Mr. Mitchell, what is the motivation behind Mother Church membership?
Our membership in The Mother Church is determined by the gentle urging of the Christ within us. Christ shows us the relationship of God to man and unfolds our actual oneness with the true God revealed in the Scriptures and in our textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mrs. Eddy. Christian Science defines God in a way that many people can recognize and respect: as divine Mind, the one Father-Mother that Christ Jesus knew and demonstrated. And we learn to know Him as Spirit, Life, and Love. These are synonymous terms for the one God.
The spiritual qualities, coming from God to individual human consciousness, not only relate us to God and to one another; they also inspire us to serve the one movement that articulates the Christ-idea scientifically to the receptive thought.
Would you mind telling us about your early experience with Christian Science?
From the very first contact I had with Christian Science, my question was, How could I share this marvelous teaching with other people? How could I explain to others what it meant to me?
My first experience with Christian Science was by way of attending a lecture, but I didn't hear a word. At that time I was almost totally deaf. What impressed me tremendously was that I felt the presence of the Christ so vividly, yet I didn't hear an audible word. Within a few weeks of this first contact, I was healed of the difficulty in Christian Science. This was tangible evidence of Truth in action, the healing touch of the Christ. So I am always mindful that if people hadn't cared enough to organize services and offer church to the community in the form of public lectures, I might never have come in touch with the Christ Science at all. You see, Christian Science isn't an exclusive or elitist teaching, but basic and fundamental to the needs of all mankind.
The Church of Christ, Scientist, has vital things to say to all. Here is a teaching each of us can enjoy and share with those spiritually receptive individuals in our midst, those seeking a more purposeful and satisfying way of life. This is what church is all about.
What are some of the practical results of church membership?
Sharing the truth helps rub off the sharp corners of thought. It helps smooth the jagged edges of narrow, personal attitudes. Involvement in church urges one to cultivate Christian love for one's fellow members and for all mankind. This in turn helps us cultivate basic Christianity in society as a whole; those elements of Christianity incorporated in Jesus' inspired yet practical Sermon on the Mount.
To Christ Jesus, church didn't operate in a vacuum. It wasn't something remote from daily experience but a living reality. It involved the acknowledgment of divine omnipresence; it required bringing spiritual insights to all human situations and resolving them. To Christ Jesus, church was made manifest in what he said and did, what he understood and demonstrated of Truth, Life, and Love. His expression of love, purity, spiritual insight and intelligence, and other qualities of Spirit, healed the sick and fed the multitude. These qualities are basic to church, the living, practical evidence of Christ in action.
Does this mean that Christ Jesus' church is here today?
Why, yes. Jesus saw Christ, the real man, in everyone, and it was this clear awareness of spiritual reality that formed the needed transition, the coincidence of the divine and the human, speaking to the receptive thought. This surely is church in action.
This demonstrated presence of spiritual reality is what Mrs. Eddy explains when she says, "Jesus established his church and maintained his mission on a spiritual foundation of Christ-healing." Science and Health, p. 136.
Can we think in terms of benefits from church membership?
Yes, certainly. Of course the opportunities membership provides—to subscribe to the periodicals, to contribute financially, to participate in church activities—these opportunities enable us to support actively Mrs. Eddy's revelation. The greatest personal benefit of membership in The Mother Church and a branch church is the opportunity it provides for individual spiritual progress. I learned early in my experience that to make any headway in understanding God spiritually, I had to accept the fundamental need for self correction.
Mrs. Eddy tells us that "the human self must be evangelized." Now I remember balking at that when I was younger. But I really wasn't able to make much progress until I faced up to the basic need for regeneration of thought, which is supported and implied in all that Jesus taught. It helps to remember that regeneration is the effect of spiritual qualities molding and shaping our individual human experience. It is the action of Christ in consciousness, bringing about the right adjustment that leads to the human and divine coincidence—which is fundamental to progress and healing.
So the benefits are spiritual progress and growth?
Yes. As my understanding of Christian Science deepened and developed, I saw that basic to all Jesus achieved was his willingness to understand and obey God on God's own terms, the spiritual. Christ Jesus exhibited utter humility and selflessness of thought. I saw that each one of us has to come to this point in order to demonstrate what Christ Jesus achieved. The next question I had to answer to myself was, Am I ready to accept Truth for itself? Am I ready to accept the teachings of Christian Science without human reservation or qualification?
I saw that it wasn't enough to wear Christian Science as an enveloping garment covering a multitude of unresolved human attitudes and sinful concepts. For this teaching to be effective for me, I had to let the Christ take over in my thinking and acting. This meant a willingness for regeneration, the actual intent to let the Christ invigorate and inspire my life from then on.
