If you were a reader of a chronology prepared by Irish Archbishop James Usher in the 17th century, you might believe that creation occurred in 4004 BC. Because this chronology was printed in the margin of the King James Version of the Bible, people accepted it as truth. But during the scientific revolution of the 19th century, controversy developed.
Advances in astronomy and geology—among others—suddenly extended the history of the universe and the earth. Exploration of the Grand Canyon, for example, showed a geological history of the earth that far exceeded the limits imposed by the Usher chronology. Students of the Bible reacted—sometimes strongly—to these scientific projections.
Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science in 1866 and devoted the rest of her life to explaining it, was very conscious of scientific trends and debates in her time. For her, spirituality was key to understanding creation. Speaking of God, she said in Science and Health: "Love alone can impart the limitless idea of infinite Mind. Geology has never explained the earth's formations; it cannot explain them." Science and Health, p. 510. For her, the timeless lens of Love provided the only true view of creation.
