Seekers and Scholars: Recent Episodes
The Mary Baker Eddy Library
Discover how seekers and scholars from a variety of disciplines have engaged with Mary Baker Eddy's life, ideas, and accomplishments.
Find out how Christian Science student and faculty groups have fostered healing and fellowship in a range of academic settings.
From business franchising to the Hoover Dam, discover the spiritual foundations of the women responsible for designing them.
Enjoy intimate readings of poems in Christian Science literature, from Mary Baker Eddy’s time to the present day.
Find out how Marilynne Robinson’s fresh insights on the book of Genesis relate to its spiritual significance for Mary Baker Eddy.
Hear people from four institutions, including The Mary Baker Eddy Library, discuss the responsibilities involved in preserving religious history.
Learn how the wife of America’s ambassador to China drew on her deep faith to overcome attacks from Chinese combatants during the Boxer Rebellion.
Find out how the ideals of William Penn and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy inspired a leading twentieth-century artist’s portrayals of love and peace.
Listen to Library staff members illuminate Christian Science history through objects they exhibited from our collections.
Hear the backstory of this beloved church songbook and learn how it compares with those of other religious traditions.
Learn about the ways some Shaker communities embraced Christian Science teachings and healing—as well as how Mary Baker Eddy thought about their beliefs and practices.
Find out why the cultural and religious character of her native state meant so much to the founder of Christian Science.
Listen as members of two major documentary editing projects discuss their work and its impact on religious history.
Learn why America’s passion for verse in the nineteenth century is meaningful for a Ugandan college student today.
How can new technologies serve a person’s spiritual growth? Explore a powerful Christian Science study tool, through firsthand accounts of its development.
How does a worldwide religious body stay connected? Explore some of the ways this interaction has worked for the Christian Science church, from its origins up to the present day.
Find out why Eddy described the teachings and work of a prominent New Hampshire minister as the “vestibule of Christian Science.”
Hear about a nineteenth-century American culture fascinated with the vitalizing effects of psychic practices, and learn why Eddy saw them as delusional and dangerous.
Learn how and why the untold stories of two pioneering Black African women Christian Scientists are resonating with contemporary women scholars and activists.
In 1932, the president of the temperance movement and the founder of Christian Science were voted two of America’s most important women leaders. Find out how they connected, and why.
Hear how this “living historical artifact” has been artfully fulfilling its purpose since 1932.
Hear the story of an exiled couple from Nazi-controlled Europe, who went on to become celebrated writers at the international newspaper.
Hear about the influence Christian Science had among the Mormon elite in late nineteenth-century Salt Lake City.
What is public history? Find out about its potential to serve the common good—and how the Mary Baker Eddy Library contributes to it.
Enjoy this bonus track, which traces The Christian Science Monitor’s commitment to solutions-oriented journalism back to its 1908 founding.
Find out about visionary reporting on a new Progressive Era institution designed to improve the lives of the urban poor.
Listen to this gem from the Seekers and Scholars archive, and learn about why it was particularly meaningful to the college student who chose it.
Hear about Eddy's experiences with marriage, in a time when conventions around matrimony were radically changing, and see how they impacted her life and writings.
Hear guests discuss the enduring significance of this volume, including the value of its newest edition and the noteworthy qualities of its author.
Find out about interest in twentieth-century Christian spiritual healing—what did that mean for the Church of England and the Church of Christ, Scientist?
Hear how a single mom and clerical worker with few prospects transformed an industry through innovative thinking and prayerful inspiration.
Discover thought-provoking connections between Christian Science and women’s rights movements of the twentieth century.
Why was 1886 a big year for the Christian Science church? Find out from the Mary Baker Eddy Papers team, in this recording with a live audience.
Glimpse what happened at this one-day event for employees of The Mother Church, which showcased some compelling items from the Library’s collections.
Listen to the inspiring story of the namesake for the most prestigious honor in the theater world.
Find out what was at stake for Eddy in reaching out to cherished family members, despite significant barriers in culture, education, and religion.
Why do Christian Science branch churches have special Communion services, while The Mother Church in Boston does not? Find out in this episode, which also explores how the religion approaches this aspect of Christian worship.
Learn about the position of soloist at The Mother Church—and the celebrated soprano who helped set high standards for the role.
Learn how American G.I.s found their faith sustaining them when confronted by wartime’s innumerable challenges.
Learn about the complicated beginnings of global interfaith dialogue in a groundbreaking 17-day conference at Chicago’s 1893 Columbian Exposition.
Listen to a conversation with Heather Vogel Frederick, author of Life at 400 Beacon Street: Working in Mary Baker Eddy’s Household.
As a bonus to Episode 64, enjoy two new recordings of music by composer Elisa Mazzucato Young.
Listen to intimate portraits of Christian Science Monitor correspondents covering Russia and the Soviet Union in the twentieth century.
Learn about the upbringing and spiritual journey of this significant figure in the early Christian Science movement.
Learn about Mary Baker Eddy’s anti-slavery activism, through her correspondence with prominent Union generals, and her husband’s experiences as a Confederate prisoner of war.
Listen to a discussion on the essential role of spirituality in the work of twentieth-century women abstract artists.
Learn about Mary Baker Eddy’s experiences with housing insecurity, during the time when she was first teaching and writing about Christian Science.
Learn about Ruth Barrett Phelps and how she helped change the sound of music in Boston.
Look behind the scenes as we discuss the Library’s oral history project—a diverse and rich collection that expands perspectives on the Christian Science movement.
Why did the Library hire an expert handwriting analyst to review the diaries of Eddy’s personal secretary?
