Augusta E. Stetson: Apostle to the World

Weatherbe, Gail M. Augusta E. Stetson: Apostle to the World. Cuyahoga Falls, OH: Emma Publishing Society, 1990.

The title of Weatherbe’s biography of Augusta Stetson indicates her view of Stetson’s relationship to Christian Science. She understands Stetson to have been commissioned by Mary Baker Eddy to represent her before the world. Stetson was called to be an apostle, … “meaning that the Science of Christianity was revealed to her by her great Teacher and Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, the second coming of Christ” (xi). The book focuses on Stetson’s relationship to Eddy and Stetson’s accomplishments with her own healing practice and leadership in Christian Science. Her crowning achievement was the building and development of her Christian Science Church in New York. The records for her church’s Reading Room (then the center of the healing work for the church’s mission) lists the large numbers of patients treated and healed (28). Her gift to Eddy of a “crown of diamonds” epitomizes her understanding of her role in the Christian Science movement: Eddy bequeathed “in her will this same diamond crown breastpin to Augusta [that Augusta had given Eddy in 1901] and this act … further symbolized [Eddy’s] estimate of the role this student would fill” (39). The biography includes a brief account of Stetson’s pre-Christian Science years and a large section of backup documents.

ISBN-10: 187913506X
ISBN-13: 978-1879135062

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.