When I was growing up, I heard wonderful stories about Mary Baker Eddy’s life. She was a heroine to me. I so admired her writing ability, her love for her family and for God, her persistence despite times in her life that were extremely hard, and her determination as a woman in an era of prejudice against women. I was especially grateful for her victorious establishment of the Church of Christ, Scientist, and later her founding of The Christian Science Monitor.
Yet, as I grew up, became a branch church member, and read many of the biographies about Mrs. Eddy, I remained uncertain about what her place as “Discoverer,” “Founder,” and “Leader,” really meant in my heart as a Christian Scientist. I felt uncomfortable answering questions about her from my Sunday School students or from my friends who weren’t Christian Scientists.
For example, one time about 20 years ago, a friend of mine came to stay with me for a much anticipated weekend of catching up. I explained to her that I taught Sunday School at my church and would need to be with my class that Sunday. I invited her, a devout Christian of another denomination, to attend the church service while I was in Sunday School, and she happily said she’d love to go.
