This quote by Mary Baker Eddy, on the future of her movement, has given me much to ponder:
“As the ages advance in spirituality, Christian Science will be seen to depart from the trend of other Christian denominations in no wise except by increase of spirituality” Miscellaneous Writings, p. 21.
I’ve watched the trend of other Christian denominations in my community, and abroad, over the decades. I’ve read books about these trends, watched TV shows, listened to popular preachers, and more, all the while listening for any truths that might be helpful to understand in my own church work in the Christian Science movement. But to be honest, I’ve always come up feeling like something was still missing.
The outward trends have been obvious, such as mega-churches swallowing up the smaller congregations, church services filled with high-energy musical performances, popular preachers, and cutting-edge use of technology. These large congregations have worked hard to meet the individual needs of members by forming small groups within themselves and dozens of special interest groups focused on specific topics such as building strong marriages, dealing with addiction, living single, and so on. The different ways churches have striven to adapt to changes in society and keep themselves relevant is mind-swirling and on-going.
Yet, Mrs. Eddy saw the future of her movement solely in terms of spirituality expressed. It seems, from her statement, that the prosperity of her church was not going to be about what the human mind could figure out to keep up with societal change. It was all about members living true to spiritual Truth! That’s it. Pure and simple. Spirituality expressed was going to be the hallmark of a prospering Christian Science movement.
Now that is a trend I can get excited about following!! I love spirituality. I love feeling spiritual, being spiritual, and living a spiritual life. Christian Science has enabled me to find real spirituality like no other teaching I’ve ever come across, and I am hungry for more.
The above quote has given me a whole new way of thinking about church. Church is not a process, a ritual or organized human action. It’s spirituality in action! This is the direction the Christian Science movement is headed, and all those who follow will be greatly blessed.
Thank you Evan for this Great Daily Lift !!! I love feeling and being spiritual as well. I agree that Christian Science has helped me find real spirituality also, It gives us the ability to see our lives in a good way and to reverse any negative influences. The ideas that Mrs. Eddy gives us in her writings for example: “Good is my God, and my God is good. Love is my God, and my God is Love.” (Miscellaneous Writings P. 206-22). This is the God that I know and love, and this is the God that is knowing and loving everyone.
Thank you Evan for this excellently timed Truth ! Currently I am surrounded by these human church endeavours,so your words have given me the invigorating inspiration to cherish being embedded and safe in Christian Science !
Interesting! It does seem many other denominations do focus on working hard to keep up-to-date. Certainly Christian Science isn’t one of those! However, what I do see is, more and more are losing the rigid doctrine of her day. Although certainly not true of ALL, many are focusing more on love, and less on condemnation, divisiveness, and Judgmentalism. I just heard a Baptist chaplain reassure my 93-year-old friend not to worry about God condemning her gay grandson, that God loves everyone! That wouldn’t have happened even a decade or two ago. And my 70-something Catholic friend talked about how that church is focusing much more on love, abandoning the previous brainwashing (her word) that said even just missing mass was a sin.
What she didn’t foresee was the large number of people who have left church altogether due to various issues, but that includes a large group who are finding their spirituality in other ways, outside religion – both in small groups and individually, which is how Christian Science began.
I am grateful that Christian Science has its core focus on spiritual growth. Also grateful for the changes that have transpired over recent years which have taken the church away from the judgmentalism that took over after Mary Baker Eddy passed on, in the process of returning to her intent as written in the Manual.
All of these trends show increased focus on spiritual growth and Love, the cornerstone of Christian Science, just as she predicted. These things take time. Not everyone is on board (yet). Focusing on love and inclusiveness blesses all!
I couldn’t agree with you more, Evan.
I grew up in a large Catholic Church,
That church, like so many other denominations, does a lot of good in the world but never gave me the practical tools to develop spiritually nor to learn how to heal as Jesus did.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
(John 14:12)
Beloved, NOW are WE the sons of God”.
(I John 3:2)
I’ve studied all of the major faith traditions – and there is a lot of good out there – but none seems to have taken these scriptures to heart nor provided any type of system to achieve the Christ except Christian Science.
I am so grateful to have come into contact with CS. And I share your passion for it. Thank you for your tireless work on behalf of the movement, Evan.
Beautifully said Rob. (=
Evan, this is so helpful. It’s the spiritual growth that is important. Love your thought that church is “spirituality in action.” Thanks to the comments from others as well.
