Independent Christian Science articles

Biography of Herbert W. Eustace

In 2008, upon dissolution, the Herbert W. Eustace Trust “passed the torch” to the Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent, entrusting our church with the responsibility of being the sole supplier of Mr. Eustace’s superb book, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE, ITS “CLEAR, CORRECT TEACHING” AND COMPLETE WRITINGS. We had had no previous contact with the Trust, but in recalling our history since becoming independent, and in reading about Mr. Eustace’s experience (excerpted below), it becomes apparent that the Trust was divinely inspired! The similarities between Mr. Eustace’s and our experience in separating from “ecclesiasticism” are many.

Herbert W. Eustace was “excommunicated forever” from the First Church of Christ, Scientist in 1922, and this fact was even published in the Boston Post — details in the beginning of his book, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE, IT’S “CLEAR, CORRECT TEACHING.” Without a hint of bitterness, Mr. Eustace writes:

“Mrs. Eddy defines Church as ‘The structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle.’ To me, therefore, this so-called excommunication was simply a gesture of ecclesiasticism, because excommunication can be brought about only by one’s own departure from Principle. The right to teach and to practise Christian Science is based upon one’s own state and stage of consciousness. Therefore, as a Christian Scientist, I could not do otherwise than continue to practise and hold classes.

“Particularly pertinent, in this connection, is Mrs. Eddy’s reference to ‘our far Western students, the Christian Scientists,’ . . . . Self-evidently Mrs. Eddy meant by her expression ‘our far Western students, the Christian Scientists,’ those students throughout the world who express and represent that for which the West, and especially the far West, has always so preeminently stood, namely: freedom, unbiased by tradition; the determination to think and act for one’s self in line with the right; the determination to accord to all the same privilege, thereby typifying true individualism, namely man’s eternal right to think and act in accord with Principle . . . .

“Since that time I have been busier and more active in the work of Christian Science than ever before. In being released from every form of ecclesiastical organization, I was freed from such trammels, so that my work became to that extent unhampered by human belief and regulation. I have held numerous classes in various parts of the United States. The demand for ‘clear, correct teaching’ is becoming greater all the time, and will so continue, for it has no personality or human control attached to it, and it is this very freedom for which the mortal is striving. He is learning, at last, no longer to put his faith in person or organization, but to trust in his own effort to understand divine Principle. . . .

“My experiences in Christian Science I consider a great privilege. Through them I have been able to understand more clearly the fallacy of ecclesiastical organization.

“The especial privilege of being ‘excommunicated’ has been tremendously enlightening. I understand it was not a person but that which was being upheld — ‘clear, correct teaching,’ individual oneness and responsibility to divine Principle, true democracy, that was excommunicated (released) from ecclesiastical bondage.

“Invariably ‘You may know when first Truth leads by the fewness and faithfulness of its followers. Thus it is that the march of time bears onward freedom’s banner. The powers of this world will fight, and will command their sentinels not to let truth pass the guard until it subscribes to their systems; but Science, heeding not the pointed bayonet, marches on. There is always some tumult, but there is a rallying to truth’s standard.’ (S&H)”

Biography of Martha Wilcox

According to the introduction in the book ADDRESSES BY MARTHA WILCOX, Mrs. Wilcox was a school teacher in Kansas, with a deeply religious background. She had traveled to Kansas City, Missouri, where she was given a copy of Science and Health, devoured the truth it contains, and was healed of a long-standing physical disorder.

She joined the local Christian Science church, received class instruction in Christian Science, and devoted her entire time and energy to her healing work. In 1908 Mrs. Wilcox was called to Boston to serve Mary Baker Eddy in her home at Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.

Mrs. Wilcox was a very faithful worker in Mrs. Eddy’s home. At one time, new carpets were to be laid in the home while Mrs. Eddy was out for an afternoon drive, and Mrs. Wilcox took it upon herself to lay the paper for the carpets so the work would not be delayed. When Mrs. Eddy returned, the carpets were perfect. With tears streaming down her face, she called for Mrs. Wilcox, and said, “I have been praying for God to send someone who will stand, no matter what comes up, and He has told me to call you.” Mrs. Wilcox dedicated the rest of her life to the practice and teaching of Christian Science.

Her writings were the first writings on Christian Science, other than Mrs. Eddy’s, that I had ever read, and I found them thrilling! Her description of life in Mrs. Eddy’s home gave me a deeper love and appreciation for Mrs. Eddy.

