Church of Christ, Scientist

A look at the teachings of Christian Science.

By MRS. C. A. REEVES, Bible Instructor, Boston, Massachusetts

I. Introduction. Christian Science discovered and founded in New England by Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy, a very delicate woman who be­lieved herself miraculously healed by faith in her discovery.

Of all multitudinous sects and isms extant in world today, Christian Science undoubtedly one of the most influential. Deceives multi­tudes. Real secret of its phenomenal growth lies in its tremendous popular appeal. Claims to bring back primitive Christianity. Teaches salvation is universal, not one single soul is or ever can be lost.

2. History and Early Growth.

1862. Mrs. Eddy (then Mrs. Patterson) went to Portland, Maine, to visit Dr. P. P. Quimby, to consult him about her chronic invalidism. Cured in three weeks.

1864. Made a second visit. Stayed two or three months, studying his methods closely. From 1864-1866 she followed and taught some of Quimby's doctrines.

1866. Miraculously cured of spinal disloca­tion after reading an account of healing in Matthew's gospel. This appeared to her as a divine revelation, which started her search of Scriptures for solution of problem of mind healing.

1867. Began teaching Christian Science. 1870. Copyrighted her first pamphlet The Science of Man, later incorporated into Science and Health.

1875. Issued her textbook, Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures. She stated: "The Bible contains the recipe for all healing. Divine Science derives its sanc­tion from the Bible."

1878. Began lecturing in Boston on her great discovery. Many cultured classes attended. 1879. First Church of Christ, Scientist, founded in Boston with twenty-six members. Mrs. Eddy elected pastor and ordained. r881. Massachusetts Metaphysical College founded.

1893. 74th edition of Science and Health published.

1895. Announcement made that there should be no more personal preaching in the churches. Mrs. Eddy ordered that the Bible and Science and Health should be the pastor of all churches of Christian Science denom­ination. No comments or explanatory re­marks to be made. Two readings read alter­nately, eme from Bible, other from Science and Health. In 1898 Mrs. Eddy suspended regular class teaching of Christian Science for one year in order that the attention which would have been given to such class work could be devoted to study of her new book Miscellaneous Writings, published that year. To compensate she permitted teachers to hold two classes the following year. 1898. In 1898 edition of Science and Health, she wrote, "No human pen or tongue taught me the science contained in this book. . . and neither tongue nor pen can overthrow it." And in 1901: "It was not myself . . . which dictated 'Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.' It was the divine power of Truth and Love, infinitely above me."

1907. Made her final revision of her many revisions of her book.

1919. Death of Mrs. Eddy. The religion has flourished since that time.

3.  Church Government.

Mother Church is 'Boston, the international center. Approximately 3,000 local churches are branches of it, but each branch has its own separate corporate identity, by laws, and form of government "distinctly demo­cratic." Governing body of Mother Church is a Christian Science board of directors operating under The Church Manual.

Public Sunday and Wednesday church serv­ices conducted by readers elected for Mother Church by Christian Science board of direc­tors for branch churches by local congrega­tions for term of three years. Form of serv­ices provided for uniformity by Church Manual. Church maintains Sunday schools and reading rooms.

4. Publishing Work.

Also centered in Boston, but with overseas bureaus in the British Isles, France, Switzer­land, Australia, and New Zealand. Follow­ing publications found in many reading rooms and libraries throughout the world : Christian Science Journal (Monthly. Eng­lish).

Christian Science Quarterly (Published in English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Norwegian, Swedish, and Braille).

Christian Science Sentinel (Weekly. Eng­lish).

Herald of Christian Science (Monthly and quarterly in French, German, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, and Braille). Christian Science Monitor (International daily newspaper, including articles trans­lated into many languages).

5. Membership.

Applications for membership in the Mother Church acted on by the Christian Science board of directors twice each year as pro­vided by Manual of the Mother Church, ar­ticle 13, section 2. Applications for member­ship in branch churches made to boards of local churches who have sole authority to act. A person may be a member both of Mother Church and a branch church, but not of two branch churches. Candidates for membership must be at least twelve years old. Membership requirements in branch churches fixed by branches themselves, al­though, naturally, these employ same quali­fications as for membership in Mother Church, but Manual distinctively provides "that each church shall. separately and inde­pendently discipline its own members-if this sad necessity occurs."