Christian Science has blessed me as well and I am grateful for what I have learned so far and am looking forward to learning more. But, I also believe that God love’s all her children and that each person, regardless of the religion they follow, is being led/directed by God. I feel fortunate to work with people everyday and witness good. Sometimes I witness things that I view as “not good” and sometimes I get to take an active part in helping that person see a different perspective. I don’t know if it improves the world but I like to think it does.
I also am encouraged by the inclusivity movement. Getting out and getting to know others who at first appear to not be like “us” is a blessing. In my own experience, I may not always see them correctly at first, but as I believe that God really is good and that all of his creation reflects him, I learn to see more and more of that goodness. And, I try not to be discouraged by the things I interpret as “not good” as sometimes my own perspective needs an adjustment. 🙂
Very grateful for your Spiritview Evan. And, I always enjoy the comments of others here too. There are no wrong answers. There are people learning and reaching for truth and growing and that is a beautiful thing to witness.
Thank you, Evan! If “… all is Spirit and spiritual” (S&H 331), as Eddy says, then what you say here also has to be true. Our own growth Spiritward, and that includes the Christian Science church, calls upon us to do the mental work needed. And of course the blessings will follow.
After all, it is not the human mind that we are following, but the divine. Thank you Evan and all the wonderful contributors above. Right on!
I was visiting a dear friend from our Church, she at this time is in a home
for those who need extra support, she has gone through the valley
of death, through, not into. We were sharing ideas, and I expressed to her
as Christian Scientist, the best thing is to live it, for that is a shining light in
the dark. One of the care givers was listening,, and agreed with the conversation. She shared that my friend dearly expressed love to all.
This friend is up and helping the cared givers clean, and giving her thanks
for all they do. Not only this, my friend has continued in her studies, she receives many visitors, not only from church, but many friends. We have shared a Science and Health with one of the care givers. Love, true Love
shines everywhere.
I would life to share that her daughter in-law has care over her, she is not a student of Christian Science.
Bless U all. Seeing correctly has been my blessing both practically and spiritually. MBE defines Seeing as spiritual discernment This just recently helped me pass my DMV eye test for my renewal of my driver’s license I’m very grateful for C S!
Thank you Evan. I continue to learn so much from you.
I too grew up in the Catholic Church, but it was Christian Science that taught me about Spirituality. I am so grateful for this and all Christian Science has done and continues to do for me.
Again, thank you Evan for your articles and all your work in keeping the movement going and thank you all for your beautiful comments, please keep them coming.
Right on, Evan! Thank you so much for this timely and universally important reminder.
This post is so important. I did not grow up in C.S. but in a Christian Orthodox religion. I always loved Sunday school, read books on Bible stories and absolutely loved God. I even prayed for healing not knowing there could be healing. But that church failed me not because it didn’t teach me we could heal – it didn’t know HOW healing comes. Maybe God will heal maybe not. When I found C.S. as a young adult I joined a local C.S. church. Within a few months I understood enough to begin healing
And the rest is history. CS has been the biggest blessing in my experience! Not only for physical and employment healings but healing any and everything that needs a higher more spiritual view. His love and presence are humbling.
When you have to work too hard to stay interested, it is time to go. I learned about the major religions but I went back to Christianity. I had a lovely church upbringing but I never found that congregation again. I was studying metaphysics. I knew about CS and knew some lovely people who were CS. It wasn’t until I picked up a copy of Science and Health and started to read it that I felt I had come home. I had no idea CS was such a treasure trove of metaphysical writing. I continue to learn. I am at the point where I must go deeper or higher and I am challenged by mortal mind in scary ways at times. But there is no where to go. Thank you SpiritView. I read it daily. As my friends and I used to say, I hope to be a beneficial presence to all, especially my grandchildren.
In written testimonies of Christian Science healings, we see powerful spiritual growth and convictions of growing closer to God as the key points of every account. It seems clear that spiritual growth and increased understanding of the allness of God, good, are the real purposes of Christian Science. I have had close inside experience of at least two “mainline” Christian denominations, in which such enlightenment did not appear to be a predominant goal. The principal goal, instead, was increasing the number of members.
