Article October 1, 1921 Issue

Hearing Testimonies

JAMES A. STEBBINGS

The writer has often been impressed, as a result of remarks made in his hearing, with the need among students of Christian Science for a study of Article VIII, Section 24 of our Church Manual dealing with testimonies, not only as a guide for giving, but for hearing testimonies at our Wednesday testimony meetings. Again and again one hears the remark, "What a splendid testimony such a person gave!" Too often in recalling such testimonies one finds that judgement has been based on the character of the incident related, whether the sickness overcome was supposed to be curable or incurable according to medical opinion, the phrasing used, the quotations given, and the manner of delivery. Yet when one turns to the Manual one finds none of these factors mentioned as being essential in a good testimony.

How many more testimony meetings we should all thoroughly enjoy, and how much more healing would result from them if we made our standard of judgment that outlined by our beloved Leader, Mrs. Eddy! She says (Manual, Art. VIII, Sect. 24) that "Testimony in regard to the healing of the sick is highly important. More than a mere rehearsal of blessings, it scales the pinnacle of praise and illustrates the demonstration of Christ, 'who healeth all thy diseases' (Psalm 103:3)." only such testimony can be called good. Whenever a sense of disappointment is present regarding a testimony meeting, if the question be asked one's self and honestly answered, "What am I listening for?" it will frequently be revealed that we have temporarily forsaken the simple but very high standard given by Mrs. Eddy and substituted a standard of mortal mind, a touch of drama, a pleasing story, or fine oratory.

Let us not be misled as to what it is important to hear in every testimony and let us relegate everything else to the category of the merely incidental. If this became habitual among students of Christian Science, many of the thorns which beset the path of those of us who do not find it very easy to give public testimony would be removed, because a greater sense of freedom would be experienced by all present.

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