In today's world, materialism seems rampant. Spiritual values are often regarded as secondary, if existent at all. Since blind belief in God is no longer acceptable to many, orthodox religion has been somewhat discredited. Cause is generally thought to be found only in matter, and to some the idea of God as Spirit and the only cause seems unintelligible and impractical.
As a result the institution of church is under subtle attack, reflected in apathy and decline. Now, while church organization is the physical focus of this attack, it is really aimed at something higher—the true spiritual idea that Church really is, as stated in the first paragraph of the definition of "Church" in the Glossary of Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy: The structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle."1 But since materialistic thinking grasps only what it sees, hears, and feels with the physical senses, it isn't aware of "the structure of Truth and Love," and so it strikes at the church organization, which represents "the structure."
But true Church exists as divine idea in the spiritual understanding of alert members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. It is the higher, spiritual structure, which cannot be touched by an attack on a physical organization. And the organization is protected by the Christian Scientist's realization of these facts. In reality, we each include the right idea of Church, which is absolutely spiritual, not organizational. That which appears as organization is vital at this time because it represents the appearing of this spiritual idea to human sense.
