The Pragmatic Approach

PETER H. SELBY

Christian Science is a highly practical religion and needs to be taught and practiced as such. We might then ask ourselves, "Is there a practical standard by which I can measure my progress in Christian Science? If so, what is it and how do I apply it?"

Anyone who has tried to learn a particular skill—to play a musical instrument, speak a foreign language, solve mathematical equations—probably has gained some insight into the importance of performance over theory in measuring achievement.

The ability to do a thing—not just talk about it—as proof of accomplishment is a widely accepted educational approach today. For instance, if we wish to find out whether someone can make an apple pie, we don't ask him to make a list of the ingredients and the steps involved. Instead we ask him to actually bake a pie. Then we taste the results and judge his skill accordingly. Similarly, having someone actually perform an engine overhaul will tell us more about his ability to do so than simply asking him to describe the procedure.

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