Article September 1, 1917 Issue

The report of a sermon delivered in Trenton by a revivalist...

John M. Tutt

Trenton (Mo.) Republican

The report of a sermon delivered in Trenton by a revivalist contained certain allusion to Christian Science and to Mrs. Eddy which, to put it mildly, were as untrue as improper. The following statement is accredited to this preacher: "I am against anything that denies the divinity of Christ. Universalism and Christian Science are the product of the devil." It is of course out of keeping to align any other religious teaching with Christian Science, since it is fundamentally different from all others and is synonymous only with itself, that is, scientific Christianity, or exact knowledge of the laws of God in their application to humanity.

If Christian Science is the product of evil, Christianity is, for the teaching of Christian Science accords in every respect with Christ Jesus' claims concerning himself and his designation of what should constitute discipleship. With regard to what should mark a Christian, these statements of Jesus are conclusive: "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils." "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Ecclesiastical critics of Christian Science who have not taken the trouble to understand, would do well to consider Jesus' parable of the traveler who fell among thieves, and being left helpless was ministered to not by the professional theologian, not by the dogmatist, who seeing the victim's plight refused the needed succor, but by the despised Samaritan, whose compassion was real and whose Christianity was practically expressed in deeds.

The implied charge that Christian Science denies the divinity of Christ, calls for a more explicit statement, since the truth or untruth of the charge wholly depends upon what is understood thereby. Christian Science teaches that Christ Jesus was the Son of God, and hence truly divine. On page 583 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, we find this definition of Christ : "The divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error."

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