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How did Christian Science influence later interest in spiritual healing among Protestant churches?

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The Mother Church at the Christian Science Center in Boston stands beside a large reflecting pool, with its domed roof and ornate facade visible under a partly cloudy sky. — Christian Science The Mother Church and reflecting pool, Christian Science Center, Boston.

Christian Science significantly influenced the revival of interest in spiritual healing within mainstream Protestantism. While Christian Science is a distinct religious denomination founded by Mary Baker Eddy, its emphasis on healing through the Spirit served as a catalyst for similar movements in other churches.12

Specifically, the healing ministries that emerged within Pentecostal and Holiness churches, as well as movements such as the Order of St. Luke in the Episcopal Church, were inspired by the work of Eddy’s contemporaries, Charles Cullis and the Rev. Elwood Worcester.1

As the theological and medical understanding of the connection between the body and soul—and the psychogenic origins of many illnesses—grew, various established denominations, including the Protestant Episcopal Church and the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, eventually reinstituted their own healing services. This shift reflected a broader movement across religious groups to reclaim practices of healing that had previously retreated into the background of modern church life.21