Alumni and Friends of Principia
Brad Stock, PhD, Harding Mott II Distinguished Professor of the History of the Christian Science Movement
June 1888 saw Mrs. Eddy dealing with both unprecedented popular acclaim (at her speech in Chicago) and with a large-scale rebellion among her students in Boston. During the next year, Mrs. Eddy resigned as pastor, closed her College, disorganized her church, and retired to New Hampshire in order to work on a major revision of Science and Health. She also labored to reestablish the movement on a more spiritual, permanent, harmonious basis. In 1892, she reorganized the church and began shifting to governance embodied by the Church Manual and overseen by the Christian Science Board of Directors. She also impelled the Directors toward completion of a Christian Science church edifice, insisting that God Himself commanded that the first service be held in the new church prior to 1895. In short, during these pivotal years, Mrs. Eddy dismantled the Christian Science movement and rebuilt it, largely in the form we recognize today. It was a mighty demonstration, far from easy, for which we owe her much. Learn about the many demonstrations she made on our behalf during this period.
Offered during Week Two
Sharon Carper, MSEd, retired U.S. diplomat
Given the mission of The Christian Science Monitor to “bless all mankind,” the newspaper alerts us to those world hot spots that demand our prayerful attention. This class will use the Daily News Brief from the Monitor to identify current issues of a diplomatic nature. Then, through the experience of your veteran Foreign Service instructor, you will learn more about our diplomatic efforts and the workings of the U.S. Department of State as these officers do battle for us. This class will share insights and experiences from work on international crises, always keeping in mind our prayerful response to world needs. With your classmates, you will work to solve these problems, get the issues in perspective, and be alert to our world that is ripe for healing. Take advantage of this opportunity to become a more active Christian Science world citizen.
Two-week course
Jeff Steele, PhD, associate professor of interdisciplinary studies
Appropriate for both the Shakespeare aficionado and the newcomer, this class will focus on what we know about Shakespeare the person, his culture and times, and the literature published in his name. Touching upon these three fundamental areas, we’ll explore what the “Shakespeare phenomenon” means to us today, gain insight into some of the rumors about him, and try to answer key questions about his life and works. Is the man pictured in the newly discovered “Cobb Portrait” really an image of Shakespeare? Did Shakespeare actually write all of those plays and sonnets? And why did your instructor spend a whole day digging in Shakespeare’s garden behind New Place in Stratford last October? Come to class with questions and opinions. We’ll discuss them and read some of the finest drama and poetry in the English language.
Offered during Week One
Marie Jureit-Beamish, DMA, Charles Stewart Harding Mott Distinguished Professor (Music)
The quality of heroism in Beethoven’s music grabs the listener and inspires triumph in the face of tragedy. Throughout his life as a musician in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Bonn and Vienna, Beethoven constantly confronted obstacles to his composing—whether the struggle to survive as a freelance musician, Napoleon’s cruel invasion of Vienna, or the greatest challenge of all for a musician: deafness. Living a life of personal isolation, Beethoven’s sole motive in composing was to bless his fellow man. Three epic pieces symbolizing freedom for all—Symphony no. 3 (“Eroica”), Symphony no. 9 (“Ode to Joy”—the symphony for all mankind), and his only opera Fidelio (faithful one)—reveal Beethoven’s enormous personal strength and the power of his music to transform, uplift, and inspire each of us to grow in our own ability to meet challenges with the promise of triumph and victory.
Two-week course
Christa Kreutz, MTS, visiting faculty
Likely penned after the Jewish revolt against Rome around the year 68, Matthew maintains more than any other gospel the Jewishness of Jesus. It is also considered a kind of manual or roadmap for the formative Christian Church because it contains the Sermon on the Mount and is the only gospel to mention “church.” During our time together, we’ll explore some of the important tenets presented in Matthew in order to grasp a deeper sense of the struggles and triumphs of the early Church. This course will consider a model of the Church in the context of ethics and spiritual laws and the importance of higher righteousness.
Two-week course
