Article March 17, 1980 Issue

The central role of the Bible

DEBORAH D. LOCKETT

Suppose the question is put to a Christian Scientist, "Do you people believe in the Bible?" He answers quickly that the Bible was Mrs. Eddy's sourcebook in searching for the truth of being. That it is loved and revered by Christian Scientists. That they read it every day and hear it read at every church service. But beyond his ready answer, he might ponder the nature of the Bible's meaningfulness to him as a Christian and a Christian Scientist.

After all, the Scriptures are a compilation of thoughts and acts recorded over many centuries, and they have been the subject of controversy and of widely varying interpretations by historians, theologians, and litterateurs down through the years. Is every word literally true? Don't some statements conflict? How can one get a clear understanding of God and creation through a book issuing from so many different sources and periods? Still another question one might ask is how Mrs. Eddy used the Bible to help her arrive at the truth of being, which she fully states in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.

Two passages in the textbook make clear the nature of the Bible's value as revealed in Christian Science. On page 547 we read: "The Scriptures are very sacred. Our aim must be to have them understood spiritually, for only by this understanding can truth be gained." Quite a statement! And on page 497, "As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life." Another statement of tremendous impact.

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