Article December 1, 1917 Issue

Christian Science does not compel; it persuades truly, but...

John M. Tutt

Poplar Bluff (Mo.) American

Christian Science does not compel; it persuades truly, but only as it presents a reasonable explanation of God and man and unfolds God's plan of salvation from the ills and sins of the flesh. Where Christian Science has touched the lives of men, it has blessed. Why warn against an influence for good in the world? The beneficence of Christian Science would extend even to those who now think they do God service in attempting to block its progress, and would open channels of usefulness to the talents now devoted to exhortation. Jesus went about healing the sick and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. In obediently imitating Jesus in the former, Christian Science is convicingly doing the latter. Jesus said, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."

Our critic, a clergyman, said, "I believe the old Book, and I will stand on the Bible alone as the Word of God." Here seems to be a point of agreement between him and Christian Science, for the first tenet of the Christian Science church states, "As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life" (Science and Health, p. 497). Moreover, as our critic again says, "It is not what you think or what I think, but what the holy Word of God says." Surely, then, the thinker will see the unfairness of the demand of our critic that his own concept of what the Bible says be the standard for others whose understanding of the Word, though differing from his, is to them convincing and satisfying. To Christian Scientists "the word of God is...powerful," and their experience in the practice of Christian Science furnishes practical proofs of the correctness of their concept of God and man as revealed in the spiritual import of the Scripture.

The following succinct statement will correct in a general way many of the present critic's favorite animadversions: To the Christian Scientist the spiritual meaning of the Bible is all-important. Through spiritual understanding alone he is able rightly to divide the Word of God and reconcile the seeming inconsistencies of the text. He is able thus to do this without mutilating or discarding any portion of the Scriptures. The Christian Scientist understands that when Christ Jesus said he was "the way," he meant just that, and hence that all must walk in that way. He believes in Christ Jesus' selfless sacrifice; in the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension; that his triumphant emergence from the tomb proved the power of God to overcome death and the world's hatred of Truth, which culminated in the futile endeavor to kill Jesus.

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