Article December 9, 1911 Issue

In what he termed "a sermon that will please nobody,"...

Seattle (Wash.) Times

In what he termed "a sermon that will please nobody," the Rev. E. Tremayne Dunstan, pastor of the West Seattle Congregational church, outlined his attitude toward Christian Science, toward which some of his congregation had accused him of having an undue leaning. Mr. Dunstan denied any intention of embracing the Eddy doctrines, but frankly declared that he found much to admire in the new church. At the same time he pointed out its faults. Preaching from the text, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good," Mr. Dunstan said:

Of set purpose I have announced this as a sermon that will please nobody, because my object is not to please, but to bear witness to the truth as I apprehend it. I have for years been preaching some of the neglected truths upon which Christian Science lays emphasis, and I have frequently acknowledged the indebtedness of the church to those who have revived this teaching. I have tried to rid my mind of everything in the nature of an unreasoning prejudice against that which is new, and have never taken part in the denunciations of Christian Science which orthodox preachers have frequently made. I have insisted that no man, no church, no creed, can have a monopoly of truth; and that we should ever be prepared to learn from those who can teach us, and ever preserve the open mind. Frequently I have spoken appreciatively of Mrs. Eddy's teaching, and because of this some of my friends have been just a little fearful as to my own position.

I am not much concerned about these fears, but I do want to make my own attitude perfectly clear, even though in doing so I may possibly offend those who are prejudiced against Christian Science as well as those who are strongly prejudiced in its favor and impatient of criticism. There are some things about the Christian Science movement which cannot fail to gain our admiration. There can be question that it has become a vital moral agent in a society which was becoming more and more sordid and grossly materialistic. It is a spiritual idealism which has leavened the thought of millions of people and has completely changed the lives of the great majority of these. Never since the apostolic days has a religious movement spread so quickly.

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In what he termed "a sermon that will please nobody,"...

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