Biography of Rev. G. A. Kratzer

Rev. Kratzer is one of a long list of wonderful students of Christian Science who were chased out of the movement by the Board of Directors of the Mother Church because “they did not do it right!” In Rev. Kratzer’s case, his unbounded enthusiasm for Christian Science and his desire to share it with others, could not be constrained by the organization. He committed the unpardonable sin of sharing essays with his patients, outside of the filtering mechanism of the central organization.

His writings had been published a number of times in the official Christian Science periodicals, and Mrs. Eddy specifically praised his article, “Dominion Within.” Rev. Kratzer’s deficiency was not in his metaphysics and understanding of Christian Science. It was his unwillingness to bow down to a human authority.

Rev. Kratzer had been a Protestant minister before coming into Christian Science in 1906. Taught by Edward Kimball, in 1908 he and his wife, Elizabeth, became Christian Science practitioners, listed in the Journal. He evidently did outstanding healing work, as patients came to him from all parts of the country.

After his departure from the organization, Rev. Kratzer went on to publish his own writings and the classic book, Teaching and Addresses by Edward A. Kimball. It is apparent that his love and respect for Mary Baker Eddy and her revelation was not diminished by the authoritarian behavior of the Board of Directors.

We celebrate Rev. Kratzer’s moral courage in refusing to acquiesce to ecclesiasticism and the directed hatred of “loyal” members, but instead continued, as he was directed by God, to share with others his enthusiasm for the Christian Science that Mary Baker Eddy gave to the world.

Biography of Gilbert Carpenter

Of all the workers in the Christian Science movement, aside from the Leader herself, none has left a more valuable legacy than Gilbert Carpenter. Whereas the unyielding policy of the Board of Directors has always been to hide the evidence of Mary Baker Eddy’s “difficult-to-explain” behavior in the Archives of the Mother Church, Mr. Carpenter took a diametrically opposite view. He brought the “evidence” out into the light and explained it for the benefit of all. “Without a correct sense of its highest visible idea, we can never understand the divine Principle.”(S&H)

Mr. Carpenter would not leave unchallenged the criticism of Mrs. Eddy by her own students, that she was testy, changeable, obsessive, etc., and instead provided a correct sense of her through his books “Mary Baker Eddy; Her Spiritual Footsteps” and “Mary Baker Eddy; Her Spiritual Precepts.” In these works, Mr. Carpenter explains Mrs. Eddy’s actions and interactions with the utmost clarity, leaving the reader with invaluable instructions on how to apply Christian Science in the minutiae of daily living.

The premise of his work was this: “When one begins to understand Mrs. Eddy’s effort to hold a scientific attitude toward every phase of human existence, he realizes that there was something about her private life and her rebukes that needs to be unfolded spiritually. Otherwise she must appear inconsistent, since she seemed to place a great deal of importance on the material side of her home, while in her teaching she set forth matter as being valueless and having no real existence.” (Precepts)

Mr. Carpenter served in Pleasant View, Mrs. Eddy’s home, for only one year. It was a profound, and we suspect, intense experience, which he thought about for many years before sharing with others. When reading his works, one is inclined to ask: How did Mr. Carpenter come to such a clear understanding where so many others took away negative impressions? We believe the answer lies in the Beatitude, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” His love for Mrs. Eddy was in no way personal, but rather, entirely rational: If one could be used by God to bring forth the revelation of the Science behind Jesus’ works after almost two thousand years of Christian history, we are talking about somebody quite extraordinary — not someone to be regarded and judged as just another person!

In Spiritual Footsteps, Mr. Carpenter recalls incidents during his tenure at Pleasant View, each chapter containing an incident with explanation. The first chapter recounted Mrs. Eddy’s rebuke to her horseman, Mr. Stevenson, for his sloppy haircut. Was she unloving? Mr. Carpenter made it plain that she was addressing thought — the imperfect haircut indicating a lack of alertness, which, if left alone, could lead to an accident. This demonstrated how Mrs. Eddy applied the Science in practice, to maintain the harmony of her experience.

In Spiritual Precepts, Mr. Carpenter referred to business letters exchanged between Mrs. Eddy and the Board of Directors. Some letters indicated that Mrs. Eddy changed her mind frequently, which to the untrained eye would indicate an instability. Mr. Carpenter explained that these letters indicated the lengths Mrs. Eddy was willing to go in order to do the will of God, never too proud to change her mind if, through further prayer, she was guided differently. This constant turning to the Father for guidance, even after getting an answer, is another profound lesson in Christian Science practice.

For the tremendous body of work that Mr. Carpenter left us, of which these works were only a portion, he was rewarded with threats and intimidation, false rumors, alienation from the Mother Church. He was even ostracized by his own branch church, by people who knew him personally, his wonderful work as practitioner and teacher, his kind and gentle nature. The depravity of this treatment can only be explained as the Red Dragon in Revelation: “the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed.”

