It’s been an on-going prayer of mine to understand church, and one conclusion I’ve come to in recent years is that you can’t do church alone.
There can be a tendency in the practice of Christian Science for students to get metaphysically beyond their human demonstration. It can be easy to wrangle with metaphysical concepts, gain a particular view, find a settled peace with it, and figure, “I’ve got that concept all figured out,” and leave it at that with nothing changed outwardly to confirm a higher understanding. I’ve seen it happen with church.
It goes something like this: Church is the structure of Truth and Love, per Mary Baker Eddy’s definition of Church in the glossary of Science and Health. Truth and Love are everywhere. Church is everywhere. I’m in Church right now! I don’t need to attend church on Sundays or participate in any type of congregational gathering. That’s for people who don’t understand Church yet.
I’ve been tempted to agree with this reasoning myself over the years! But it always felt wrong. And what I’ve come to see is that church is not an experience one has alone. It’s a collective experience.
Church, for Jesus, was not when he prayed in the wilderness by himself. That was between him and God. It was an experience of the individual. Church was when he was with his disciples, when they prayed together, taught and learned together, cared and shared for one another.
Church is not about the individual. It’s about the collective.
In absolute Truth, Church is the “structure of Truth and Love,” as Eddy defines. But, I ask, what exists in the structure of Truth and Love? Everyone! Every child of God is there. No one is excluded. It’s not a structure for “me.” It’s a structure for “us.”
Christian Science is about demonstrating spiritual reality here and now. It’s not about entertaining theoretical metaphysical concepts that will someday be true after you pass on. It’s about proving spiritual reality here on earth to the point of demonstrating we’re living in the kingdom now. This includes demonstrating that we are in Church now. And Church includes everyone. Church is not a huge structure with only you standing in it. Everyone is standing in it!
You cannot demonstrate Church alone. It’s not an “alone” idea. It’s about being with others, helping them, praying with them, and healing them!
In practical terms, that means interaction with one’s neighbor. It means reaching out, being there, wanting to help, offering prayer, eagerness to be with others who love God and want to grow spiritually. It’s about participating in the family of God! There is nothing theoretical or abstract about real church. You can think about it when you’re in the wilderness alone, but you’ll be doing it when you’re helping and healing your neighbor.
You can’t do church by yourself. It’s about interacting with others.
AMEN!! Thank you for addressing this topic Evan. It is so important and needed.
It’s about being family for one another! Thank you, Evan. I have loved a quote from artist Fairfield Porter, an art teacher shared with me: “Love is paying attention.” I imagine he applied this to his art, but it certainly rings true in regard to valuing one another in church, and attending to one another’s needs– and attending church in the best sense.
Evan, I wholeheartedly agree with your article . . .and yet, growing up as a child in Christian Science, I felt a real emptiness and loss that there were no ‘extracurricular activities’ to strengthen that feeling of togetherness. I know that many churches (other religions) have youth groups as a way to continue that feeling of ‘being together’, and continuation of support. I truly wished (at that time) to have had more ‘fun ways’ to feel supported and connected rather than just Sunday School. What are your thoughts on that subject?
Hi Joy,
Some Sunday schools do arrange other activities with their students outside of the Sunday morning service. And I believe the students enjoy those activities. I never felt any emptiness when I went to Sunday school as a child. It felt like a whole complete experience to me, learning about God and how to put that truth into practice during the week. But truth speaks to different people in different ways, and if other activities help, so be it.
Thank you! Your article connects the two paragraphs in the definition of church. The second paragraph can be seen as addressing the collective!
Thank you for shining light on this topic. The desire to be with others who love God and want to grow spiritually is within us all. It led us to cooperate with other branch churches in our area with combined resources that produced an additional joint lecture that was heavily attended and included a significant number of interested seekers from our community. Together, we are better!
Thank you Evan for your explanation. One thing that I never liked is the saying; “I can’t be with you now, I must go to Church, Synagogue , etc.”
Being in a religious place is not fully practicing one’s religion, it is helping others which one learns from God.
It’s like you can read my mind!
I read 2 books that address this topic. Both were written by David Platt. The first, “Radical” enumerates what individuals need to do for their personal religious growth. The second, “Radical Together” tell how individuals can work together in the world, to enable others to gain religious growth. The church, he said, is the place where individuals come together as a group to gain understanding, feel love, train, and support each other in their spiritual growth. With that as a background and support system, individuals are encouraged to go out into the world, often as individuals, or pairs, to enable those who do not have church to be able to experience it.
It is a powerful message, which informs us that both the individual, and the church are necessary for individual growth and world-wide growth.
Thanks for this topic.
Thank you! Very thought provoking!
Hooray – a wonderful post! Thank you.
I do a lot of on line church services on the internet with the Mother Church and find it very rewarding. I know MBE encouraged the support of establishing and attending local services.
But where there exists very few children and limited attendance in my area, I find the Mother Church Sunday Services meet my needs for which I am grateful.
While I find what you have said here to be true, it is no necessairly practial in many cirumstances. Jesus said:” Where two or more are gatherd in my name…” In many places such as remote areas like where I live, there are NO Christian Scientists or churches. I have to drive 100 plus miles to get to one. I have done that, but it is not practical. Also , since going to church via the phone to Austin church in Texas, or to the Mother Church on line, I still always feel connected and able to interact.
While I do feel church is about interaction, much of the interaction is mental. In England , for example, there are new POP UP churches coming into effect in people’s livingrooms, hotel room,s restaurants and other areas for gathering together.
With church memberships almost nothing in many places, this smaller, intimate grouping seems to be working and really catching on. People like the smallness of the spaces, and the exponential potential of the living Word. There does not need to me a crowd to get a message of Truth out into the Universe. One person can achieve that , if they are working with love in their intentions and motives. Downsizing seems to be prevelent in many areas, and where I am, one is a moajority;ie me. lol so…thank you for these thoughts, you have presented and are truth, but situations do differ and the connectiona nd support form church might just have to come across the wires…like it does up here!—Merri
Hi Merri,
I agree! Church is not a building. It’s a spirit expressed that goes outward and blesses others around us, even those many many miles, or kilometers, away. It also can work well in someone’s living room. It’s about the spirit of oneness, isn’t it, that gets us out of self into the greater family of God.
Thank you so much Evan for sharing. It is very important to me and for anyone whose heart is touched. The message is meant for them and yet for all. What is very crucial is what you mentioned that church is being with others, praying together, helping them, healing them.
“Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel”. “Freely ye have received freely give.” These admonitions will find it’s way to touch those ready and are willing to obey, it comes at the right moment though.
Wonderful! Thank you Evan,
I just read this post – just a little behind on my email! Great ideas. I’m glad I went back to read it. Thanks for the ideas you so freely give us.