Editorial October 7, 1911 Issue

TEACHING IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL

Archibald McLellan

It is a fair inference, to judge from the many letters received at headquarters which request information as to the right way to carry on the work of the Sunday school, that the subject is one of great interest, and that there is not only an intention upon the part of those who are most intimately connected with and responsible for the conduct of this work for the good of the children who are attending these schools in the branch churches, to put into it their best efforts, but a general desire that these efforts shall be rightly directed.

Our Leader has made careful provision for the welfare of these lambs of the flock, and as fundamental authority on this subject of teaching the children we have the organic law of the church as contained in Article XX of the Church Manual (p. 62 of the present edition). It seems very clear, from a careful study of this by-law, that it was intended to define therein fully and specifically the scope of the subjects to be taught the children. In fact, it is couched in such definite language that there can be no question or difference of opinion as to just what our Leader considered fundamentally essential in teaching them Christian Science.

It is important to note, however, that the by-law does not say the teaching shall be confined to the mere letter of the commandments and the other subjects named. In a letter by Mrs. Eddy's secretary and which had her approval (Sentinel, March 3, 1906), it is stated that "it was not her [Mrs. Eddy's] intention to limit Sunday school instruction to the routine of memorizing the letter of the designated portions of the Scriptures," but that "the children should be taught the meaning of the Ten Commandments," etc. From what view-point this teaching shall be given is plainly stated in the closing sentence of Section 3 of the by-law above referred to; viz., "The instruction given by the children's teachers must not deviate from the absolute Christian Science contained in their text-book." This seems to make it quite clear that it was our Leader's intention that the instruction given the children should be along the line of the spiritual meaning and import of the Scriptures, rather than upon the basis of the material history of a race of people or a nation.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Editorial

THE ONE PRESSING NEED