This was only the beginning of an ongoing "evangelization" of the human self, which Christian Science demands of every working student and church member. The citation I have touched on has been fundamental to my spiritual progress, and still is. It reads in full: "During the sensual ages, absolute Christian Science may not be achieved prior to the change called death, for we have not the power to demonstrate what we do not understand. But the human self must be evangelized. This task God demands us to accept lovingly to-day, and to abandon so fast as practical the material, and to work out the spiritual which determines the outward and actual."Ibid., p. 254.
How does healing relate to church membership?
Healing is proof of some degree of regeneration, the regeneration of the human self. Healing is a waymark en route to salvation, and not an end in itself. But it is natural and essential to authentic church activity because healing bespeaks Christian compassion and spirituality.
Christian Science teaches us how to bring thought into line with reality, the reality that God, divine Love, created and maintains. This radical adjustment of thought—through prayer, cleansing and purifying our motives and actions— destroys mortality and the subtleties of sinful, personal sense. In this way, Christian Science helps us come to terms with the crucifying elements of mortal mind by our abandoning the rigidity and opacity of self-will, self-justification, and other crippling members of the "self" family. Paul taught, "If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." Rom. 8:13. In obedience to this Christly precept, we are learning the liberating efficacy of the Christ, thereby benefiting from the crucifixion of Jesus as well as from his resurrection. This liberation is enlarged upon in our Leader's remarkable chapter "Atonement and Eucharist" in our textbook, Science and Health, which states for us all the deep significance of Christ Jesus' mission and its practical effectiveness for us individually today.
Are you saying that the dynamics of participation in church activity make us more moral and spiritual?
Yes. The Mother Church upholds the Christian standards demanded by Christ Jesus throughout the Gospels. This is the goal we are all striving to achieve. The role the Church plays in upholding standards is consonant with the explanation Christian Science gives of the relationship between spirituality and morality. The gentle urging of the Christ in individual consciousness enables us to recognize a whole new dimension of thought and experience, in direct line with the Ten Commandments and Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.
Morality and spirituality aren't separate in our thought. The silent yet firm action of Christ in consciousness brings spiritual qualities into practical focus, explaining the logic and unifying strength of morality in a contemporary world. On this path of salvation and regeneration we find rich evidence that we are indeed the sons and daughters of God and that we have access to reality, to God's kingdom here.
Could you comment on Mrs. Eddy's role as Leader of her Church?
There is no doubt in my thought that Mrs. Eddy's leadership is God-inspired and God-impelled and that what her Church has achieved in the past hundred years or so is absolute proof of this.
From my study of Christian Science over many years, I am convinced that this Science is the complete statement of Truth to this age and can be applied to resolve any human situation. Coincident with Mrs. Eddy's healing in 1866 came a marvelous revelation to her—that "Christ never left." This was her response to the woman who asked her, "Has Christ come again on earth?"See Miscellaneous Writings 179:31-10. Mrs. Eddy's reply, though simple and direct, is a constant inspiration and strength.
Throughout her subsequent struggle to establish the Church of Christ, Scientist, and to reestablish Christian healing, Mrs. Eddy constantly gained fresh inspiration as she let the revelation of the Christ presence speak to her waiting thought.
The same conviction of the ever-present Christ, the impersonal Saviour to all mankind, is what The Mother Church and its branches are presenting to the world. This saving Christ is ours today, as tangible and real as it was to Jesus and to our Leader. Just as it impelled Mrs. Eddy to go on and share with all the revelation of the supremacy of God on earth, so the Christ continues to bring the divine nature into our human experience and impels us to share this salvation with others.
This healing, beneficent Christly teaching in action gives direction to our church activity. Participation in church can make us vital individuals, capable of liberating and redeeming ourselves and others in accord with Christ Jesus' expectations for us as sons and daughters of God.
The practice
Questions and answers
One of a continuing series answering
questions from the Field on the public
practice of Christian Science.
Many of the questions coming to the Department of Practitioners and Nursing Activities concern ways an individual can let the public know he is engaged in the healing activity. One need but ask any seasoned practitioner in order to learn that there is only one effective way to "advertise," and that is to heal.
When a practitioner actually accomplishes what the office of healer calls for— healing—that practitioner will become known to those who seek help. It is as simple as that.
One practitioner found her best advertisement came through an instantaneous healing of a patient, witnessed by a sister who was antagonistic to what she thought was Christian Science. When the sister returned to her home several hundred miles away in another state, she called the practitioner for treatment. Experiencing healing herself, she called another sister over a thousand miles away. Soon the practitioner found she had patients in three states from that first healing.
