Article July 1, 1916 Issue

The Lectures

with contributions from Bliss Knapp, Ernest G. Lorenzen, E. C. Weisman, Arthur R. Priest

In accordance with Sections 2, 3, and 4 of Article XXXII of the Manual of The Mother Church, all invitations to the board of lectureship must be initiated by the church or society desiring to give the lecture. The board of lectureship can initiate nothing, and cannot for that reason be directed by a central bureau. Consequently the board does not keep a record of the whereabouts of its members and can give no information on that subject. Its individual members, however, are receptive to invitations and hold themselves in readiness to respond to calls that originate with the churches and societies advertised in The Christian Science Journal. Such invitations, therefore, should be addressed directly to the lecturer desired, and to his address. The right to initiate lecture arrangements is so vital to the life of the church that it never should be vacated or abrogated. The true spirit of democracy, however, guarantees the right of a church to delegate that authority, under certain restrictions, to a board of directors acting for the membership, to a lecture committee, or to a central committee arranging a joint lecture for two or more churches in the same city, without in the least impairing its sovereign rights.

The initial step in arranging for a lecture, whether taken by the membership as a whole or by some delegated authority, is to choose a lecturer. The education and training of a Christian Scientist turn his thoughts directly to divine guid ance. He recognizes a local problem that needs to be healed, and while his human judgment may err in the selection of the right messenger for that time and problem, by giving scope to the spontaneity of divine action he has started aright from Principle.

There is a right time to begin in the selection of a lecturer, and that is directly after the announcement of the annual appointments. The reason is obvious, as one may observe the opportunity it affords in the orderly routing of tours and the consequent saving in traveling expenses. Furthermore, a lectuerer selected from the operation of Principle and at the right time, can, by the operation of the same law, invariably accept the invitation. When that mutual consideration and activity is continued in all subsequent arrangements, it will be found comparatively easy to adjust the selection of a date to meet the local needs. Such a system of choosing lecturers and arranging dates is the only feasible method for giving full scope to the spontaneity of divine action. Actual experience is proving more and more each year that it is increasingly effective. Therein is observed its scientific aspect, and it carries out fully the provisions of Section 2 of Article XXXII of the Manual.

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