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Ideal for gifts and those who travel! POINTS FOR EMPHASIS, 1966
CULTS CRITIQUE
by Betty Bruecbert
Clifton J. Allen. Con cise! Compact! Con venient! S lip th is small Sunday school commentary into your pocket or purse; study whenever and wherever you have time. Each lesson treatment contains an introduction, the full Scripture text, and brief comments on the main lesson points. 95^
The following appeared in the Sep tember 10 issue of Christianity To day with whose kind permission we print in full. ANOTHER "F IRST" TALKS W ITH CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS M a in s t e a m Protestantism is in volved in unpublicized informal discussions, presumab l y the first ever, with representatives of a cult. For a year and a half, leaders of the United Presbyterian Church, and, later, the United Church of Christ, have been talking with top Chris tian Scientists. No conclusions have been an nounced. The Protestants involved emphasize the tentative nature of the conversations, saying they are just talking as friends; but the implica tions are startling. Both sides tradi tionally have viewed each other as outside the true faith. From the Protestant side, Chris tian Science normally is considered as non-Christian for its rephrasing, reinterpretation, or elimination of most orthodox doctrines. Richard L. Davies, a layman who chairs the Presbyterian Committee on Ecumenical Relations, said the talks are unlike those his committee has held with other Protestants or even Roman Catholics, where there is a large body of common belief and the denominations have named offi cial representatives. But he added that he and other participants now believe Christian Scientists are “ part of the body of Christ” and “ seem to have a charismatic gift in their sen sitivity to the Holy Spirit, and in healing.” For Christian Science, the talks are part of a new effort to restruc ture their image with outsiders — a major concern at this year’s Moth er Church meeting. (See “ Joining the Bandwagon,” July 2, 1965, is sue.) Clayton Craig, a participant and one of the five board members of the Church of Christ, Scientist, said that “ Christian Science is not generally understood. When it is understood, we find no opposition to what we stand for.” The Presbyterians are “ just begin ning to understand,” he said. Healing—the trademark of Chris tian Science to outsiders—“ could be a point of unity.” Craig said, but proper ‘ ‘ s p i r i tua l understanding” must come first. Dr. John Coventry Smith, general
secretary of the Presbyterian Com mission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations, said conversations were started particularly to discuss heal ing, “without compromising our the ological position.” Smith’s assistant for ecumenism, Miss Margaret Shannon, has partici pated in the talks. (Smith has not, but has read reports on them.) She said there is a search for a common theme, outside of healing, for the ological discussion. As described by Davies, the meet ing was germinated in a dinner con versation at the National Council of Churches’ Gene ra l Ass emb l y in Philadelphia in December, 1963. The Rev. Fred S. Buschmeyer, sec retary of the United Church of Christ, and a few of his colleagues began attending last year. Busch meyer declined comment on the prog ress of the discussions but, through his office, stressed he is not an official representative and has filed no re ports. Presbyterian scholars at the talks have included Dr. Lewis S. Mudge, Jr., chaplain of Amherst College, and Dr. Edward David Willis, an instruc tor at Princeton Theological Semi nary. Meetings were held last year in Washington and Princeton and this year in New York and Boston, with the list of participants varying. The next meeting has not been scheduled. David Sleeper, manager of the Christian Science Commi t te es on Publication, who has joined Craig at the talks, said one motive is to estab lish Christian Scientists as Chris tians. If outsiders don’t understand this, he said, it is his church’s fault for “ failing to communicate.” Smith said participants are far from ready to make any recommen dations to his commission in the matter, or to proclaim that Chris tian Scientists are indeed Christians. “Our deepest theological concern is their almost complete lack of em phasis on the nature of sin,” he said. But he said this has impressed Presbyterians: “ The people who have talked to us are truly spiritually con cerned. And they are surprised we have an interest in the healing min istry.” Needless to state, we view this de velopment with deepest concern and recognize it as a part of the apostasy which we can expect before the re turn of Christ.
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A CHRISTIAN WITNESS FOR 70 YEARS
31
DECEMBER, 1965
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