“Webcast: Evolutions of Christian Science in Scholarly Perspective”

Melton, J. Gordon, Massimo Introvigne, and Shirley Paulson. “Webcast: Evolutions of Christian Science in Scholarly Perspective.” Hosted by Jonathon Eder and Michael Hamilton. The Mary Baker Eddy Library, Broadcast 12 September 2015.

Jonathon Eder of the Mary Baker Eddy Library interviewed a panel of scholars exploring the contemporary scholarly perspective on Christian Science. Panelists consisted of J. Gordon Melton, professor of American Religious History at Baylor University; Massimo Introvigne, professor of Sociology of Religion at Pontifical Salesian University; and Shirley Paulson, a then doctoral candidate at the University of Birmingham, UK. This discussion followed a special conference in Antwerp, Belgium, where all three panelists had given papers. Some highlights from the panel include Melton’s point that “the maturity of the study of Christian Science should go beyond the issue of classification” (“where does Christian Science fit?”) because these questions belong to a first phase of the academic study of a religious body. Introvigne noted that a future study of Christian Science “should address the different areas where the legacy of Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science really make a difference . . . The field of art is at the forefront because it’s typical for well-established religious bodies to create their own art.” Paulson focused on the Christian origin of Christian Science, citing Eddy’s love for Jesus and her expectation of healing through the power of Christ made known in the Bible.

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See also annotations:

“The Christian Scientist as Artist: From James Franklin Gilman to Joseph Cornell” by Massimo Introvigne

“Christian Science and its Christian Origin” by Shirley Paulson