When Mrs. Eddy left Lynn, Massachusetts, at 61, she had less than fifty followers, most of whom were uneducated factory workers. By 1896 she had four hundred churches and thirty institutions of learning. From 1890­1906 the membership increased over 600 per cent. In 1939 there were 2,849 churches, 70 Christian Science organizations at colleges and universities. There are now well over a million adherents.

6. Foreign Missions.

In addition to publications in various foreign languages, boards of lectureship of Mother Church (24 men and women), are called by churches all over world for explanatory lec­tures.

7. Doctrines of Christian Science.

Neither Christian nor science. Denies every fundamental statement of Bible, namely:

Creation of a material universe.

Existence of sin.

That God created man from dust of earth.

The Trinity.

Pre-existence of Christ.

Personality of God.

Personality of Jesus.

Personality of Holy Spirit.

Existence of death.

That Jesus is the Christ. He is merely the way shower.

Blood atonement.

That Jesus died and rose again.

Priesthood of Christ.

Personality of the devil.

Resurrection of the body.

Second coming of Christ personally.

Efficacy of prayer.

Need of justification, regeneration, sanctification.

Bible as inspired Word of God.

8. Offshoots.

Christian Science affected through years of individual differences among members. This led to many offshoot organizations somewhat similar to original. Some did not last long. They all repudiated Mother Church, and were and are repudiated by it. Most well-known, so-called "Church Triumphant," a group founded by Mrs. Augusta E. Stetson; and "The Church of the Universal Design," founded by Mrs. Annie C. Bill, who taught Anglo-Israelism very prominently.

Biographies of Mrs. Eddy: Sibyl Wilbur, The Life of Mary Baker Eddy; Lyman P. Powell, Mary Baker Eddy-A Life Size Portrait; Clifford P. Smith, His­torical Sketches in the Life of Mary Baker Eddy and the History of Christian Science; E. Mary Ramsay, Christian Science and Its Discoverer; Irving C. Tom­linson, Twelve Years With Mary Baker Eddy; Julia M. Johnston, Mary Baker Eddy-Her Mission and Triumph.

In addition to Science and Health, Mrs. Eddy pub­lished Miscellaneous Writings; Retrospection and Introspection; Unity of God; Rudimental Divine Science; Christian Science Versus Pantheism; No and Yes; Christian Healing ; People's Idea of 'God; The Church Manual and others.

REFERENCES

William G. Wirth, Christian Science X-Rayed, Pacific Press, 1921.

Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), Christian Science, New York: Harpers, 1907.

Religious Bodies, I936. Washington, D.C.: -U.S. Department of Commerce.

J. L. Neve, Churches and Sects of Christendom, Burlington, Iowa : Lutheran Literary Board, I940.

William Warren Sweet, The Story of Religion in America, New York: Harpers, 1939.

Charles W. Ferguson, The Confusion of Tongues, Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran, 1928.


Ministry reserves the right to approve, disapprove, and delete comments at our discretion and will not be able to respond to inquiries about these comments. Please ensure that your words are respectful, courteous, and relevant.

comments powered by Disqus

By MRS. C. A. REEVES, Bible Instructor, Boston, Massachusetts

August 1947

Download PDF
Ministry Cover

More Articles In This Issue

Preaching Christ as the Center of All

A look at our public efforts to reach Catholics.

Possibilities and Drawbacks

Paper presented at Columbia Union ministerial institute.

Evangelistic Handbill Exchange

For some time the Ministerial Association has sponsored a handbill exchange, with many of our evangelists cooperating.

How Is Your Word Stockpile?

Word variety increases interest.

Pastor as Leader in Christian Education

Who is to blow the trumpet in Zion?

Bible Schools in Neglected Places

A definite aim and a definite purpose must in­spire the co-worker with Christ.

Advantages of Visual Evangelism

Visual evangelism offers many advantages in this modern age of pictures and illus­trations.

Presenting the Great Prophecies

The art of persuasion and evangelism.

Bible Instructors' Council

The Bible instructors of the Columbia Union Conference met as a group in connection with the ministerial institute held at the Gibson Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio, March 3-5.

Planning the Church Budget

A church expense budget is an important factor in the operation of a successful church program.

View All Issue Contents

Digital delivery

If you're a print subscriber, we'll complement your print copy of Ministry with an electronic version.

Sign up
Advertisement - RevivalandReformation 300x250

Recent issues

See All
Advertisement - SermonView - WideSkyscraper (160x600)