10/1992, 12/1998
Paul Kautz

THOUGHTS ON THE PURPOSE AND MISSION OF THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

In my paper Thoughts on the Purpose and Mission of the Christian Science Movement, I come to the following conclusions, directly or by implication:

1. Our Leader's phrase 'healing and saving the world from sin and death' (page 19 of the Church Manual) epitomizes our Leader's ultimate concept of the mission of her church and movement. (Robert Peel refers to this phrase as the "designated purpose" of the Church on page 401 of the July 1982 Journal.)

2. A major distinction between the handling of sin as compared to the handling of sickness (made clearly in her writings) is that sin must be uncovered and identified and the "moral sense be aroused" in order that sin may be corrected and destroyed, whereas sickness, in her words in one passage, "must be covered with the veil of harmony."

   It may be added that significant parts of the Old Testament deal with what might be called the sins of the nations and the consequences those nations incurred when they departed from God's law. Much of the work of the prophets involved calling the attention of the people to those departures.

   Are there not sins of the nations in our day also? Let us define legitimacy as accordance with God's law (which transcends all human or statute law). Might we then say that any willful (or ignorant) illegitimacy in governmental law, action or policy is sin, in the sense of sins of the nations? And might we not consider cultural mores contrary to God's law on the part of a preponderance of a people as being in the category of sins of the nations?

3. The Monitor has an important role in the overall mission of the church and movement to heal and save the world from sin and death, and this gives added significance to those words regarding the Monitor, 'to bless all mankind' and 'to spread undivided the Science which operates unspent'.

If these points are taken to be valid, in what ways might they involve change at the Monitor? I believe the following would legitimately follow.

1. Considerations regarding the purpose of the Monitor.

1. One significant meaning of the words, "to spread undivided the Science which operates unspent" should be taken to be that qualities including but not confined to the following should be reflected in every aspect of the paper, including and most especially the content: principle, truth, honesty, accuracy, validity, integrity, legitimacy, completeness, fairness, justice, morality, courage, persistence, fearlessness, compassion, generosity, spiritual perceptiveness.

2. The Monitor must support the mission of the Church by doing all in the power of a journalistic enterprise to heal and save the world from sin and death. This means, in effect, not following the patterns of any other newspapers, but developing and using whatever patterns are appropriate and needed for the purpose.

3. The clientele of the Monitor becomes the world, not any specified readership. To the extent this becomes fact, and all decisions regarding the paper are taken in the context of the above stated mission and purpose, the readership of the paper will be found to be more and more the people of the world: not a small number.

4. The content is of the highest importance; form and method are ancillary.

2. Objectives regarding content and reportage.

1. Balanced and adequate coverage of all issues impinging on the well-being of the world. This includes balanced coverage of both liberal and conservative views and issues (as well as any other significant views), prior to taking positions and independent of positions already taken or to be taken. The test of such balance to be satisfaction of representatives of these views. Such balance must be not merely token, but real. The reason for the balance is that each side has large numbers of sincere adherents everywhere. They all deserve good service, and perhaps most importantly, bridges of understanding need to be built between them. If positions are taken on one side or another, the other side deserves to have the basis adequately presented.

   To have coverage of all issues involved means seeking the issues out and developing them, not just including what others see as news, nor confining the news to events, but including trends, conditions, states of mind, what is happening behind the facade of events or non-events.

2. Healing the world of sin and death requires shining the light and exposing all in the world that needs such healing or corrective exposure, this to be taken as a fundamental task of the Monitor. Many considerations in this. A few:

1. To expose evil, wrongfulness, falsity, deception, invalidity, illegitimacy for what they are requires taking positions. The Monitor cannot be neutral or take a middle of the road stance with regard to evil or sin or anything impinging negatively on the well-being of the world. Those positions need to be found and taken which will actively contribute to healing and saving the world from sin and death.

1. Every position taken will need to be subject to review as often as it is challenged in any way significantly different from previous considerations, no position to be held simply because previously taken.

2. Criteria for taking a position:

1. Validity, truth, justice, legitimacy ("the Science which operates unspent").

2. That which will heal and save the world from sin and death.

3. Positions must be Christian and in accord with the Bible, both of these in the highest sense. This does not in any way imply sectarian or doctrinal; it does mean righteous (can anything less heal and save the world from sin and death?). Done properly, this need not be expected to be off-putting to non-Christians, for two reasons:

1. The fundamental rule of Christianity embraces all: "Do unto others as we would have them do unto us."

2. All good-hearted people everywhere, whatever their faith or persuasion, respect true righteousness.

4. Never a mere count of human opinions or referencing of authorities--never a mere popularity contest.

2. Risk and danger are involved. Evil does not like to be exposed, and fights against it, and therefore a shining the light approach could well generate attacks on the Monitor or the Church, and these would have to be guarded against, but not feared.

