Mary Baker Eddy sets forth a brief and lucid summary of the method of Christian Science treatment in healing the sick in her article titled "Mental Practice" (see Miscellaneous Writings, pp. 219-223). She reinforces her instruction by giving an example of the opposite of Christian Science treatment in these simple words:" . . if this mental process and power be reversed, and people believe that a man is sick and knows it, and speak of him as being sick, put it into the minds of others that he is sick, publish it in the newspapers that he is failing, and persist in this action of mind over mind, it follows that he will believe that he is sick ..." Mrs. Eddy concludes by explaining how correct, scientific, Christian mental practice proves the powerlessness of wrong practice.
Recent widespread private mailings and clippings, relating to the financial affairs of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and a number of other subjects, have tended to obscure or overlook the useful work and progress of The Mother Church. We hope that this six-month financial report will be helpful to you as a mid-fiscal-year follow-up to the report presented to the members at Annual Meeting in June (see Annual Meeting reports, The Christian Science Journal, September 1992).
The record for the first six months of the Church's fiscal year (which began on May 1, 1992) shows a Church that has made major strides in coming to grips with financial challenges. Four points deserve prominent mention:
