Resources by Nenneman, Richard A.

Nenneman’s interest in Christian Science was due not to its healing message, but to Mary Baker Eddy’s deep spirituality and theological answers regarding the nature of God and Jesus’s mission. He profiles the great thinkers who wrestled with similar visions of reality as Eddy: Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures and Christian New Testament, and those found in the flourishing exchange between Jews, Muslims and Christians in the Middle Ages. 

Nenneman’s biography of Mary Baker Eddy highlights his two major themes: her tenacious unyielding sense of purpose, and her role as a pioneer. Nenneman is interested in Eddy’s evolution and progression through her triumphs and trials, loneliness, disappointments, and personal weaknesses. One important theme is Eddy’s habit of seeking guidance from God for her actions, a tribute to her Calvinist heritage.

​​Eight decades after Eddy’s passing, Nenneman addresses the question of the relevance of Christian Science in modern times. He acknowledges that for many mainline Protestant churches the language of religion has changed, and that Christian issues have also shifted from pressing doctrinal concerns toward social justice and personal moral issues. He concludes with the continued need for supporting Christian healing.