Article October 13, 1980 Issue

"House of prayer," not "den of thieves"

DOROTHY C. FREEMAN

Imagine what it must have been like to be there when Christ Jesus "went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers..." Imagine the astonishment when Jesus' words echoed through the temple: "It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." The account in Matthew relates that after this cleansing the blind and lame came and were healed.^{See Matt. 21:12-14;} Isn't this the true purpose of "the temple of God"—church?

We have the same opportunity today to "cast out" and "overthrow" as we enter church—"the house of prayer." Our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, assures us: "As in Jesus' time, so to-day, tyranny and pride need to be whipped out of the temple, and humility and divine Science to be welcomed in. The strong cords of scientific demonstration, as twisted and wielded by Jesus, are still needed to purge the temples of their vain traffic in worldly worship and to make them meet dwelling-places for the Most High."^{Science and Health, p. 142;}

In these words and in the example of Christ Jesus we find our authority for vigorously maintaining the purity of our concept of Church. Remembering the first part of Mrs. Eddy's definition of "Church"—"The structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle"^{ibid., p. 583;}—we will prayerfully overturn and destroy whatever would obscure this vision or make our temple "a den of thieves."