Turning Points in Spiritual Growth April 27, 2020 Issue

Re-engaging with Christian Science

Joan Mikkelsen

I was raised attending a Christian Science Sunday School and had had healings through Christian Science, including a few physical healings through my own prayers. But when I left home to go to college it never occurred to me to continue attending church or Sunday School. I did, however, somewhat indifferently, write “Christian Science” as my preferred religion on a voluntary questionnaire during orientation.

I enjoyed school, made new friends, and did well academically. But when I began taking classes in my major, I suddenly felt in over my head. The classes and requirements were far more sophisticated and challenging than any I’d had before, and I quickly found myself floundering. I did poorly in the first quarter of my junior year, and in the second quarter I realized I was in trouble. I had never had to work very hard to get high marks in high school or the first two years of university, but now I was terrified that I might fail. I couldn’t imagine making that phone call to my parents.

When I started to understand that I couldn’t just glide through this new phase of my university studies, I decided to give Christian Science a go. I got out my Bible and my copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy and took them with me every time I went to the library to study for my upcoming midterms. I thumbed through these books and jotted down a few passages that I found helpful, but my exam scores ended up being worse than ever.

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