FROM THE EDITORS March 14, 2005 Issue

IN PRAISE OF HEALING

IF YOU'RE a back-to-front-magazine reader, you've probably already dipped into this week's "News of healing" section. It's a popular part of the magazine. Maybe because these personal testimonials go straight to the heart of what the Sentinel is about: giving evidence of God's healing power in human lives. Considering their popularity, and the centrality of these accounts to the magazine's mission, we thought you might like to know a little more about them.

Has the Sentinel always published testimonials? Since issue Number 1 in 1898. Our monthly sister magazine, The Christian Science Journal, also has published testimonies since its launch in 1883. In a section of the Church of Christ, Scientist's, governing document entitled "Testimonials," Sentinel founder Mary Baker Eddy wrote: "Testimony in regard to the healing of the sick is highly important. More than a mere rehearsal of blessings, it scales the pinnacle of praise and illustrates the demonstration of Christ, 'who healeth all thy diseases' (Psalm 103:3)" (Church Manual, p. 47).

The number of testimonies per issue has varied over the years. At times Mrs. Eddy asked the editors to publish more accounts of healing, and encouraged them to look for testimonials that were more up to date. On other occasions she critiqued issues that she judged to have too many testimonials. Today, we continue to look for a balance among the various kinds of content. While the "News of healing" section generally runs three pages, often articles in an issue's feature section contain accounts of healing (and actually may have been submitted as testimonies).

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