Article June 10, 1916 Issue

An evangelist is reported as saying in his discourse on...

John M. Tutt

Joplin (Mo.) Globe

An evangelist is reported as saying in his discourse on prayer that Christian Scientists do not pray. "It is impossible for them to pray with their theology," he is said to have declared; "Christian Science with one stroke of the hand does away with the blood of Jesus Christ."

Christian Science may not agree with this critic's concept of prayer and atonement, but this does not mean that Christian Scientists do not pray, nor does it mean that Christian Science does away with the atonement. As evidence of the prime importance in which Mrs. Eddy held prayer and atonement, the first chapter of her book "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" is devoted to an exhaustive treatment of the former, while in the second chapter she thoroughly expounds the latter. These intelligent expositions will convince the unprejudiced student that in them Mrs. Eddy departs only from the crass materialism of dogma and ritualism, while to the purely spiritual teaching of Christ Jesus on these subjects she is unwaveringly faithful. Christian Scientists understand by the atonement (at-one-ment, see Webster) that Jesus, through his possession of the Christ, through his understanding of Truth, demonstrated man's essential unity with his Maker by the overcoming of sin, disease, and finally death itself, thus perfecting a reconciliation of man to God. But that he did man's work for him is held by Christian Science to be unreasonable.

Jesus proved his claim, "I and my Father are one;" and his statement, "I am the way," lays upon every disciple of Christ the necessity of such proof. No man is saved from sin, sickness, and death except in proportion to his understanding and demonstration of man's true relationship to God. As we follow Jesus in the way of this demonstration, material blood can never take the place of spiritual understanding. St. Paul said, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Jesus' goal was not the cross, but he endured the shameful attempt to destroy Christ, Truth, that he might offer indisputable evidence that the sum total of the way from the manager to the sepulcher, and thence to his final material disappearance, was a progressive demonstration of what Mrs. Eddy has termed the "passage from sense to Soul" (Science and Health, p. 566). Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

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