Abstract

Christian Science was one of several distinct religions to appear in the United States in the 19th century, yet there has never been a social history of this American phenomenon. Church mores precluded such a study for one hundred years, but the opening in Boston of the Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity in 2002 has given scholars a golden opportunity. This paper makes a contribution to scholarly understanding and dialog by compiling and analyzing the occupations of over 4,000 Christian Scientists in the United States from 1890-1910. Scholars have long awaited such an unsealing and examination of the closed membership records. Sources include minute books, correspondence, and membership roll books of 23 branch, or local, congregations from such diverse places as New York City (two churches); Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Chicago (three churches); Beatrice, Nebraska; Pittsburg, Kansas; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Diego and Oakland, California; Salem, Oregon; and Seattle, Washington. Data from nine other branches, 1910-1925, are added for comparison. Almost 800 testimonies of healing from these localities have been scrutinized to determine why people joined the new fold. While some of these churches followed the often-assumed pattern of middle to upper middle class, other congregations were more than 75% small proprietors, clerical, working class, and farmers. That is, Christian Science initially appealed to a far broader spectrum of society than previous conjecture has allowed. As this church seeks to rebuild itself from a depleted membership base, there are some useful and perhaps controversial lessons to be learned from this study.