Article March 15, 1924 Issue

On the title page of your publication you define in part...

Hugh Stuart Campbell, Committee on Publication for the State of Illinois,—Chicago

Christian Century

On the title page of your publication you define in part the admirable policy of it to be as follows: "The Christian Century is a free interpreter of essential Christianity. It is published not for any single denomination alone but for the Christian world." In view of, and in accord with, this liberal attitude of friendliness toward all religious bodies, I wish to submit to the readers of your magazine a different point of view, with reference to Christian Science, than was expressed by your editorial writer in the issue of December 17, 1923, when, in an article under the heading "Unsatisfied Religious Longings," he writes: "In scores of communities people are going back to the evangelical church after an experimentation with Christian Science." Now this is specious comment unsupported by proof. These "scores of communities" have not as yet been discovered by those affiliated with the Christian Science movement, who are in a position to know. Doubtless in the ranks of all church organizations are to be found transient religionists, those with what might be called migratory natures; but when it is considered that most of the adherents of Christian Science came—and are still coming—from other denominations, appearances point to the fact that the exodus is mostly in one direction.

The following items, with reference to the growth of Christian Science, compiled from the report of the Clerk of The Mother Church, read on the occasion of the Annual Meeting held in Boston on June 4, 1923, and printed in the authorized Christian Science periodicals, are most pertinent. During the past year seventy-nine Christian Science societies and sixteen new churches have been recognized as branches of The Mother Church. Some 3017 lectures by members of the Board of Lectureship were given to an attendance of approximately 2,235,231, an increase of 14,067 over the previous year. These facts furnish conclusive evidence in refutation of any decline.

Furthermore, Christian Scientists would hardly consider that in the practice of their religion they had made, or were making, an experiment. Rather do they rejoice that the practice of Christian Science enables them to exemplify in a practical manner the words of Jesus, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

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