One of the most notable features in the modern world is the great rapidity of change. Those with recollections extending into the last century can recall changes in modes of living, means of transportation, and forms of government which seem quite incredible in retrospect. But in this welter of instability the understanding of the true nature of God and His universe, including man, as revealed in Christian Science, stands changeless, constant, consistent, eternal in its application. It is as up to the minute today as on the day when Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy was first published in 1875
Christian Science reiterates the way of life taught and practiced by Christ Jesus. The Master's living was the expression of scientific thinking. It had a sure foundation, proceeding logically from the standpoint summed up in his own words (John 10: 30), "I and my Father are one," and (John 5: 19), "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do." The Master's way is changeless, unaffected by the passage of time, differing locations, and all the variant circumstances suggested by mortal mind.
Jesus' healing works were the outcome of his understanding of God's infinite allness, goodness, and perfection and the unchanging reflection of these qualities by man, His image and likeness. Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health (pp. 476, 477): "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick."
Christian Science is promoting health, happiness, and sufficiency in the midst of the discord, upheaval, and lack of present-day material existence. It demonstrates that it is the privilege and joy of all to share these blessings, for "God is no respecter of persons." Testimonies published in the Christian Science periodicals or given at the Wednesday testimony meetings in our churches disclose that often at the very point where to human sense the need is desperate, an individual reaches out for the ever-avaliable help of God and experiences it as in the Master's time.
It may be said here that the purpose of Christian Science is not to provide greater ease of material living as such; but when one seeks first the understanding, or kingdom, of God that which is natural and good is added. It is significant that Jesus apparently took no thought for his daily living, but found sufficiency by relying absolutely on God for his needs.
The discovery of the lost element of healing, comprised in the understanding of the true relationship of God and man made in His image and likeness, has had and will continue to have an enormous leavening influence on human thought. Religion, medicine, and science generally have been permeated and quickened in many ways by the teachings of Christian Science. For instance, there has been reawakened in the churches generally an interest in spiritual healing. The concept of the indestructibility of matter as reality, formerly held by physical scientists, has changed to a new concept of the equivalence of matter and energy, whereby matter is practically explained away. And whereas formerly physician paid very little attention to the human mind in their diagnosis and treatment of disease, it is now receiving ever-increasing consideration.
It should be understood, however, that there is a vital difference between the ideas of modern science, philosophy, and medicine and Christian Science, inasmuch as the conclusions of the former are based on the evidence of the physical senses and the human mind—evidence that is unreliable, mutable, and in the last analysis unreal. The conclusions of Christian Science are based on the eternal and simple truth of God's allness and the immutability and perfection of His spiritual creation.
Mrs. Eddy defines God in the Glossary of Science and Health (p. 587) as "the great I AM; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal; Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth; Love; all substance; intelligence." The unchanging nature and eternal character of the infinite I AM makes it indisputable that man created by God is likewise spiritual, perfect, unchanging, and lacks nothing. An understanding of this fact, obtained and retained, is the truth that makes free from bondage to the false material testimony of sickness, sin, and imperfection.
Striking evidence of the way Christian Science is permeating the thinking of the world is afforded in a perusal of the recently published book, "The Story of Christian Science Wartime Activities, 1939-1946." Incident after incident related from the experiences of chaplains, Wartime Ministers and Officiating Ministers, volunteer Wartime Workers, and others vividly illustrates the freedom-conferring power of Truth, God, in the midst of devastating material change and upheaval.
The belief of change covers a wide ground in individual human experience. Mortal mind claims we change from childhood to youth, youth to maturity, maturity to old age. It prescribes limited periods in which to expect specific physical and mental effects, supposedly the result of the action of time. Christian Science proves that the remedy for these claims of change is the knowledge of real existence, the spiritual, changeless universe comprised in the eternal oneness of God and man. Constant, consistent adherence to this unalterable truth is true obedience to the First Commandment.
A friend of the writer gained freedom from a severe mental breakdown, which claimed to be unyielding to treatment, when he realized the changelessness of God and His spiritual universe. At the time when his need was greatest and hope of recovery seemed almost gone, a Christian Science practitioner lovingly, patiently, and persistently imparted to him the unchanging perfection of God and his own true status as God's image and likeness. Through simple illustrations of this eternal truth from the Bible and Science and Health the mental miasma commenced to lift, and he began to see and cling to the unchanging love of the Father and the reflection of this love by man, by his own true selfhood. He fortified himself against discouragement with Martin Luther's words, "Here I stand; I can do no otherwise, God help me," and also St. Paul's words (Gal. 5:7), "Who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?"
During this period other diseases fell away, and finally complete healing of the breakdown was accomplished. This healing has been permanent.
So when any phase of inharmony claims to affect us, the remedy is at hand and certain. It is to maintain in consciousness the understanding of God and His universe; of that man, the only man, who is the image and likeness of the perfect, changeless, divine Being, the same yesterday, today, and forever. The man of God's creating is always complete, holy, healthy, harmonious, strong, active, and free. His consciousness and understanding reflect his Maker and thus are without disturbing element or change, because the changelessness of Mind makes such a happening literally unthinkable. The spiritual functions of Mind are always in natural, harmonious action.
The constant upheaval and changing of material conditions, however, is seen to be inevitable and natural as Truth operates, in line with the Scriptural statement in the twenty-first chapter of Ezekiel (verse 27), "I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is." Mrs. Eddy writes of this in Science and Health (p. 96): "This material world is even now becoming the arena for conflicting forces. On one side there will be discord and dismay; on the other side there will be Science and peace. The breaking up of material beliefs may seem to be famine and pestilence, want and woe, sin, sickness, and death, which assume new phases until their nothingness appears. These disturbances will continue until the end of error, when all discord will be swallowed up in spiritual Truth."
The Science of Christianity is inviolate, intact, changeless in all ages. It does not, and does not need to, keep step with change in the developments of a material world. Change and imperfections, sin, sickness, and death—all error—are unknown in the universe of Spirit, in which God, good, reigns supreme, forever changeless and eternal.
