His arguments are both theological and biological and I would direct you to the book itself to read them for yourself. Regardless of how one comes down on this particular question, the author I think shines an appropriate light on many areas within the Church corporate that are sadly in need of exposure.

As I conclude this book, I believe there are still many questions that arise from a discussion of this topic, not just related to the topic itself, but also related to some of implications arising from the topic. Having studied under the author of the book, I believe he would want his audience to come away with questions with which they would need to wrestle within their faith communities.

[Seth Heasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was nice to read some theology for a change, since my reading has been dominated by science fiction for a long time now. This came through InterLibrary Loan unexpectedly ( I have no memory of requesting it), but it's short lengnlth and extreme readability made it an easy choice for a bit of post-Christmas reading.

I've thought about this topic a fair bit over the years since first realizing that the Isaiah passage "the Virgin shall conceive" was definitely not (at least primary) predicting the Virgin Birth.

A quote toward the end of the book really speaks to me:

"...my problem with the virgin birth...is that it conflicts with the logic of the incarnation, the very basis of the gospel itself. A virginal conception is internally incoherent with the proclamation that God became a human being in Jesus."

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing theological, historical and biblical exploration of the Virgin Birth. Covers everything from human sexuality to biology to gender justice, all in the quest to better understand the nativity. Presents scholarly information in a down-to-earth, practical way. Also written with a great deal of pastoral empathy for readers who come from a variety of theological backgrounds. Many readers will relate to the author’s own personal journey navigating this topic. This is not a boring, dry, academic tome. It will definitely challenge traditional beliefs, and some may find the book’s conclusions unsettling. I don’t agree with all of the author’s conclusions, and I wish the “traditional” view of the Virgin Birth had been given more consideration. However, when read with an open mind, this book provides insight and new perspective into an ancient doctrine.

[Keith Barger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A literal reading of scriptures is relatively new. Neither Mark's Gospel (the first written) nor the Letter of Paul references a virgin birth. Read this book and learn more. After finishing it, hopefully, like me, you'll get a sense of permission to reconsider and re-evaluate this idea. If Mary and Joseph together conceived Jesus, that doesn't change who Jesus was, nor his teaching, nor his death and resurrection. Maybe this book can be a wake-up call to focus less on what does or doesn't happen in people's bedrooms and more on living the Sermon on the Mount, the corporal works of mercy.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great place to start if you've wanted more information about the birth of Christ. The book does a good job of taking you along the path of learning slowly where you're likely to be more willing to listen to it if you find yourself disagreeing with the text. Even if you come away from the book with a different perspective than the author you should be able to better hear and understand the voices on the other side of the issue.

[Grant Sowter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtful

Easy pace, well laid out. Honest and reflective. This is a good place to start when undertaking the journey of rethinking this area of faith

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing book discussing whether the belief in the virgin birth of Jesus is necessary, ok, or a problem for faith.

[Janelle Hooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good theology, not my style of writing.

[Carlene Walterhouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rare look into an important topic. Also an easy read. I plan to revisit it next Advent. This book discusses how belief in the virgin conception is not required to believe in the message of Jesus, and how it has not been the historical narrative forever. It also shines a light on how abandoning this position could help deepen and enrich our faith, especially as it relates to the incarnation and view of the body. This book isn’t a wild deep dive, but a great introductory piece to explore this idea.