With the approach of the Annual Meeting of The Mother Church, every member of a Church of Christ, Scientist, may well consider what he means when he says, "I am a Christian Scientist." He may well examine his thoughts and actions, measure his progress, and resolve to work more earnestly to prove the truths of Christian Science in daily living.
Christian Scientists are engaged in a great crusade. They have enlisted in the Cause which has as its object the establishment of universal freedom from all of the false beliefs and claims of mortality. All Christian Scientists have great things in common to enable them to achieve success in their holy crusade. They have seen and felt the enlightening and healing effects of the power of God in daily living. They have caught glimpses of the wholly spiritual nature of the creator and His perfect creation. They have united to demonstrate individually and collectively the power of the Christ to take away the sins and discords of the world and to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth.
In her Message to The Mother Church for 1902, Mary Baker Eddy, the Leader of our great crusade, writes (p. 14) "I suggest as a motto for every Christian Scientist,—a living and life-giving spiritual shield against the powers of darkness,—
'Great not like Caesar, stained with blood,
But only great as I am good.'"
It is through the demonstration of goodness in daily thought and deed that the glorious resources of heaven are made available to all mankind, fear and sin destroyed, and sickness healed.
When a student of Christian Science is accepted as a member of The Mother Church or of one of its branches, he subscribes to the Tenets of The Mother Church (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mrs. Eddy, p. 497). These Tenets present the important points of Christian Science. As they are understood, strictly adhered to, and demonstrated, the crusade of Truth advances and fulfills its Christ-like mission: the present enjoyment of the blessings of the kingdom of heaven.
In his epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul writes (II Cor. 10:4, 5), "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Since our crusade is a spiritually mental activity, our weapons must be spiritual.
These weapons are the qualities of God, and we wield them successfully as we practice them in daily living. Love lived destroys hatred and fear; Truth exemplified destroys sin, sickness, and all discord; Life understood eliminates inaction, overaction, and death itself.
As one uses these spiritual weapons in daily living, he grows in spirituality, gains increased spiritual understanding, and thus identifies himself with the Christ, man's true selfhood, as the invincible son of God. This identification enables one to say with Paul (Phil. 4:13), "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Armed with the weapons of Spirit and using them in daily living, the Christian Scientist is rendered strong and safe. Following in the footsteps of Jesus, the great Way-shower, he is enabled to go forward with courage and assurance of victory. Mrs. Eddy tells us in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 41): "The honest student of Christian Science is purged through Christ, Truth, and thus is ready for victory in the ennobling strife. The good fight must be fought by those who keep the faith and finish their course. Mental purgation must go on: it promotes spiritual growth, scales the mountain of human endeavor, and gains the summit in Science that otherwise could not be reached,—where the struggle with sin is forever done."
The genuine Christian Scientist never retreats. In the ennobling strife, he never stands still. His watchword is: Always forward with Truth, always active with Truth, always obedient to Truth, always alert, watchful, awake. Such spiritual activity enables the Scientist to be calm in the presence of error, to develop poise, and to be fearless in the recognition of God's allness and ever-presence.
The crusading Christian Scientist keeps to the course of Truth. He never swerves from the path of righteous, consistent thought and action. He maintains the standard of immaculate Truth and thus never attempts to mix Mind and matter. He surrenders the stubbornness and blindness of human will for obedience to the divine will. He constantly turns for inspiration and ever larger and clearer views of the great truths of spiritual being to his textbooks, the Bible, together with Science and Health, to the Manual of The Mother Church, and to the other writings of Mrs. Eddy.
Constant self-examination characterizes the activity of the Christian Scientist in his spiritual crusade. He emphasizes harmony in all of his thoughts, contacts, and activities, is alert to separate error from truth, and works from the standpoint of man's eternal completeness as God's idea.
The genuine Christian Scientist never deserts his post. He stays in the battle, always tries to do more, and, in fact, does his best at all times, especially when mortal testimony suggests that the battle is going against him.
Increase in spirituality enlarges and enhances the ability, usefulness, and resources of the working Christian Scientist. He can never be deprived of the good things of life, of happiness, companionship, home, progress, and success. The Christian Scientist is not a colorless individual. He stands out among men as a good citizen, a good employer, a good employee, a successful homemaker, a spiritual humanitarian, a benefactor of the race.
He shows forth in daily experience the living, acting, victorious presence of the Christ in even' thought and deed. Mrs. Eddy tells us (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 294): "A real Christian Scientist is a marvel, a miracle in the universe of mortal mind. With selfless love, he inscribes on the heart of humanity and transcribes on the page of reality the living, palpable presence—the might and majesty!—of goodness. He lives for all mankind, and honors his creator." What a privilege to be counted as a member of the great crusade of Christian Science and to say with conviction of work well done and the joy of opportunities at hand, "I am a Christian Scientist!"
