During Mary Baker Eddy's lifetime, Christian Science as a movement grew rapidly, largely due to the success of Christian Science healing. This growth brought Mrs. Eddy and Christian Science both fame and notoriety. She saw the necessity of defusing opposition, and started the Committee on Publication in 1898 to help correct public misconceptions of Christian Science. The historical record also shows that Mrs. Eddy was concerned that Christian Scientists be sensitive to the circumstances and atmosphere in which public discourse on Christian Science takes place. It's this concern that forms the context for the Manual By-Law titled "No Unauthorized Debating."
The years 1899–1901 brought plenty of opportunities to deal with turmoil and opposition to Christian Science, largely because of Josephine Woodbury. Mrs. Woodbury studied with Mrs. Eddy during the 1880s and became a Christian Science teacher. But eventually, after an adulterous affair and other questionable activities, she turned against Mrs. Eddy, and in 1899 sued her for libel, claiming that Mrs. Eddy's references to the "Babylonish woman" in a church message were aimed at Mrs. Woodbury. For newspapers in the United States the lawsuit was hot news, and Woodbury did all she could to try the suit in the press and promote inflammatory stories about Christian Science. The lawsuit was ultimately decided in Mrs. Eddy's favor, but in the months leading up to the formal beginning of the trial on May 5, 1901, Mrs. Eddy became increasingly concerned that these sensational stories could have an adverse effect on its outcome. She counseled Christian Scientists to keep a low public profile and not inadvertently provide more fuel for the flames of controversy.
Some Christian Scientists in New York City did not seem inclined to take her advice, but said and did things in public that were easily twisted by newspapers into stories that vividly portrayed Christian Science and Christian Scientists as mysterious, dishonest, and dangerous. The papers also gave space to an attack on Christian Science by one of its most prominent clerical critics, the Reverend James M. Buckley. The occasion was a New York East conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, held on April 11, 1901, in Brooklyn. A respected Methodist pastor, Severin Simonsen, had converted to Christian Science and attendees at the conference proposed a resolution thanking him for his service and wishing him well. But Rev. Buckley would have none of it, and denounced Rev. Simonsen and Christian Science in harsh terms. Furthermore, Buckley challenged Christian Scientists to choose one of their members to meet him in debate in a public hall.
