Historical Sketches: From the Life of Mary Baker Eddy and the History of Christian Science

Smith, Clifford P. Historical Sketches: From the Life of Mary Baker Eddy and the History of Christian Science. Boston: The Writings of Mary Baker Eddy, (1934) 1992.

This is a collection of articles originally published in The Christian Science Journal as a series titled “Historical and Biographical Papers.” Smith, a former Iowa State judge, was a prominent Christian Scientist who held many senior positions in the church. The articles are divided into three parts: biography, organization and history. Topics include Mary Baker Eddy’s childhood and family, the beginnings of her career, and Eddy as author, healer, teacher, and organizer. The tone of the articles is protective and supportive of Eddy and her church. Articles in the section on organization explain how Christian Science evolved from an educational system perceived by the public as “a cure without medicine more than a religion” (160), to become a church. The articles in this section show how the movement was gradually constructed through experiment and change. Originally, Sunday meetings were conducted by Eddy as “teacher” or “instructor,” and early modes experimented with dispensaries, house to house door knocking, christening of children, choral music, adult Sunday School, and weekly study lessons conforming with the International Sunday School Lessons used by Protestant churches. There are also articles on the origins of Christian Science in Britain and Germany.

ISBN-10: 0875100058
ISBN-13 (Hardcover): 9780875100050