This month we look at the impact Mary Baker Eddy’s early religious formation had on her teachings, as well as on her leadership of the Christian Science church. Raised in New Hampshire, Eddy received religious instruction from some of the state’s most prominent ministers. That included the Reverend Nathaniel Bouton, pastor of its largest Congregational church, located in the capital city of Concord. For Eddy Bouton’s influence was profound, both in terms of his Christian character and his erudition. This episode explores the importance of her relationship with Bouton and other members of his family, revealing key intersections between the Congregational and Christian Science churches. As our guest speaker indicates, Bouton deserves recognition as “a vital part of the history of Christian Science.”
Access more on this topic:
- Podcast: The marriages of Mary Baker Eddy
- Podcast: Part One: Mary Baker Eddy and the Puritans
- From the Collections: John Nelson Marble’s portrait of Mary Baker Eddy
Dr. Barry R. Huff is Professor of Religious Studies at Principia College. His fellowship with the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium included researching the Rev. Nathaniel Bouton Papers at the New Hampshire Historical Society; manuals of the First Congregational Church, Concord, New Hampshire, and the Northfield-Tilton Congregational Church, at the Congregational Library & Archives and New Hampshire Historical Society; and other materials pertaining to Mary Baker Eddy and biblical interpretation in nineteenth-century New England at these institutions, The Mary Baker Eddy Library, the Harvard Divinity School Library, and the Massachusetts Historical Society. As a Fellow at The Mary Baker Eddy Library, Huff researched Eddy’s correspondence with the Bouton family and her biblical interpretation. His published essays focus on the book of Job, the reception history of the Bible, and Mary Baker Eddy’s biblical interpretation.
Collage photos (left to right): Rev. Nathaniel Bouton, undated. Courtesy of Longyear Museum, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Congregational Church in Plymouth, New Hampshire, c. 1900–1910. Courtesy of Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-DIG-det-4a18374. Mary Baker Eddy, c. 1871. P00016. W.C. Bowers. Guest headshot of Barry Huff used by permission of Principia College.