At this point, we would like to add that Gilbert C. Carpenter, Jr. was a saint in his own right. From what we can gather, he was the enabler, selflessly capturing the tremendous wealth of inspiration from his father and putting it to paper, and was at the fore-front of gathering and protecting the precious documents and literature that the Board of Directors wished to hide from the world. He was also subject to the wrath of the Red Dragon, but we have no doubt, like his father, has been rewarded in the hereafter!

Biography of Bicknell Young

It is fascinating to consider the individuality of the luminaries of the early years of Christian Science, those who are of particular interest to us: Edward Kimball, Rev. Kratzer, Martha Wilcox, Gilbert Carpenter, Herbert Eustace, and now under consideration, Bicknell Young. We are hard-pressed to find anything similar in their backgrounds or their personalities, and there is little to suggest they shared much with each other, with the exception of the teacher-student relationship of Mr. Kimball and Mr. Young — and yet they each left a precious heritage, their wonderfully individual and clearly stated understanding of Christian Science.

Bicknell Young grew up a Mormon, pursued an ambitious and successful career as a musician, had a dramatic healing through Christian Science, and spent the rest of his years dedicated to the practice of Christian Science. Taught by Mr. Kimball in 1895, he became a teacher himself in 1902, and then followed Mr. Kimball into the lecturing circuit in 1903. Like his mentor, Mr. Young was an excellent communicator, and filled halls wherever he went. From 1909-1913 he was resident practitioner and teacher in London, England. He was selected by Mrs. Eddy to replace Mr. Kimball (who had passed on) as teacher of the Normal Class in Boston (the class to teach teachers) of 1910, an indication of the high regard Mrs. Eddy had for Mr. Young.

What was extraordinary about Mr. Young was his ability to remain above the fray after Mrs. Eddy’s passing. Although Mr. Young taught that the material universe “is the spiritual creation dimly seen and incorrectly interpreted” — and this was unacceptable to the “intuitional approach” promulgated by the central organization — nevertheless he was selected First Reader of the Mother Church for 1917-1920, during the contentious Litigation which had the movement in turmoil. Later, in 1937, he was chosen to teach the Normal Class again. That Mr. Young felt the sensitive position he was in is reflected by a remark he purportedly made to the class: “‘You don’t want to get your teacher into trouble, do you? Then don’t pass notes around of what I have said.’” Having been left untouched by a heavy-handed organization that had disciplined others for far less, is testament to his tremendous popularity, and his ability to rise above his detractors, rather than get into the mud with them!

As can be seen by the selections from his writings, Bicknell Young was a master metaphysician, and wonderfully practical at the same time.

Biography of Edward A. Kimball

As Paul was to the early Christian church, so was Edward A. Kimball to the early Christian Science movement. He delivered more than 1,800 lectures on Christian Science, requiring more than 400,000 miles of travel, without airplanes! His ability to communicate the message to those unfamiliar with Christian Science was unrivaled. His lectures filled every hall to overflowing. His love and respect for Mary Baker Eddy and her revelation was indisputable, as is evident from his lectures and other writings. And apparently, like Paul, he had his share of physical discomfort, which he never let stop him.

That Mrs. Eddy had the highest regard for Mr. Kimball and his grasp of Christian Science, right up to the end of his time here on earth, is supported by the fact that she asked him to teach the 1910 Normal Class. Prior to that class, when Mrs. Eddy survived the vicious attacks that came through the Next Friends Suit, she came to a much higher understanding of body, and she chose Mr. Kimball with whom to share it. Each evening for several hours, she would drill Mr. Kimball to make sure he got it correctly. Apparently feeling his own end was near, he chose three trusted associates, including his student, Bicknell Young, and shared with them this precious teaching, in turn drilling them late into the night. Mr. Kimball passed on before he was able to teach the Normal Class.

What was Mr. Kimball’s earthly reward? After Mrs. Eddy passed, he (posthumously) and his students were marginalized by the Board of Directors, accused of corrupting Mrs. Eddy’s revelation! Terms like “Kimballism” and “the Chicago School” emerged. Who was responsible for this? It is safe to say, rather than getting into personalities, it was the Red Dragon from Revelation. What was the main point of contention? Essentially, Mr. Kimball declared that what we see as material things is a wrong way of interpreting what is actually before us. Correctly seen, the “material” thing (i.e., organ of the body) is a spiritual idea. The “Red Dragon” crowd accused Mr. Kimball of corrupting Mrs. Eddy’s teaching, insisting that the so-called material organ is nothing, and represents nothing.

