Article September 2, 2013 Issue

Bible Lessons—flexibility and freshness for today's reader

The Christian Science Publishing Society Bible Lesson Products department

Christian Scientists so value the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lessons—the spiritual growth these lessons nurture; the insights into the nature of reality they provide; the spiritual truths they contain that heal problems related to health, business, finances, relationships, and much more—that it’s hard to imagine being without them.

In the early days of the movement, however, there were no such Bible lessons comprised of passages from the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Church of Christ, Scientist, Founder, Mary Baker Eddy. The lessons developed over a decade or so.

In 1888, The Christian Science Journal published lessons that were essentially commentaries on the interdenominational International Series Sunday School lessons, which focused on Bible literacy. In 1890, a separate magazine published lessons that included Bible references from the Series as well as explanations and citations from Science and Health chosen by the Bible Lesson Committee. The first lessons containing solely passages from the Bible and Science and Health, selected by the Committee, appeared in July 1898. The 26 Bible Lesson subjects known today also appeared at that time, focusing on the Christian metaphysics that Christian Science presents as nothing else does.  