From the Editors July 25, 2011 Issue

From extremes to a world in balance

The Editors

A world out of control? If you look around, this is what some might be tempted to contemplate. Circumstances often indicate too much or too little, and conditions out of balance. Diseases such as cancer and diabetes, which involve something in the human body that is out of control or needs regulating, are of growing concern. Accidents seem to threaten anyone with situations that have suddenly spun out of control. And looking to the earth itself, it seems that of late it’s been all about extremes. We’re told the earth quaked in Japan and New Zealand because too much pressure on the tectonic plates needed balancing. That there might be an overactive Atlantic hurricane season to release a buildup of heat in tropical latitudes. Recently, extremes of drought and flood have resulted in simultaneous inundations in places like Minot, North Dakota, and conflagrations in the American Southwest.

The balance we seek in our own lives, and in our families and communities—and that the very earth seems to be crying out for—is fundamentally about the call for healing. In one way or another the human condition needs adjusting, pulling back from the brink. People through the centuries have searched for healing in innumerable ways. And this search has good motives—we want to seek and discover that we can be safe!

The Science of Christ, or Christian Science, is sometimes misunderstood because its practice involves addressing all these concerns by mental, prayerful means—through understanding the truths of Jesus’ teaching. It’s hard for some of us, maybe even most of us, to accept any connection between our understanding of God’s laws of good and the normal functioning of the human condition. Can prayer on its own have any direct bearing on alleviating a flood or curing diabetes? There’s nothing shameful in admitting that the five physical senses tempt us to doubt. But at the same time, as the healing record of Christian Science bears out, there’s infinite value in pressing on toward spiritual solutions for the good of all.

Send a comment to the editors

This is the end of the issue. Ready to explore further?

Online features Audio