A Journey into Prayer: Pioneers of Prayer in the Laboratory; Agents of Science or Satan?

Sweet, Bill. A Journey into Prayer: Pioneers of Prayer in the Laboratory; Agents of Science or Satan? Self-published, 2007.

Sweet’s firsthand account of the Spindrift story reveals an intimate relationship with Spindrift’s founders, Bruce and John Klingbeil, an understanding of their origins in Christian Science, their core beliefs, and some reflections on their double suicide in 1993. The Klingbeils—along with their followers, known as Spindrifters—believed that the effects of prayer can be measured scientifically in a laboratory test. While their scientific methodology was known mostly by their experimental prayer for plants, “Spindrift, Inc. is unique because its members concentrate mostly on spiritual phenomena produced by prayer,” according to Sweet (39). Bruce was a Christian Science practitioner until he was officially barred from its practice by The Mother Church. Later, he and his son John were barred from membership in local Christian Science churches, and ultimately, Bruce was excommunicated from The Mother Church. These moves were devastating to the Klingbeils because they felt they were bringing proof to the very claims of Christian Science: that prayer works. Sweet describes the tension between the Klingbeils and official Christian Science that endured throughout the life of Spindrift. During most of Spindrift’s years (1969 – 1993), Spindrift was scoffed at, denounced, or ignored, but attitudes were beginning to improve just before the Klingbeil deaths.

ISBN-10: 1401091490
ISBN-13: 9781401091491

This reference is written by an ‘independent’ Christian Scientist and is included in the bibliography because of its historical value. For further explanation, click here.