Preface

One of the most satisfying delights during my tenure as senior minister, of nearly 20 years, at one of the most famous churches in America, was the opportunity to welcome to the pulpit of the Riverside Church many world renowned speakers such as President Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney, President Fidel Castro and the journalist Bill Moyers.  I officiated at the funerals of such notables as Ossie Davis, Maya Angelou, Betty Shabazz, Judge Constance Matley, David and Laurence Rockefeller, Luther Van Dross, Percy Sutton, Arthur Mitchell, Mayor David Dinkins and Ed Bradley of Sixty Minutes.  Also, I preached at the funeral of two bodyguards of Sean Puffy Combs.  I performed the wedding ceremonies for Spike Lee, Chris Rock and Paul McCartney, who received permission to have a palomino horse walk in front of the Chancel of the Church, because his bride, Linda, so loved that breed.

There were countless pastoral conversations with the known and unknown, rich and poor, elderly and young.  But one of the most memorable exchanges was with the Artistic Director of Encompass New Opera Theatre.  She talked with me frequently about performances her company was planning.  She kept me up to date about progress on the opera called THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING.  We discussed quantum physics, cosmology, theology, climate change and the Amazon Rain Forest.  Our conversations would range from science, psychology, geography, history and to religions – both tribal and traditional. 

One day she told me about a recent trip her company had taken for a performance in Turkey.  During that trip she went to a village near Ephesus where there was a house where Mary, according to tradition, had stayed during her last years after the Crucifixion of Jesus.  While in that small stone house, she had a mystical encounter with Mary, who made this request of her: “Tell My Story.”  

I listened to Nancy Rhodes as she shared the account of what seemed to her to be a call from heaven to write the story of Mary’s life, not from recent research or archeological discoveries, but from the mouth of a woman who had departed the earth many centuries ago.  While I wondered how such things could be, Nancy was so convincing in her account of what had happened to her that I encouraged her to undertake the task.  Actually, I felt that there was an element of the divine in regard to this extraordinary mission.

Nearly ten years later, after taking dictations from Mary, as her husband wrote down every word she quoted, the book MARY’S STORY was completed and ready for publication.

It was the most beautiful, autobiographical story I had ever read.  It was also in resonance with the spirit of the bible.  It conveyed details about the life and teachings of Jesus and Mary’s loving role in every phase of his journey.

For those who luxuriate in reading a heart-warming narrative of tragedy and triumph, sadness and joy and the courage to endure unbelievable assaults against her sense of destiny, you will find this book to be a proverbial page-turner.  It will be hard to put down.  And you will rush home from work to pick it up again.  On the other hand, those who love to plunge beneath the obvious to discover fresh insights regarding contemporary problems plaguing our society today, will seek Mary’s counsel regarding such issues as racial conflict, immigrant injustice, gender bias, oppression of the vulnerable, political polarization and how to be a spiritual person in an age of despiritualization.  As you read, keep watch for what MARY’S STORY reveals about the mysterious ways of God in the ever-expanding corners of the universe.  Prepare yourself to participate in inevitable controversies that will be sparked by this book.

I was honored when Nancy asked me to write a preface or a blurb for her book.  I was happy to do so but for one serious concern.  Would the revelations here lead to fierce debates between liberals, moderates, and conservatives?  I did not want to be caught in the crossfire of theological wrangling.  For a while I hesitated.  Then Gabriel, who liberated Mary from her anxieties must have spoken to my heart.  After my 88th birthday I was made so free that it no longer mattered what others might say or do.  So, enjoy my preface and above all, let MARY’S STORY heal your heart and transform your life.

—Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr.