Article July 21, 2014 Issue

Breaking the ice with Christian Science

Robert Witney

This article originally appeared as a “Young voices” blog on JSH-Online.com.

“If you found God, and He gave you hope, would it be your secret?” sings British pop star Gary Barlow. I’ve often thought about that question. Having attended Sunday School from an early age and practiced Christian Science more or less consistently throughout my life, I’ve found that one of my greatest joys has been sharing this Science with other people of all faiths and backgrounds.

It has always been important for me to think about my motives for talking with other people about ideas found in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. Adherents of many religions feel that attempting to convert other people to their faith is a loving thing to do, and even necessary to save another from hell. But Mrs. Eddy encourages a very different approach. In Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, in an article titled “Judge Not,” she writes, “When thought dwells in God,—and it should not, to our consciousness, dwell elsewhere,—one must benefit those who hold a place in one’s memory, whether it be friend or foe, and each share the benefit of that radiation” (p. 290). I love this idea of sharing Christian Science through “radiation.”

Last summer I was grateful to have found work as a waiter at a local restaurant. It seemed like a divinely led idea to me, yet when I emailed my résumé, I was rejected within five minutes. I continued to pray to know that I would be in my right place. I received an email the day after, saying that a position had opened, and that they wanted me to start working in just a few days!

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