3. Healing and saving the world means the Monitor needs to be solution oriented. Re every evil or problem picked up, the Monitor needs to lay in the truest possible solution as to what needs to be done to deal with it, including laying in what's needed to understand the situation. Including differing views as appropriate, showing where they're sound and where they're wanting. Getting to those in a position to deal with the issue, and identifying why they're not. Getting to the key log, so to speak, and exercising it. And so, on.

4. The Monitor should be a complete news service within the framework of all the news and information necessary to support those wishing to have a part in healing and saving the world from sin and death. This has many aspects. A few of them:

1. Readers should be able to write with regard to issues and gain Monitor response. This includes indicating where it is felt Monitor coverage is needed. This is more than a pleasant reader service. In the context of healing and saving the world from sin and death, it becomes a two-way feedback communication in an ever-expanding network of those interested in healing and saving the world from sin and death, but previously frustrated in knowing how to make a significant impact.

2. What are the facts regarding a situation, and what is needed for healing or correction? If already covered, reader can be referred. If update is appropriate, the update can refer back to the earlier more complete coverage. Otherwise, coverage can be provided. If coverage not appropriate, this can be conveyed, with the reasons.

   [Since the above paragraph was originally written, the burgeoning development of the internet has provided substantial vision as to how such updating and referring back to previous coverage could be handled.]

3. This doesn't mean the Monitor should be an encyclopedia, or a reference service. If the facts are readily and adequately available elsewhere, it's not the Monitor's province, but if the facts, validity or interpretation are in question and it impinges on the well-being of the world, then it should come within the Monitor's purview.

5. Sources and authorities. These need to be evaluated not primarily with regard to their standing in normal academic, governmental or other conventional circles, but primarily with regard to their grasp and understanding of the situation, and the validity of their position. Verboten to discard a source merely by association or reputation. The best representatives of differing views need to be sought out, and their views not just repeated but understood, and this in the context of opposing views. For instance, why do they hold to their views in spite of opposing views which would appear to invalidate them?

6. Deadlines and space and popularity are not the essence. The essence is validity and adequacy of content, and covering and pursuing what most needs attention in the context of healing and saving the world from sin and death.

3. Finances. It may appear the above are approaches too demanding in resources to be practical. But can we afford to neglect the true purpose of the Monitor, or pursue it only in part? Consider also:
   1. Change is a slow process; consequently, the need for added resources would not occur all at once, nor necessarily immediately. Change could be begun within existing resources, and could be expanded as modified approaches were proven.

   2. If the true purpose of the Monitor is fulfilled effectively, tremendous support can be expected, taking form in many ways. Examples: direct income to the Monitor through increased subscriptions coupled with a willingness to pay a higher subscription cost for a more valuable, unique product; increased contributions to a support fund such as the Monitor Endowment Fund; unsolicited desire to associate with and support the content of the Monitor through advertising.

4. Radio and TV. It is natural and practical for radio and TV versions of Monitor journalism to be extensions of the print Monitor, but not vice versa; otherwise the form tends to dominate the content and subvert the purpose. The nature of radio and TV does not facilitate primary development of adequate depth and legitimacy of content.

5. The Internet opens up whole new areas of possibility.

1. There would have to be strong, continuing commitment on the part of the BoD.

2. There would have to be recognition that

1. It could not happen overnight.

2. It would have to be accomplished, in large measure, beginning with existing staff.

3. It would be necessary to develop agreed upon documentation of purposes, objectives, guidelines, statements of responsibility and authority.

4. Someone would have to be given the responsibility for forwarding this work, together with appropriate authority. A mission coordinator, as it were. Preferably it would not be authority to give orders. It might simply be authority to have full access to BoD, editors and staff, within agreed upon groundrules, in pursuit of agreed upon objectives, within the context of an agreed upon statement of mission and purpose. The same person might be given the initial task of developing those objectives, groundrules, statement of mission and purpose, and getting them agreed upon. Such a person would have to have vision, capability, experience bearing on the task, and confidence that this immense challenge and opportunity can be accomplished.

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