I’m wondering if you have any background information that might be helpful regarding Mrs. Eddy’s statement in the Church Manual under “Order of Service: Thanksgiving (point no. 11) ‘Testimonies by Christian Scientists, appropriate for the occasion’ ” (p. 124). There is concern that this statement could be read to be exclusive, whereas the Thanksgiving service has always been all-inclusive.
— A reader in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
A. The order for the Thanksgiving Day service originally stated that testimonies were to be by “members of the church.” These words were deleted from the Church Manual by Mary Baker Eddy after the Clerk of The Mother Church, William B. Johnson, requested a change in the wording. He suggested that, “It is eminently probable that there might be persons in the audience who although not members of the Church have been wonderfully healed and whose testimony would be of great value” (L00447, December 2, 1905, The Mary Baker Eddy Collection). The intent was inclusive, but it wasn’t a signal for lowering the standard of the testimonies. The quality of the testimonies actually helps the service soar to healing heights. And when the testimonies inspire, all feel included. Mrs. Eddy amended this provision to read “Testimonies by Christian Scientists, appropriate for the occasion.”
What seems true here is that when someone has been healed through Christian Science, they can share that healing. They might be a life-long student or a brand-new reader of Science and Health. It doesn’t matter. The service should be filled with their deep, heartfelt expressions of gratitude. Mr. Johnson had mentioned that eliminating the member requirement for testimonies “would give all who have been benefited, especially those who have been very lately helped[,] a chance to show their appreciation of Christian Science.”
