Article June 13, 1931 Issue

"Watchman," writing in your issue of November 21,...

Charles W. J. Tennant, District Manager of Committees on Publication for Great Britain and Ireland,—England

Malvern Gazette

"Watchman," writing in your issue of November 21, refers to the Holy Scriptures, "which," he says, "of all writings in the world are alone divinely inspired, or God-breathed," and then supports his contention by quoting from II Timothy: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God." When Paul wrote this epistle the complete canon of the New Testament was not in existence, and "the Scriptures" he was referring to were the sacred writings of the Jews, or thhe Old Testament. "Watchman's" statement would thus rule the New Testament out of the category of inspired writings.

Again, he asks, "What is a Christian?" and replies, "A Christian is one who has to do with Christ absolutely, for forgiveness of sins, peace with God, salvation of the soul, justification, and present and eternal joy and happiness, fellowship and sonship with God and Christ, and many other priceless blessings." An authoritative definition of a Christian is, "One who believes, or professes or is assumed to believe, in Jesus Christ, and the truth as taught by him; an adherent of Christianity; esp., one whose inward and outward life is conformed to the doctrines of Christ" (Webster's New International Dictionary). Christ Jesus himself set up a standard by which a Christian, or one who believes on him, should be known. He said, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do." He also said that certain signs should follow them that believe on him, one of the most important of which was the healing of the sick. There are thousands of Christian Scientists throughout the world to-day engaged in healing the sick and reforming the sinner through the spiritual method of Christ Jesus. Christian Scientists do confess that Jesus is come in the flesh, but they draw the distinction between the human Jesus, born of Mary, and the spiritual Christ, born of God. Mrs. Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes on page 8 of her Message to The Mother Church for 1901, "The Christ was Jesus' spiritual selfhood."

"Watchman" seems to fail to distinguish between the first and the second chapter of Genesis. Christian Science teaches that the first chapter gives a purely spiritual account of creation, in which man is made in the image and likeness of God, Spirit. The second chapter, after the fifth verse, reverses this account, and declares that God made man material and therefore capable of falling, and that by inference God was responsible for the temptation of man.

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