Recently it was reported in our town that a clergyman had preached a sermon in which Christian Science was taken to task for what he called its "preposterous" teaching—the teaching that evil and disease are "unreal."
When a student of Christian Science heard the criticism, she thought that the clergyman's comment had missed much of the point of Christian Science teachings, but she also realized that there was nevertheless an essential truth stated when the clergyman referred to the unreality of evil and disease. She wanted to know how one could respond in such a case. I replied that we certainly think sin and sickness are "real" enough to devote our entire lives to learning how to heal and overcome them on Christian grounds! That is Christian realism, not escapism.
It is essential to make sure we are going beyond the surface meaning of the words that are necessary in describing the vast themes contained in Christian Science metaphysics. If we don't, we will fall into the same theological and intellectual pitfalls common to much popular criticism of this Science. In addition we will fail to perceive the moral and practical requirements for demonstrating the Science of Christ.