This explains why, very often, Christian Scientists are the most confused people on earth. “The material universe is nothing and represents nothing, while Spirit is everything, but we seemingly have to live in the material.” This has led, in practice, to a dualism that is fatal to the practice of Christian Science, and we have the Red Dragon, or unhandled animal magnetism, to thank for it.

We here celebrate that great worker, who arguably has done the most to spread Christian Science, aside from Mrs. Eddy herself, and conclude with this, her benediction after his passing: “My beloved Edward A. Kimball, whose clear, correct teaching of Christian Science has been and is an inspiration to the whole field, is here now as veritably as when he visited me a year ago. If we would awaken to this recognition, we should see him here and realize that he never died; thus demonstrating the fundamental truth of Christian Science.” (My.)

Biography of Peter V. Ross

Peter V. Ross was a prominent and much loved Christian Scientist, who served the movement faithfully for many years, had a large active practice, and was a teacher of Christian Science. Also, he was renowned for his service as a lecturer, where his ability to connect with the listening audiences was quite apparent. In his time, lecturing was a prevalent means to get the good word out to the people. With a tenure of lectureship spanning twenty years, he had over three thousand appearances and spoke to over three million people all over the world. He was reputed as being responsible for attracting many thousands of people to Christian Science.

Obviously, he took this service very seriously. From the beginning and throughout his years of lecturing, he engaged coaching in oratory expression. Mr. Ross tells that a woman wrote the Board of Directors stating that he would never do as a suitable lecturer. As an illustration of his humility and sincerity, he used this incident as an impetus to improve his skill as a speaker. Mr. Ross said, “So it was that the struggle for self-improvement became a fixed habit and continued to the night of my last lecture twenty years afterward.” Mr. Ross had also described how sensitive he was with regard to his dress and appearance. His motivation for this was so that the audience would have a respect for, and receptivity to, his message. He evidently had a great love for Christian Science and would do anything for its prosperity. It was well known that there were healings resulting from his lectures. A small fraction of them were reported to him; however, that fraction “would fill a sizeable volume.”

I have to share an experience that my grandmother shared with me years ago. She had been led to Christian Science in the 1930s, when she was in a time of need, and joined a church in a small rural community. It was shortly thereafter that it was advertised that a large church in the nearest large city was hosting a lecture to be delivered by Mr. Ross. There was no question that she and her friends wanted to hear him speak. They all got in a car and drove the hour and a half to the church hosting the event, but found they could not get in. The church was already filled to capacity. In anticipation of this, the hosts put loud speakers on the lawns surrounding the church property for the benefit of those who could not get inside. My grandmother and her friends sat in the car and listened, gratefully satisfied with having heard the inspiring lecture.

As has been repeated all too often in human history, the inferior human mind tries to exercise control over whatever is inspired. Mr. Ross stated, “In the earlier days lecturers were permitted a degree of liberty which made their work a joy. Naturally the reaction on the public was highly beneficial. But as time went on restriction after restriction was imposed.” He went on further regarding the imposed requirement of committing lectures to memory and reciting them verbatim: “a speech cannot be delivered effectively that way. It must be done extemporaneously. Then the words are charged with thought. And thinking is the essence of discourse. There must be not simply the intake of ideas, but the clothing of them with suitable words. This bold effort grips the audience and enlists their cooperation.” He spoke from experience, and it is easy to see how there was a great demand for his lectures. Regarding his audiences, he observed that, “People no longer went to sleep, crying babies became obsolete, invitations multiplied, and overflows were the rule, not the exception.”

There is no doubt that his popularity did not sit well with the directors and the lecture board; remember, he was Peter V. Ross much loved. At a time when the directors were concerned about a decline in interest for lectures generally, Mr. Ross wrote the directors a letter telling of the enthusiastic attendance at his lectures. I am sure they must have known already how well attended they were. His letter went on to describe helpful ways to make an effective presentation of a lecture.

At another time, Mr. Ross prepared a paper about promoting lectures, with hopes that it would appear in the Sentinel where it would be readily available for the benefit of the churches in preparing for lectures. However, it did not meet with approval from the Board of Lectureship nor from the Board of Directors, so it was not published.

For our benefit today, Mr. Ross had assembled and published a selection of his letters to his patients in a book entitled LEAVES OF HEALING. This book is offered for sale by Plainfield Church. There are also transcripts of his lectures for our study. Many have found healing and instruction in these works, his legacy left for our benefit. His love for God, Christian Science, and mankind pervades all his works.

Love is the liberator.