And how are patients attracted to a practitioner? It is the Christliness of the practitioner that attracts those who need help; and it is the spiritual understanding of, and obedience to, the theology of Christian Science that heals. No medium of advertising can equal this truly practical approach.
Beginning with adherence to sound ethics, stemming from the Manual of The Mother Church by Mrs. Eddy, one finds his or her practice building on a firm foundation. The purpose of this column is to attempt to answer questions that remain after individuals have done their own solid research in the Bible and in all of the published writings of Mrs. Eddy, including the textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
A deep and earnest study of the Manual, with special regard to the practice, will answer many specific questions, such as the use of the initials "C.S." after one's name, the establishment of a proper fee, and the importance of confidentiality in the practitioner-patient relationship.
One question sometimes asked has to do with listing one's name as a practitioner in the Yellow Pages (advertising section) of the telephone directory. Sometimes classtaught students of Christian Science, actively engaged in healing and wishing to enter the public practice, do so. But this is a matter of individual choice. This way of letting the public know of one's availability is neither recommended nor disapproved.
Some new to the practice are led to share a public office of an established practitioner for a few hours each week.
A practitioner never solicits patients, and the appearance of doing so should be avoided. For example, if one chooses to have business cards printed, great care should be exercised in being sure that they are given only at a patient's request.
Executive boards of branch churches sometimes permit Reading Rooms to keep on hand, as a supplement to the Journal listing, the names of individuals who are active in the healing work but not yet listed in the Journal. These individuals are members of both The Mother Church and the local church. Such a list, however, is merely informational and does not attest to the healing ability of those listed.
But again, the only truly effective way to advertise is to heal. Our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, tells us in Science and Health, "The Bible contains the recipe for all healing." Science and Health, p. 406. And each dedicated student of Christian Science knows that Science and Health points the way to the practical application of that "recipe," enabling each of us to obey the injunction of the Master, Christ Jesus, "Heal the sick. . . ." Matt. 10:8.
Questions on the practice can be sent to: The First Church of Christ, Scientist;
Practitioners and Nursing Activities,
A151; Christian Science Center; Boston,
MA, U.S.A. 02115.
Touching receptive thought
At this writing, The Mother Church's half-hour television program on Christian Science, "One Hundred Years Young," has been aired over 180 times in 48 states (including half of the major metropolitan areas in the United States), 5 Canadian provinces, and Bermuda. The Committee on Publication and the Film and Broadcasting Department produced the film. The following excerpts are from typical letters received:
From one new to Christian Science:
"I've tried religions all my life, one church after another. None have satisfied me, really. ... I heard your program on TV this evening. Could you teach me, could I understand Christian Science? To heal my situations, my goings and comings, my longing for God, Jesus, His healing power, His laws, His love and peace?"
The comments of a clergyman to a Christian Science relative: "'One Hundred Years Young'" was an excellent presentation. I felt it was especially good to interpret to persons who have a limited understanding of Christian Science. . . . The replies to questions about sin, medicine, and healing through Christian Science should be most helpful to the public. . . . Best wishes and success to your church."
Comment of a television station program director: "I'd like to thank you and your organization for running the program on [our station], and I look forward to doing it again in the future."
A report about new visitors to a branch church: "A couple with their three children came to the local branch church as a result of having watched the television program and then asked for literature. They seem convinced that this is what they had been searching for. We welcome them!"
Received by a Christian Scientist from a relative: "I have always believed in what they were saying on the other TV shows up to a point, but these people (on 'One Hundred Years Young') really do know God. I am convinced that this is the way."
"One Hundred Years Young" originated in an honest desire to fulfill the provision in the Manual of The Mother Church by Mrs. Eddy "to correct in a Christian manner impositions on the public in regard to Christian Science . . ." Man., Art. XXXIII, Sect. 2. at a time when its message is being particularly misrepresented. As one of the panelists in the film remarked later: "There are a lot of people asking questions these days. They want to know why thinking people would belong to this church. Honest people want honest answers. And so we were thinking aloud about some of the questions people ask. We wanted to show them that we are Christians; that we care about children; that Christian Scientists do care about God and their fellowman."
The program was designed for television and will continue to be used for that purpose; and it will be helpful in a variety of other ways, including occasional placement with libraries and school groups.
Annual Meeting 1982
The 1982 Annual Meeting for members of The Mother Church will be held on Monday afternoon, June 7. Related meetings will be held on Monday evening and on Tuesday, June 8 in the morning and afternoon.
Registration: Admission tickets for all meetings will be available starting at 8:30 a.m. Monday, June 7. Members need to show Mother Church membership by presenting either the membership card from the per capita tax form or a letter from the Clerk. Members without this identification may go to the registration area beginning at 8 a.m. to be identified.
