Christian Science: Denial of Reality and a False Gospel

Christian Science: Denial of Reality and a False Gospel

Christian Science is one of the most deceptive religious movements to emerge from 19th-century America. Founded by Mary Baker Eddy, it denies the reality of sin, sickness, and even death, presenting a pseudo-Christian metaphysical system.

Unlike Christian denominations, Christian Science is not Christianity at all. It redefines the gospel, denies the physical resurrection of Christ, and replaces faith in the living God with mind-over-matter mysticism. Paul’s words apply here directly:

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!”(Galatians 1:8, NASB)

History

• Mary Baker Eddy (1821–1910): After what she believed was a miraculous healing in 1866, Eddy began developing her ideas.

• Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (1875): This became the defining text of the movement, considered divinely inspired and necessary to interpret the Bible.

• The Mother Church (1879): Officially established in Boston, Massachusetts, as the Church of Christ, Scientist.

• The Christian Science Monitor (1908): A newspaper founded under her movement, respected in journalism but disconnected from its theology.

• Eddy’s Claim: She insisted that her writings provided the true spiritual meaning of Scripture—without them, the Bible could not be properly understood.

Core Beliefs & Distinctives

• God: Defined as infinite Mind, Spirit, or Principle—impersonal, abstract, and non-Trinitarian.

• Jesus Christ: Not God incarnate, but a man who perfectly reflected “the Christ-idea.”

• Resurrection: Denied as a bodily event. Eddy claimed the resurrection was spiritual, a metaphor for the triumph of “Christ-consciousness,” not the literal rising of Jesus from the dead.

• Sin and Evil: Declared unreal—mere “errors of mortal mind.”

• Sickness and Death: Dismissed as illusions. Healing comes not through medicine but through right understanding of God’s spiritual reality.

• Salvation: Achieved not by faith in Christ’s atonement, but by awakening to the realization that sin, sickness, and death are not real.

Strengths

• Healing Emphasis: Attracts people seeking hope beyond medicine.

• Practical Discipline: Encourages optimism, discipline of thought, and community support.

• Seriousness of Belief: Members often live out their convictions with zeal and moral restraint.

But these perceived strengths mask a fatal flaw: they are based on denying reality rather than trusting the Savior.

What They Get Wrong Biblically

• Denial of Sin:

  
  

  “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

  (1 John 1:8, NASB)

  
  

  Christian Science claims sin is an illusion—Scripture says it is universal.

• Denial of Christ’s Incarnation:

  
  

  “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

  (John 1:14, NASB)

  
  

  Christ was not just an idea—He came in the flesh.

• Denial of Death’s Reality:

  
  

  “It is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment.”

  (Hebrews 9:27, NASB)

  
  

  Death is real, and it is followed by judgment, not denial.

• Rejection of the Cross:

  
  

  “That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day.”

  (1 Corinthians 15:3–4, NASB)

  
  

  Eddy rejected Christ’s atoning work—yet this is the gospel itself.

Strange & False Teachings

• Medical Refusal: Members are discouraged from seeking doctors or medicine, leading to documented preventable deaths.

• Metaphysical Scripture Interpretation: The Bible cannot be understood apart from Eddy’s Science and Health.

• Illusionary Reality: Everything physical—pain, illness, even death—is treated as a mistaken belief, not an actual condition.

• Jesus vs. Christ: They separate the man Jesus from the “Christ-idea,” reducing Him to a spiritual model instead of the incarnate Son of God.

Myths to Refute

• “It’s just another denomination.”

  False—its teachings deny the core of Christian faith.

• “They believe in the Bible.”

  No—the Bible is subordinated to Eddy’s writings.

• “Christian Science is about healing like Jesus did.”

  Wrong—their “healing” is mind-over-matter illusion, not the miraculous power of God.

Pastoral Path Forward

Christian Science appeals to people longing for healing and hope, but it offers neither truth nor salvation. It denies the reality of sin and the cross, leaving people lost in illusions rather than saved by grace.

The true gospel does not deny suffering but redeems it through Christ’s death and resurrection. We are not saved by right thoughts but by the blood of Jesus.

Why Denominations Are Unbiblical

Although Christian Science falls more in the category of cult than denomination, the broader point still stands: divisions distort the gospel. Paul rebuked the Corinthians for saying “I am of Paul” or “I am of Apollos” (1 Corinthians 1:12–13, NASB). Christian Science goes further by saying, “I am of Mary Baker Eddy.”

This shows the danger of all sectarianism—when loyalty to a teacher replaces loyalty to Christ, truth is lost, and deception flourishes.