Article June 7, 2004 Issue

IT WAS THE FLAK JACKET

The Christian Science Monitor

It was the flak jacket that did it. I've been following the debate on gay marriage and civil unions thoughtfully. I've been saddened by the deep divisions it has caused in some churches. But when I read about a minister who had donned a bulletproof vest—just in case—before addressing a conference of church people on the subject, I knew it was time to be more than a concerned spectator. I believe that deep and unselfish prayer has the power to unify and heal society as the world finds its way through this issue.

In her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, the Monitor's founder, pointed to four actions that have consistently moved humanity's progress forward: prayer, watching, working, and self-immolation. "Prayer, watching, and working, combined with self-immolation, are God's gracious means for accomplishing whatever has been successfully done for the Christianization and health of mankind," she wrote (p. 1).

Today, as a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision allowing same-sex marriage takes effect, people may want to consider how prayer, watching, working, and self-immolation can bring peace and healing to all.

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