Translations: French, German, and Spanish translations of the Annual Meeting, as well as the related meetings on Monday and Tuesday, and the church services on Sunday, June 6, and Wednesday, June 9, will be transmitted simultaneously through earphones located in a special section of the first balcony in The Mother Church Extension.
Accommodations: Hotel reservation forms and dormitory information may be obtained by sending a business-size, self addressed envelope (please stamp the envelope if you're writing from the United States) to: The First Church of Christ, Scientist; Visitor Section, P-133; Christian
Science Center; Boston, MA, U.S.A.
02115. Reservations should be made by April 15.
Mother Church membership— how to apply
Once certain that you want to join— and you've relied solely on Christian Science healing for a year or more—the next step is to get an application form.
These are available at any Christian Science Reading Room, branch church, or society; from a member of The Mother Church; or from a practitioner listed in The Christian Science Journal or The Herald of Christian Science. Or you may write to the Clerk of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Christian Science Center, Boston, MA, U.S.A. 02115.
After reviewing the membership requirements fill out the form and ask any Mother Church member to approve your application. This member will interview you, then forward the signed application to a teacher of Christian Science for countersignature. Applications received by May 1 or October 1 are acted upon in June or November, respectively.
We invite you to consider this important step, and we welcome your application.
When you love something . . .
When you love something, it's natural to want to support it. One of the many ways Christian Scientists express their love for Christian Science is through regular contributions to funds that back the worldwide activities of The Mother Church, including The Christian Science Publishing Society.
Church members contribute generously through their yearly "per capita tax" payment, which goes into the General Purpose Fund. The Mother Church funds that are especially active right now are:
General Purpose Fund
Endowment Fund for The Christian
Science Monitor
Periodicals Gift Subscription Fund
Charitable Institutions Fund
Relief and Assistance Fund
Translations Fund
Contributions may be sent at any time to:
Michael A. West, Treasurer, A-72
The First Church of Christ, Scientist
Christian Science Center
Boston, MA, U.S.A. 02115
A warm invitation
If you are reading the Journal for the first time and would like to find out more about the teachings of Christian Science, Christian Scientists in your area warmly invite you to attend church services and use the local Reading Room. Services held on Sunday are based on readings from the Bible and from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. Wednesday evening meetings include Bible readings, citations from Science and Health, and testimonies by those who have been healed. There is Sunday School where young people through age 19 learn to put spiritual truths into practice, and many churches have a children's room for those too young for Sunday School.
If you'd like to investigate Christian Science more deeply, the Reading Room is a good place to start. Here you can read the Bible, Mrs. Eddy's writings, and Christian Science literature in a quiet atmosphere conducive to thinking. Here too are copies of The Christian Science Monitor, an international daily newspaper you might like to read during your lunch hour. Attendants are happy to answer your questions.
Or you may wish to call a practitioner listed in the directory of this Journal. The directory also has the hours and locations of churches and Reading Rooms near you.
If you'd like to study at home, copies of Science and Health are available at Reading Room lending libraries and at most public libraries.
Subscription rates for the periodicals
The Christian Science Journal— monthly in English; $18 a year, $1.75 a copy.
Christian Science Sentinel—weekly in English; $26 a year, $13 six months, 60¢ a copy.
The Herald of Christian Science— monthly in French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish; each edition $14 a year, $1.50 a copy. Quarterly in Danish, Dutch, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Swedish; each edition $2 a year, 50¢ a copy. EnglishBraille, Grade Two, published quarterly; $1 a year, 25¢ a copy.
Christian Science Quarterly—Bible Lessons—quarterly in English, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Indonesian (available in Indonesia only), Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish; each edition $4.75 a year, $1.35 a copy. Large Study size (English only), $6.50 a year, $2 a copy. In EnglishBraille, Grade Two, with all citations from the Bible and Science and Health written out in full, $2.50 a year (12 issues), 25¢ a copy.
The Christian Science Monitor— daily editions—clear, concise news coverage Monday through Friday, except legal holidays, in English; available to subscribers worldwide; $72 a year, $39 six months, $19.50 three months, 40¢ a copy. A special discount is available for schools, teachers, full-time college students, clergymen, members of the armed services on extended active duty, and individual members of the Peace Corps. —weekly international edition—same international news as the daily editions, especially edited for readers outside North America, in English; not available in the United States and Canada; $39 a year, $19.50 six months, 90¢ a copy. No discount is given on this edition.
You can purchase or subscribe for these periodicals at any Christian Science Reading Room. Or you may order them directly from The Christian Science Publishing Society, One Norway Street, Boston, MA, U.S.A. 02115.
