Article August 9, 1919 Issue

"Taught of God"

PERSIS COX

To the student of Christian Science a great opportunity for service, and for individual growth as well, is found in the work of teaching in a Christian Science Sunday school. When this opportunity was first offered to one student her thought was: Why, I do not know enough of Christian Science to be able to teach it. Besides, how can I who never had the privilege of attending such a school, hope to make the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, and the Lord's Prayer interesting and of practical help to the pupils? Just then the still, small voice of spiritual sense reminded her that all of Christian Science which is known on earth to-day has been gained through the study and practice of the teachings of the Bible, of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, as well as our Leader's other writings and the other authorized Christian Science literature.

Then turning to page 141 of Science and Health the student read: "For this Principle there is no dynasty, no ecclesiastical monopoly. ... Its only priest is the spiritualized man." Here, then, was her answer, and in the light of the above statement of Truth she saw how flimsy were the reasons which one would give for declining the privilege of teaching. In her study of the first lessons, with the aid of the Bible concordance and the concordance to Science and Health, she soon learned that these lessons are called "first" not so much because they are to be studied first by the class, as that they are first in importance to every adult as well as to every child. For this reason they must be made the "basis of thought and demonstration" (Science and Health, p. 259) in the lives of both teachers and pupils, if the promise contained in each is to be fulfilled.

From the first the pupils were encouraged to tell the class how they were proving for themselves the truths of Christian Science, and as time went on frequent experiences of the healing of sickness, sin, and discords of various kinds, both for themselves and for others, were related. This brought joy to the teacher, for by their practice of the truth which makes free she knew they were learning to understand it. At one time there had seemed to be for several Sundays a restlessness during the silent prayer, and as a few words of loving correction seemed unavailing, she sought earnestly to be shown the right way to solve this problem. She saw that she must never seek to have the pupils obedient to her mere wish, or even to her mere concept of law and order for the class, but they must be taught that obedience to law and order is right, because it is the demand which God makes upon all His children.

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