On Faith Panel
The Washington Post, November 11, 2009; 3:31 PM ET

Q: What is the proper role of religion—and personal religious belief—in the US armed forces? Should a particular religious affiliation disqualify someone from active military service? How far should the military go to accommodate personal religious beliefs and practices?

By Phil Davis, Manager, Christian Science Committees on Publication

This question applies directly to what might be the most undervalued asset in our military’s arsenal — U.S military chaplains. They not only attend to the personal religious beliefs of those in uniform, but they have been effectively boosting morale, easing the horrors of war, comforting grief, and bringing spiritual peace to the rigors of military life for many decades.

“The LA Times wants to write a story on this tomorrow?” These were my first thoughts when I heard a week ago Tuesday that reporter Tom Hamburger had contacted us.

We’ve been trying to catch the eyes and ears of reporters throughout the US for the past two years in an effort to develop relationships with them, so that we can be a resource on Christian Science. Suddenly the media is coming to us.

Are “Nones” the new Normal? Not yet. But the number of Americans who self-identify as having no religious affiliation are part of the mainstream. According to a Trinity College survey they comprise about 15% of the U.S. population with the number trending upward (8.2% in 1990, to 14.1% in 2001, to 15% in 2008).

It’s early for year-end wrap-ups, but you need to look back to January in order to understand where the Christian Science Church is today with its media work and where it is headed in 2010. This year saw a reboot.

A little-noticed measure would put Christian Science healing sessions on the same footing as clinical medicine. Critics say it violates church-state separation.

The Los Angeles Times, November 03, 2009
By Tom Hamburger and Kim Geiger

WASHINGTON — Backed by some of the most powerful members of the Senate, a little-noticed provision in the healthcare overhaul bill would require insurers to consider covering Christian Science prayer treatments as medical expenses.

On Faith Panel
The Washington Post, October 14, 2009; 12:37 PM ET

Q: What makes the best ‘case for God’ to a skeptic or non-believer, an open-minded seeker, and to a person of faith, and why?

By Phil Davis, Manager, Christian Science Committees on Publication

To me, making a case for God comes down to one word—proof. I know, some will disagree with the idea of faith being dependent on actual proof. After all, it is faith we’re talking about! Faith should be something you just trust in and don’t have to prove, right?

St. Petersburg Times: October 12, 2009, 12:15 PM
By Letitia Stein, Times Staff Writer

Getting lots of attention in the health care reform debate: the idea of requiring nearly all Americans to get insurance coverage.

The Washington Post, September 16, 2009; 12:52 PM ET

On Faith Panel

Q: We have entered what columnist Kathleen Parker calls “a political era of uninhibited belligerence,” that is finding expression in sermons, at town hall meetings, on radio talk shows, even on the floor of Congress—especially when we differ. Why are people so angry and belligerent, and so willing to express their anger publicly? Why has our civil discourse become so uncivil? What does this public anger say about our private faith? What should we do about it?

By Phil Davis, Manager, Christian Science Committees on Publication

Recently, I saw a bumper sticker that read, “Closed minds should come with closed mouths!” It got me thinking about the emotions and situations that should impel us to put our mouths on pause … but that sometimes don’t. And isn’t the irony that if we waited (and prayed) instead of giving into anger, self-righteousness, and resentment, that we’d more readily find a solution—not just to that anger and resentment, but also to the issue that was causing those feelings?

The Washington Post, August 18, 2009; 5:41 PM ET
On Faith Panel

By Phil Davis, Manager, Christian Science Committees on Publication

When the topic of health-care reform is so focused on economics and politics, I often think of a woman in the Gospels who had been hemorrhaging for many years. Who knows what her actual problem was, but it was severe enough that she had spent all her financial assets on the medical system of her time and was no better for it. In her desperate need, she reached out to Jesus Christ and was instantly healed.

On Faith Panel
The Washington Post, August 12, 2009; 12:10 PM ET

Q: Are social media tools a blessing or a curse for people of faith? Should we use digital technology to commune with the divine? Does God tweet?

By Phil Davis, Manager, Christian Science Committees on Publication

Do tweeted prayers get lost in the information glut of today’s super-connected, hyper-verbal culture?

As someone who has seen the practical and powerful effect of prayer countless times, I don’t believe that a sincere petition from a humble heart to the Almighty ever goes to waste. There’s a significance beyond positive thinking when we acknowledge a divine Mind at work—a willingness to realize that we don’t have all the answers.