"TO PROCLAIM THE UNIVERSAL ACTIVITY AND AVAILABILITY OF TRUTH"—MARY BAKER EDDY
Articulating spiritual concepts—even when they are universal in nature—can be more difficult when the work involves new cultures, laws, and languages. In this second segment of a series celebrating the 100th anniversary of The Herald of Christian Science, you'll read about the efforts of the fairly new Church of Christ, Scientist, to communicate with a different culture and in a different language—and the response of German-speaking adherents to those efforts. Major questions must have arisen at this time. Does a religious organization have a nationality? Was Christian Science a strictly American religious movement or was it a global religious movement? And if it was global, how could the institution that represented it most effectively speak to people outside the United States?
As early as 1889, a Christian Science practitioner in Minnesota wrote to Mary Baker Eddy about some of his patients who were German immigrants. He asked her if "a good tract" could be translated into German so he would have something to give them to read. Letter, John F. Linscott to Mary Baker Eddy, February 10, 1889. Mrs. Eddy was cautious in dealing with translations. Since she had devoted many years of her life to getting just the right words, even in her own language, deciding what to do about translation required serious thought. Still, about a year later, The Christian Science Publishing Society issued a basic pamphlet on Christian Science study and practice that was in German. Additional materials were produced in 1892 and 1893. The Way to Begin in Christian Science" published in 1890, "There is Rest and Peace on Earth" and Freedom" in 1892, and "Practicability of Christian Science" in 1893.
