Editorial December 31, 1932 Issue

The Christian Science Textbooks

Duncan Sinclair

Every genuine student of Christian Science is grateful for the Christian Science textbooks. He is in no doubt as to what these textbooks are, for Article IV, Section 1, of the Church Manual by Mrs. Eddy explicitly says, under "Qualifications for Membership," "The Bible, together with Science and Health and other works by Mrs. Eddy, shall be his only textbooks for self-instruction in Christian Science, and for teaching and practising metaphysical healing." What a fund of spiritual knowledge these textbooks contain; what a wealth of metaphysical instruction their pages afford on the nature of real being—God and His creation! Never were students better equipped than are students of Christian Science for the study of their religion.

The Bible, one of the Christian Science textbooks, contains the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Of the sacred writings in use in his day Paul wrote to the Romans, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." These same Old Testament writings are with us still, translated by scholars who have brought out their spiritual meaning often in a wonderful way. And to these writings we can go in the spirit which Paul sought to inculcate when he wrote to Timothy, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

The Bible not only contains the Old Testament Scriptures, known to Christ Jesus and the apostles, but also the New Testament, which contains the records of the Master's life—of many of his words and works—as well as the epistles of those instructed in his teaching, the Acts of the Apostles, and the book of Revelation. All of this precious literature is now in our hands as the open Bible. Mrs. Eddy writes on page 497 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," "As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life." As these words show, our Leader did not underrate the Bible, rather did she regard it as containing the inspired Word of God, that Word obedience to which leads to life everlasting.

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