Here you'll find articles about Christian Science published by media outlets; some are written by the media, some by Church staff members, and some by the Church's media relations team throughout the world, called Committees on Publication.
Christian Scientists want spiritual care in federal health package
The Colorado Springs Gazette, August 15, 2010
By Mark Barna
For many octogenarians, doctors’ visits are a common occurrence. But that isn’t the case for Dick Roeder, an 82-year-old Christian Scientist living in Colorado Springs… Click here to read article
msnbc.com also carried this story: click here to read
Journey beyond self
ON FAITH Panel
The Washington Post, August 11, 2010; 9:18 PM ET
Q: In the memoir Eat, Pray, Love, writer Elizabeth Gilbert gives up her entire way of life to spend a year traveling the world, finding spiritual enlightenment along the way. Julia Roberts, who plays Gilbert’s character in the movie version out this week, apparently found enlightenment of her own through the role, revealing that she has become a practicing Hindu.
As Joan Ball asks in a Guest Voices post, “Is it possible to live a life of deep, transformational faith without dropping everything and hitting the road?”
In your tradition, what is the aim of the spiritual journey?
By Phil Davis, Manager, Christian Science Committees on Publication
In answering this question I can’t speak for anyone other than myself. No matter what religion or culture you belong to, I believe that each person’s spiritual journey is ultimately between that person and God.
So as an individual Christian Scientist, what is my aim for my spiritual journey? read
Christianity compels us to love the spiritual, not just the religious
ON FAITH Panel
The Washington Post, August 5, 2010; 7:16 PM ET
Q: Author Anne Rice said last week that she was ‘quitting Christianity:’ The once-lapsed Catholic wrote that she was could no longer accept her religion’s teachings on homosexuality, feminism, politics and birth control. “In the name of Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian,” Rice announced on her facebook page. Can you leave religion and keep Christ? Can you be spiritual without being religious?
By Phil Davis, Manager, Christian Science Committees on Publication
The more I understand people, the less I want to categorize, label and stereotype them. We are each on a journey though life. Many call it a spiritual journey, many do not. I believe spirituality touches the lives of most, whether or not they know it or even like it. There are those who feel they can be spiritual without organized religion. I am not here to disagree or to judge others. read
Updates proposed for Christian Science Church’s Boston plaza
The Christian Science Monitor, July 20, 2010
By A staff writer
Boston —
The First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston formally unveiled draft plans Tuesday that call for building two new commercial and residential buildings on the perimeter of its 14.5 acre campus in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood.
The draft, crafted in consultation with a citizens advisory committee appointed by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, also envisions changes to the Christian Science Center’s signature plaza and its 686-foot-long reflecting pool. read
Coverage of Boston Landmarks Commission’s recommendation of landmark designation for Christian Science Plaza
As Radio Boston indicates in a recent segment, the Church stated that it shares common ground with the Boston Landmarks Commission in wanting to preserve key aspects of the Plaza. It would like, however, to explore less restrictive approaches to landmark designation that would provide historic recognition and protection while allowing the continuing evolution of the Plaza in beneficial ways for the Church, the neighborhood, and the City. The Commission has alternative approaches to landmark status on page 71 of its Study Report on the Plaza. And here’s the letter that the Church submitted to the Boston Landmarks Commission: Church letter to BLC. Here’s the story from WBUR:
Christian Science Church: Don’t Preserve Plaza in Amber
Radio Boston, July 14, 2010
Christian Science Plaza in Back Bay is widely acknowledged as a triumph of modernist architecture. Preservationists want it designated an official Boston landmark to protect it from change. But at a meeting of the Boston Landmark Commission last night, church officials warned against “preserving it in amber.” Radio Boston’s Adam Ragusea has an update.
http://www.wbur.org/2010/07/14/christian-science-plaza
Unique theology, common good
ON FAITH Panel
The Washington Post, July 9, 2010; 8:37 AM ET
Q: Are all religions the same? The Dalai Lama, who just celebrated his 75th birthday, often refers to the ‘oneness’ of all religions, the idea that all religions preach the same message of love, tolerance and compassion. Historians Karen Armstrong and Huston Smith agree that major faiths are more alike than not. But in his new book “God is not One,” religion scholar and On Faith panelist Steve Prothero says views by the Dalai Lama, Armstrong and Smith that all religions “are different paths to the same God” is untrue, disrespectful and dangerous. Who’s right? Why?
By Phil Davis, Manager, Christian Science Committees on Publication
There is something beautifully simplistic and unifying about the concept that all religions “are different paths to the same mountain.” And while I earnestly want to believe this, today’s world has so many different religions –big, small, philanthropic, corporate-like, sincere, others with questionable sincerity –that I find such a conclusion unrealistic. read
Comment on Radio Boston’s show regarding Christian Science Plaza
We appreciate Radio Boston’s program highlighting proposed improvements to the Plaza. In addition to the benefits to the community, including making the Plaza a more inviting destination year-round and creating a more environmentally sustainable setting, there is indeed a financial component to the revitalization plan. Having a financially self-sustaining real estate model will ensure the community’s enjoyment of the Plaza well into the future.
In regard to the statement that the Church is “cash-strapped”, we did have a liquidity issue six years ago but that issue was addressed at that time through streamlining operations and staff layoffs. Today the Church is financially stable with no debt and has been operating in the black for several years.
We continue to exercise financial discipline in our operations as would any prudent non-profit in order to support its mission.
Here’s a link to the program: Christian Science ‘Infinity’ Pool May Be Finite
Practical prayer to the rescue
The Washington Post, June 4, 2010; 4:36 PM ET
ON FAITH Panel
Q: Is the Gulf oil spill also a moral crisis?
The catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a widening environmental, economic and political crisis. Is it also a moral crisis? How does religion influence our use and abuse of the natural world? Does religion help or harm the environment?
By Phil Davis, Manager, Christian Science Committees on Publication
Jesus Christ was the master of practical, successful prayer and demonstrated how great an impact for good his form of prayer could have on the environment. read
Spirituality: A Powerful Factor for Health Care Reform
The Huffington Post, May 25, 2010; 10:54 AM
By Gary Jones, Manager, Federal Office of the Christian Science Committee on Publication
According to a Thomson Reuters survey published earlier this month, Americans are continuing to lose confidence in their ability to obtain health care and pay for it — despite the President’s signing of one of the most comprehensive health care reform packages ever. read
A reflection of the times
Boston church plans user-friendly revamp of famed pool, plaza
The Boston Globe, May 19, 2010
By Matt Byrne, Globe Correspondent
The Christian Science Church is launching a major redevelopment of its Back Bay headquarters, with plans to remake one of Boston’s most famous landmarks: the 686-foot-long reflecting pool that anchors the church’s sprawling concrete plaza at Massachusetts and Huntington avenues. read
