Editorial May 27, 1939 Issue

Supporting Our Church Activities

Duncan Sinclair

At the laying of the cornerstone of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 21, 1894, Mary Baker Eddy used these words (Miscellaneous Writings, pp. 144, 145): "To-day I pray that divine Love, the life-giving Principle of Christianity, shall speedily wake the long night of materialism, and the universal dawn shall break upon the spire of this temple." She continued, "The Church, more than any other institution, at present is the cement of society, and it should be the bulwark of civil and religious liberty." What a prayer for the overcoming of all materiality! How clearly did our Leader voice the position of the church in the world today! Through the understanding which its members possess of divine Love, it is, "more than any other institution," the "cement of society," and "the bulwark of civil and religious liberty."

It were well that as church members we pondered our Leader's words, pondered them deeply, that their meaning, their import, might be plain to us. For it is of great importance that we should keep before us the value of our church as a redemptive agent, morally and spiritually, and as the indefatigable upholder of civil and religious freedom. That Christian Scientists are exercising a powerful influence for good today is made evident by the healing work they are accomplishing throughout the world. All manner of sickness and sin is being overcome throughout their understanding of spiritual truth. And it is this healing work, which includes the overcoming of discord of every kind, that is drawing mankind to Christian Science, there to gain a knowledge of "the life-giving Principle of Christianity," and of the rules by which Principle is applied to the overcoming of inharmony, thereby ensuring civil and religious liberty.

All who are familiar with the teachings of Christian Science know that the Church of Christ, Scientist, stands for all that is best in individual and national life. Its standard is perfection, in accordance with the words of Christ Jesus (Matthew 5:48), "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect," a standard founded on the absolute truth relative to God and man. God, as Christian Science teaches, is perfect, and man, God's image and likeness, is also perfect. And since God is infinite, perfection alone is real. Hence, imperfection, since it is without support from God, lacks reality. Christian Science, through its teaching that only that which is perfect is real, is thus revealing to mankind the method of salvation from all evil. Through the understanding it imparts of God's allness and evil's nothingness, it is showing men how to gain their liberty, physically, morally, and spiritually.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Editorial
Strength and Courage
May 27, 1939
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit