Who is Mary Baker Eddy?

Near the end of his career, Mrs. Eddy’s harshest critic, Mark Twain, had this to say about her,

“When we do not know a person - and also when we do - we have to judge the size and nature of his achievements as compared with the achievements of others in his special line of business - there is no other way. Measured by this standard, it is thirteen hundred years since the world has produced anyone who could reach up to Mrs. Eddy’s waistbelt. In several ways she is the most interesting woman that ever lived, and the most extraordinary.”

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In 1866 this remarkable woman discovered the Science of the Christ, the Science of Love, a divine Principle, which was the foundation of Jesus’ teaching and practice of God’s healing and saving power. She published her seminal work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, in 1875. She founded The First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, in 1879.

What is Christian Science about?

Jesus told his disciples that if they continued in his word, they would know “the truth” and the truth would make them free (John 8: 32). “Knowing the truth” is the domain of Science. Mrs. Eddy thought of Jesus as a scientist. She writes, “His mission was to reveal the Science of celestial being, to prove what God is and what He does for man.” The “Sermon on the Mount” (which speaks to the many aspects of God’s love for us, our love for God, and our love for our fellow man) is at the core of Christian Science. Christian Science is essentially rational, understandable, and demonstrable. A loving devotion to Christ, the true idea of God, and a fervent desire for growth in grace is required to fully understand this Science, which heals the sick.