In Florida, I went to the Christian Science Church at 10 AM and then to an
Evangelical Church at 11:30 because I loved
the energy of the praise music, how we raised our arms in the air while singing, the
live musicians – it was fun! At one point, I got
to know the pastor and met with him and read him the Tenets of the Christian Science Church – all of which he agreed with. He encouraged me to take a Holy Spirit Course at his church and I did, During that course, a woman whose husband had just had major surgery was asked specific questions
about it. This went on for some time, I dared interrupt and suggested that in Christian Science, we only would mention the material situation briefly once with 10 times the Christ – that was how we healed. It was amazing to me how quickly these women caught on. They immediately started praying for this man without another material question. My friend who introduced me to her church reciprocated and came with me to the Christian Science Church for several weeks. Not everyone at her church was receptive to Christian Science, but those who were made it a good experience for me over all. Now I spend the winter in a town where there is no Christian Science Church and go to an Ecumenical Church while reading the Bible Lesson during the week. Praising God, worshipping God is universal and an important part of my life, Nice discussion.
Thank you, Evan.
Thanks for sharing Evan and Lisa, and all the commenters!
Let Love with a capital L, in other words, Divine Love or God’s Love be continually shown in human warmth, inclusion of all ages, races, orientation, etc be fully and even more deeply expressed by all who name the name of Christ Jesus as their Way-shower! Too often people get into habits of socializing with others they know and visitors and young people are ignored or not remember when they return, even fairly consistently over many months or longer. Sadly, I have seen this happen before, and they feel unappreciated or even unwanted, and stop attending. Let’s each make it a goal to bring awareness to this issue and prevent any repeating of this subtle way to discourage potential future generations from wanting to be involved in church on a regular basis. Let’s be aware of all who come seeking Love and to embrace them!
Finding acceptance among other’s in various other religions was difficult. Until I began a more vigorous study of Christian Science.
My brother married a Catholic woman. They had been married on a side altar in the Catholic Church, because he wasn’t a Catholic.
Together we visited a practitioner’s office. My brother wanted his wife to attend the Christian Science Church instead of where she was going.
When the discussion ensued, that this wonderful woman did not want to attend church services with my brother, he was instructed. I was listening from out in the hallway.
He was told that it was none of his business where his wife attended church. That he should be a model of a true Christian Scientist and get his thinking around that.
In later years this lady did turn to Christian Science, Her children were raised in it and went to Christian Science schools, too. Including Principia!
Most everyone you meet aren’t Christian Science students or Christian Scientists. When we reflect what we are learning, that reaches out from us to all around us. That is the light we can share without saying a single word.
Thank you all for your revelations of today’s subject presented by Evan. Gratitude!
Depth of spirituality is the priority over clamour for numbers and race for growth where Christian healing is so often left on the backburner.
Thank you, Evan to bring up this interesting and true utterance by Mrs. Eddy in Miscellaneous Writings. The next passage following the sentence of today’s topic is the “Scientific Statement of Being” which tells us that God Spirit is all in all. Mrs. Eddy also mentions in Science and Health that the most difficult part to understand is that matter is nothing. However did she prove that over and over in that she healed through spiritual means only like Christ Jesus did. That is so wonderful what she did for us all.
Once, when I read this sentence from Miscellaneous Writings first, I was very happy about this truth, as I also felt very good with it, and I was and am very glad that CS doesn’t do and have all these denominational rituals, and all these discussion groups about different difficulties some people seem to have, which aĺl has nothing to do with the pure Spirituality Christian Science teaches us, and which imparts real and lasting healing of every kind!
I also love being spiritual and am eager to learn and demonstrate still more about man’s Spirituality.
Thank you all a lot for your inspired comments.
Thank you so much, Evan for ģiving us today’s inspiring spiritual view of this topic.
I love this reminder. In high school, a group of us decided to visit each other’s churches to see what they were about. I attended a catholic, baptist, Episcopalian , and Methodist church for the first time. I came away thinking, “ where’s the beef?” The sermons were good and very simple and there was a lot of ritual – like taking communion and some hymns but I felt it lacked depth . I craved something deeper. I was pleased to know that Christian Science provides a truly satisfying spiritual meal and a way out of every problem. It teaches how to pray and offers healing results. Healing is the byproduct of gaining spirituality.
Thank you Evan, I came from the Mennonite sect of Christianity (we used electricity like everybody else) so I understand what you mean and have experienced that same thing of the church adapting to meet the needs of our ever changing society. I’ve experienced that the emphasis on Spirituality expressed is just so much more powerful than a flashy show in a mega-chruch (and I’ve worked in multiple ones at that), for me at least.