“‘A Bow of Promise on the Cloud:’ The Rise, Decline, and Regeneration of Christian Science, 1925-2024”

Swensen, Rolf. “‘A Bow of Promise on the Cloud:’ The Rise, Decline, and Regeneration of Christian Science, 1925-2024.” Nova Religio: the Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions, 27, no 3 (February 2024): 29-56.

Utilizing church records and publications, plus public sources, Swensen examines the reasons for “How could a religious movement get off to such a glorious start only to decline with nearly equal rapidity?” (29, quoting Rodney Stark, “The Rise and Fall of Christian Science,” 190.) Swensen takes Stark’s premises for church decline and “underscores and augments” (30) them with his own well-documented research. Swensen sees church decline triggered by the 1921 “Great Litigation” lawsuit which gave the church’s Board of Directors complete authority. The mostly male-dominated Board demanded “conformity in the practice of the faith and molded members and local churches to largely eschew both individual initiative and missionary work” (30). He illustrates this top-down approach in the church leadership’s ineffective promotional and media campaigns in the late 20^th century which failed to include “the largely dormant membership” (44). The development of the medical sciences, bad press, lack of social activities for young and old, and cloistered members’ reticence to share their faith, were all contributing factors for the waning of the church. But Swensen sees some hope in the more recent shift in church policy encouraging in local members more autonomy and innovation in addressing their community’s needs.

ISSN: 1541-8480
Print ISSN: 1092-6690

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/nvr.2024.a919625

See also annotation:

“The Rise and Fall of Christian Science” by Rodney Stark.