"Why should I read the Bible through?" asks the individual. To the student of literature, history, archaeology the answers are varied, but to the student of Christian Science there is but one answer as far as his religion is concerned, and that is that in the Bible he finds the record of the religious development of the Hebrew nation, culminating in Christianity; also experiences paralleling his own and contributing in their spiritual significance to modern life and progress.
For many centuries the Bible has raised the standard of living and thinking for our greatest teachers, statesmen, and spiritual thinkers. Men like Lincoln and Gladstone gained courage and inspiration from the Bible. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, tells us that the Bible was her only guide in recording the revelation contained in her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." Yes, the Bible is a book which richly rewards those who spend time with it. More than ever before the Bible is filling an important place in our daily experience. It is our "defenced city," in the words of Jeremiah. It equips us with power.
World conditions of turmoil and conflict confront us. In the face of this mortal sense testimony, the student of Christian Science knows that there is only one power, one reality, one control. He knows that the government of Mind is ever established, ever operating. He is aware that it is his privilege and duty to work daily for the manifestation or visible evidence of this government, and to know that right thinking can bring order and blessing out of chaos.
