Article June 21, 1913 Issue

PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY

CLARENCE W. CHADWICK.

The world is famishing for practical Christianity, for it is tired of the dead theories and fluctuating opinions of men, which no longer satisfy. Like the prodigal of old, it has turned its back on the dead past and has begun to think of home. The Father's welcome is no longer a theoretical uncertainty, but a practical reality. The Christ, the Saviour of men, is no longer a mere historical personage, but is the ever-present Truth that heals, blesses, and saves. This Truth still calls to the weary and burdened ones of earth, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

The influence of demonstrated Christianity which is broadcast in the world today is the scientific leaven that is spiritualizing consciousness and thus making it possible for humanity to lay hold of the teachings of the Christ. Never before, since the beginning of the Christian era, has the world been so eager to learn of him who spake as never man spake; never before has "the Book of books" been read and studied with such marked interest and respect; never before have the words and works of the great Master meant more to humanity than they do today. No longer is it possible to read the Bible and not be impressed with the great stress that Jesus laid upon his works. The lethargy of "faith without works" had well-nigh relegated Christian healing to a forgotten past when Christian Science announced to the world the power of the ever-present Christ in practical demonstration; and herein lies the secret of the wonderful moral and spiritual awakening which is today evident in all parts of the world.

Christ Jesus was not a theorist; he was the scientific practitioner or demonstrator of God's power, the power of divine Mind. He came to show men how to work out and earn their salvation by doing precisely what he did; that is, by healing the sick, the sinful, and the sorrowing, and raising the dead. By doing his own work perfectly he showed what implicit obedience to God's will would do for one and all. Christian Science has taken Jesus at his word, and is proving to humanity the practical availability of divine power to arouse the slumbering thought through moral and spiritual healing. Only through such healing can the coming of Christ, Truth, ever be realized by the individual; in no other way can the fruits of transgression be destroyed and the sinner be reformed. Mere profession of belief "on the Lord Jesus Christ" never saved from sin or its consequences; the only reformation is the putting off of the old man. Sin indulged brings retribution, and often sooner to a student of Christian Science than to any other religionist, because the coming of Christ to him has revealed the unreality of sin and the sure punishment that follows its indulgence. He who knows not Christ neither understands the mythical nature of evil nor the healing power of Truth. The mental recognition or coming to us of the healing Christ marks the egress of both sin and disease from the mind and body of the individual.

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