Editorials

Sitting in the Original Edifice of The Mother Church for the first time, I found myself deeply moved. Among the inspired reminders in that edifice of the timeless message of Christianity and Christian Science, what struck me on that particular day, years ago, was this Bible passage, lettered across the back of the Readers’ platform: “Who is so great a God as our God” ( Psalms 77:13 ).

As her understanding of the divine revelation increased, Mrs. Eddy  became increasingly convinced that the discovery of the divine Truth that had been revealed to her through Christ-healing could only be sustained in this world by  such healing.

The writer shares how adopting a scientific mind-set and a scientific spirit of exploration results in a more effective healing practice.

Mankind’s deepest hunger is spiritual. Whether it’s a longing for peace and security, a yearning for freedom, a simmering desperation over finances, or wanting to be healthy and happy—many of us are searching for something whose source is not found in the conventional view of life.

Watching Casablanca yet again, it’s easy for me to see why this 1942 black and white film remains a Hollywood classic. One by one, the main characters discover how selfless love triumphs over tyranny in its many forms—selfishness, self-indulgence, self-justification.

In Niagara: A History of the Falls  Pierre Berton recounts that Charles Blondin (whom Mary Baker Eddy refers to on page 199 of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures) crossed the Niagara Falls Gorge on a tightrope many times. On different occasions, partway across he cooked himself breakfast, did a backward somersault, balanced on a chair.

It’s common for people who embrace Christian Science to feel that its explanation of Bible truths is the greatest blessing in their lives: that God is Spirit, wholly good, and the creator of a spiritual, sinless universe that is the only reality. They understand this isn’t just beautiful theory but can be proved through practical healing of bad things.

A fragment of something Jesus said, “… but the labourers are few …” had been coming to thought for a couple of days. Finally, I turned to the whole statement in the Gospel of Luke: “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest” ( 10:2 ).

Sitting in a typical Christian Science church service, we might well understand why someone looking around might feel that on the surface of things they have little in common with the other people in attendance. There might not be anyone the same age, race, political party, income bracket, or with remotely similar hobbies and interests.

Down the street from my home is a small, 100-plus-year-old village church with wood shingles weathered to a Cape Cod gray. Not long ago, it was boarded up and hoisted off its crumbling stone foundation.