Article April 25, 1988 Issue

Demonstrable Christianity

The Christian Science Monitor

Basically , Christian Science is simple, but to be a Christian Scientist is not an easy option, nor is it easy to be a practicing Christian of any denomination. One can so readily be classified as a Bible-thumper, something of a softy, or an interfering do-gooder.

Some essential questions might well be, Can Christianity be demonstrable? Is there something more to it than doing one's best to be humanly good and doing as much good as possible? A Christian naturally tries to be good and do good, but many who would not classify themselves as Christians would claim to do likewise. Most would probably think of themselves as good people.

One of the remarkable things about Christ Jesus and about those who immediately followed him is that they classified both themselves and others differently. They preached that man is truly the child of God and proved their words by very practical healing works. They aroused keen interest, and often strong opposition, because they so purposefully marched to a different drumbeat. Beyond human goodness, spiritual strength, derived from God, clearly powered them. One has only to look at the healing work Jesus and the disciples achieved to realize that something out of the ordinary, something radically different from the usual, was required. "I can of mine own self do nothing,"^{John 5:30.} Jesus said.