WHEN Mary Baker Eddy introduced Christian Science to the world through her God-inspired writings and established at the same time its organization, the complex field of public relations as it exists today was unknown. This activity is the art of interpreting and improving an individual's or an organization's relations with the public.
But although the term "public relations" has come into common use in comparatively recent years, certain activities set up by our Leader are readily recognized as belonging to this field. Included in these are the publications of The Christian Science Publishing Society, the work of The Christian Science Board of Lectureship, and the Committee on Publication. Radio and television programs have become major activities of The Mother Church.
The importance of these—our Christianly scientific public relations activities— in improving the relations between Christian Science and mankind is brought vividly into focus when we consider our Leader's prophecy in "Pulpit and Press" (p. 22). There she writes: "If the lives of Christian Scientists attest their fidelity to Truth, I predict that in the twentieth century every Christian church in our land, and a few in far-off lands, will approximate the understanding of Christian Science sufficiently to heal the sick in his name. Christ will give to Christianity his new name, and Christendom will be classified as Christian Scientists."