Find out what scholars mean by the term “new religious movement”—and why the nineteenth century was a dynamic time of religious innovation.
Find out what we’re learning as we publish Eddy’s correspondence. As her life and work took on new dimensions, just who was she communicating with—and why?
Learn how concern over the weakening of religion in the late 1800s led to an influential movement known as “Muscular Christianity.”
What is meant by “collective memory”? How do archives preserve it for the communities they serve?
Learn about the training and experience that go into making an archivist—and find out what that means in particular for The Mary Baker Eddy Library’s collections.
Explore the pivotal role of Edith Bunker in the breakthrough sitcom "All in the Family," portrayed by actor and Christian Scientist Jean Stapleton.
Learn about one of America’s most celebrated journalists and his renowned 1907 interview with the founder of Christian Science.
Learn about the complex history of biographies on Mary Baker Eddy—and the many different approaches authors have taken in exploring her life.
Learn about the Library’s recent presentations at the world’s largest religious studies conference.
Learn about—and celebrate—the importance of poetry to nineteenth-century Americans, including examples in recitation and song.
Learn why the world’s largest online encyclopedia doesn’t feature more biographies of women—and what’s being done about it.
As COVID-19 restrictions impact both students and teachers, find out how young researchers are still taking on exciting projects for this year’s National History Day program.
What did spirituality mean for the Puritans—and how did it influence the woman who discovered Christian Science?
What did spirituality mean for the Puritans—and how did it influence the woman who discovered Christian Science?
See how spirituality influenced innovations changed the face of modern business—through the work of a pioneering woman entrepreneur.
What was the influence of British hymn composition on the 1932 Christian Science Hymnal?
Learn about spiritual autobiography, through two unique examples from the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Learn about the extraordinary life of this Australian trailblazer and international leader.
Enter the life and times of Erwin D. Canham, the longest-serving editor of The Christian Science Monitor.
Learn about the value of archives—and how their contents can change the course of young lives.
Join us for a discussion about the Library’s photo collections, where a picture really is worth a thousand words.
Join us for a thoughtful discussion about the importance of religious literacy in society—and what’s involved in achieving it.
Learn how American printers created a new kind of culture for everyday citizens to engage with the Bible, in the decades following the Revolution.
Explore the complex and contested religious landscape of Boston in the late nineteenth century.
Explore the complex and contested religious landscape of Boston in the late nineteenth century.
See how podcasts can help break down the walls of academia and reach like-hearted—rather than like-minded—audiences.
Join us for an inspiring and informative conversation with one of today’s most celebrated hymn writers.
Explore how issues around gender and religious leadership influenced the architectural styles of the two Mother Church edifices.
Listen in as we talk with Dr. Jenny Reeder about the role of women in Mormon and Christian Science history.
This episode explores the inspiration behind Josette Flamand’s poem “Migration,” as verse for a new selection in the "Christian Science Hymnal."
This month “A Great Religious Experiment—Military Chaplaincy” explores in three segments the quest for religious pluralism in U.S. military chaplaincy over the last century.
This month “A Great Religious Experiment—Military Chaplaincy” explores in three segments the quest for religious pluralism in U.S. military chaplaincy over the last century.
This month “A Great Religious Experiment—Military Chaplaincy” explores in three segments the quest for religious pluralism in U.S. military chaplaincy over the last century.
Explore the importance and value of oral history, including its unique public and historical purpose.
In this episode, Liz Kineke—producer for the "Religion and Culture" series at CBS—explains how scholars shed light on the role faith plays in contemporary culture.
Hear about the first generation of women to serve in the British Parliament—and their groundbreaking, inspiring work.
Hear about the first generation of women to serve in the British Parliament—and their groundbreaking, inspiring work.
Learn how a historian balances sympathetic understanding with critical analysis, exploring the life and career of Laura Lathrop—an important figure in the history of Christian Science.
Explore Mary Baker Eddy’s liberating—and healing— explanation of controversial biblical texts.
Discover how the ideals of Violet Oakley fueled her trailblazing life and career as one of America’s most important twentieth-century artists.
Episode 11 continues the conversation with Dr. Andrew Ventimiglia. We learn more about Mary Baker Eddy’s activity in reforming intellectual property laws, which resulted in her sharing the same copyright lawyer as Mark Twain.
Hear Dr. Andrew Ventimiglia discuss the importance Mary Baker Eddy placed on intellectual property rights as a protection to her book "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures."
We’ll explore how Christmas was radically transformed as a holiday during Mary Baker Eddy's lifetime. What did that mean for her—and for us today?
Learn how Mary Baker Eddy’s experience of Thanksgiving reflects the holiday’s spiritual legacy in American culture.
Meet historian and author Kim Schuette. He’ll discuss the history of the Christian Science military ministry, in honor of the program’s centennial anniversary.
Melanie Stetson Freeman, Senior Staff Photographer for "The Christian Science Monitor," discusses her recent assignment for a series on facing famine in Africa.
Join us for a discussion with "Christian Science Monitor" Editor Mark Sappenfield. We’ll compare the "Monitor" during its early history with its role as a news source today.
Hear about The Mary Baker Eddy Library’s significant collection of historic bibles—and how these translations have contributed to the development of civilization.
Hear about the Library’s “Women of History” blog, and discover the impact of Eddy’s ideas on a wide range of pioneering women.
Hear from Dr. Lucy Kent on the influence of Christian Science in the lives and work of three major British artists of the 20th century
A conversation with documentary editor Dr. Sherry Darling on making the archives of The Mary Baker Eddy Library available for online exploration.