Rolling Away the Stone: Mary Baker Eddy's Challenge to Materialism

Religion in North America

by Stephen Gottschalk

This richly detailed study highlights the last two decades of the life ofMary Baker Eddy, a prominent religious thinker whose character and achievement arejust beginning to be understood. It is the first book-length discussion of Eddy tomake full use of the resources of the Mary Baker Eddy Collection in Boston. RollingAway the Stone focuses on her long-reaching legacy as a Christian thinker, specifically her challenge to the materialism that threatens religious belief andpractice.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

483 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I finally finished this book! It was a challenge, but a good one. Gottschalk is such an incredible researcher and writer. So much has been written about MBE's life already - some of it "through rose-colored glasses" and some of it with undisguised animosity. This book doesn't relate a lot of her early life, but really focuses on many of the challenges she faced in her later years, both from within the Christian Science movement and from an ignorant, fearful public. Anyone challenging the "reality" or superiority of matter, in that age, was to be looked upon as different.

I loved the biography, Mary Baker Eddy Christian Healer (expanded edition) for all the wonderful examples of healings, and the fresh metaphysical ideas shared. This book was not exactly the "feel good" type of biography, but was very enlightening in its own way. Gottschalk definitely showed more of the challenges Eddy had to contend with - but also the strength she exhibited in handling those challenges through relying on God rather than on human opinions. I highlighted SO many sentences, and am already looking forward to going through this book again and just contemplating those highlights!

Opening the book up randomly, this is the first highlight I came to - and it is also recorded in Miscellaneous Writings: "...He illumines our way in obedience. The disobedient make their moves before God makes His, or too late to follow Him. We should wait for God to direct our footsteps, then, hasten to obey under every circumstance."

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This rather thick book (about 500 pgs) is loaded with names and dates, etc. which makes the reading a tad slow-going. If you put that factor aside, however, this is a very interesting summary written by a historian of Christian Science. Having heard a great deal about Eddy throughout my life, after reading this I realized I knew very little about her as a person, nor did I understand the obstacles she overcame both personally and professionally. A fair amount of space is given to her fractious relationship with Mark Twain whose autobiography just came out; makes you want to dive into its 700+ pages. Anyone interested in feminism, religious freedom, famous women in history, and Christian Science should read "Rolling Away the Stone."

[Jeffery A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to put down.

Excellent. Insightful. Engaging right from the start. Well researched. An important contribution to the list of bios of MBE. Will read it again, sooner rather than later.

[Joanne Otto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly insightful chronicle of the remarkable last two decades in the life of the discoverer and founder of Christian Science.