What goes on in a Christian Science reading room?

In nearly every major American city and in many small towns, Christian Science reading rooms are found mixed in with storefronts. Passersby may hardly notice them, but to those who stop to wonder what goes on inside, their purpose may seem inscrutable: a few shelves of books and some chairs and tables with pamphlets and other reading materials. It’s like a waiting room without a doctor.

Is it a church, and what does it have to do with science? Are they Scientologists?

Christian Science reading rooms are not churches — although they are run by one — and they’re not affiliated with Scientologists. They are a ministry of a homegrown American religious tradition, namely the Church of Christ, Scientist, founded in 1879 in Boston based on the thought of Mary Baker Eddy.

Unlike other Christian denominations, their pastor is not a flesh-and-blood human. Instead, their pastor is two books that guide their faith: the Bible and “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” essentially the church’s textbook, authored by Eddy. It aims to provide an explanation of both the Bible and Christian Science theology, which has a special focus on healing through prayer and spirituality.

“The reading room is like a parsonage,” said Jasmine Holzworth, librarian of the Christian Science Reading Room at the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, the tradition’s first congregation, known as the Mother Church. “We don’t have a personal pastor — we have the books. People can come and sit and read. They’re here for people to trust as a pastor and ask their questions.”

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