A Christian Science period in the Columbia "Church of the Air" series was conducted from Station WJAS, Pittsburgh, on May 2, 1943, by Mr. Leon D. Hansen. This program was presented under the auspices of the Committee on Publication for Pennsylvania with the approval of The Christian Science Board of Directors. Mrs. Ann Vernon Root, soloist, was assisted by Mrs. Margaret C. Lunt, organist.

The program opened with Hymn No. 136 in the Christian Science Hymnal, and then Mr. Hansen read an address substantially as follows:

When Captain Rickenbacker gave tribute to the power of prayer, following his deliverance from starvation and destruction in the South Pacific, he focused the attention of an entire nation on a vital fact—that God is, indeed, a "very present help in trouble." This widely recognized proof of God's saving power has stirred the imagination of many people. It has caused them to wonder why divine power is not more generally manifested in the affairs of men and nations. Surely, as God's ready aid was experienced in that critical hour of need, it must be equally available at all times and to all who call upon Him, for "God is no respecter of persons."

May it not be that, while mankind has long given lip service to the idea of God's ability and willingness to meet its human needs, too few have really believed it sufficiently to rely upon it with implicit faith? Yet all through Christian history there have been men and women who have allied themselves to God's presence and power with amazing results. Christ Jesus, above all others, proved the availability of God's power to meet every human need. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, fed the multitudes, raised the dead. Many of his followers did likewise.

That there was an unfailing spiritual law underlying all these extraordinary works was made evident when Jesus promised that any who believed on him (understood him) would be able to do similar and even greater works than he had done. It is just as much a promise to you and to me today as it was to those of his day. Since this is true—and Bible authority amply proves it—then we too can learn to speak to disease with authority and cause it to disappear, claim protection in the face of imminent danger and receive that protection.

And such works are but a slight indication of the vast opportunities that await those who gain an understanding of and utilize the spiritual laws which underlie divine power. No endeavor can be of greater importance to our individual welfare than gaining an understanding of these spiritual laws, for they attest man's god-given dominion over every problem of mortal existence.

It is the purpose of Christian Science to light the way to such understanding. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy we read (p. 224), "A higher and more practical Christianity, demonstrating justice and meeting the needs of mortals in sickness and in health, stands at the door of this age, knocking for admission." Thousands have opened the door to this practical Christianity. They have found a way by which they can free themselves, and others, from every limiting circumstance that would hinder a happy and useful life. By gaining a more scientific understanding of man's relation to God, they have been able to improve every phase of their human activities. Of them it could well be said, in the words of Joshua, "Ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof."

There is no system of Christian thinking which promises so much to the man or woman in trouble. No predicament is so difficult, no illness so severe, no lack so great, that it cannot be corrected through the understanding and utilization of the ever-present divine power. This applies as well to the ordinary happenings of everyday existence. This was illustrated in the experience of one who had been selected to speak before a large audience. The night before the meeting he became violently ill and the morning found him so weakened that the advisability of his appearing was questioned. However, there was too little time in which to find a substitute, so, relying upon his conviction that God would enable him to do whatever it was right for him to do, he was taken to the auditorium.

Until the moment for his appearance his physical condition seemed without improvement. However, his confidence in God's support had not faltered. As he stepped onto the platform all sense of weakness and nausea disappeared and he performed his work with vigor and freshness. So completely free was he that later the same day he took active part in a vigorous sport without the slightest ill effect.

Christian Science explains man as the idea of God, and clearly shows that the divinely bestowed powers which Jesus used so effectively are an inalienable possession of every one of us. We need to realize this fact in order to utilize those powers. Such knowledge throws an entirely new light on the inviting opportunities which are open to us on every side. Mrs. Eddy writes in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 183). "Man is God's image and likeness; whatever is possible to God, is possible to man as God's reflection." Does this seem to claim too much for man? Certainly not, for man made in the image and likeness of God is our true selfhood. The conscious recognition of this selfhood not only enables us to rise above discord, disease, and lack, but gives us an increased ability to bring out higher and better results in all our human affairs.

As the negative qualities of the human mind are erased under the stimulus of enlightened spiritual thinking, we find ourselves at the standpoint of constant opportunity able to bring into all our affairs an invigorating and refreshing impetus. Then remember Jesus' promise. "He that believeth on me the works that I do shall he do also," and know that this promise is for you—here and now.

The program continued with a solo entitled "The Ninety-First Psalm" by James G. MacDermid. Then Mr. Hansen read selections from the Bible as follows: Psalms 8:1. 3-6: Luke 4:14-21. 40; 7:11-15. 21: John 8:31. 32; 14:12. And from the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy: 225:29-31; 227:23-2; 228:11-16, 27-29; xi:9; 52:23; 232:16-19; 462:1: 14:25.

Then Hymn No. 83 in the Christian Science Hymnal was sung. And the program was brought to a close with the following words: "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.... For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty."