Newspapers used to be simple. Everybody got roughly the same news in the same bundle. That was true of The Christian Science Monitor, too, for the first 100 years of its existence, which made it convenient to follow Mary Baker Eddy’s desire that “every Christian Scientist, and as many others as possible, subscribe for and read our daily newspaper” (Christian Science Sentinel, November 21, 1908). That is actually a “duty” she set forth in her Church Manual (see p. 44).
The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science felt strongly that Christian Scientists needed to support news that is fair, wholesome, and constructive. More than that, however, she wanted Christian Scientists to use the Monitor to pray for the world—to let it inform them of issues that need the uplifting and healing consciousness of the Christ.
Like virtually all newspapers, today’s Monitor comes in a variety of shapes and sizes to suit the many different ways people want to get their news. So what exactly does it mean today to “subscribe for and read” the Monitor?
The answer depends on you. You might turn to the Monitor Weekly print newsmagazine or its iPad or Android tablet app. You might prefer the Monitor as it is delivered via e-books such as the Kindle and Nook. You might subscribe to the Daily News Briefing delivered to your e-mail daily or via JSH-Online. Or you might choose a combination of those publications. The main thing is to use and support journalism that aims “to spread undivided the Science that operates unspent” (Mary Baker Eddy, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 353). Spread—as in reaching “as many others as possible”—is an important verb with regard to the Monitor. The Monitor often is the first introduction someone has to Christian Science. In an age when bias, sensationalism, and political spin seem all too common in news reports, Monitor journalism is calm, balanced, and always on the lookout for solutions. We’ve heard many times that the Monitor is the one news source that families feel comfortable leaving on the coffee table for their children or neighbors.
Gift subscriptions are a good way to increase awareness of the Monitor. Because we value this way of sharing the Monitor, we are offering a greater discount on gifts for the holiday season and beyond: a rate of $29.95 for the Monitor Weekly, which is more than half off the regular subscription.
One Monitor reader recently gave a subscription to his daughter as she was beginning her freshman year at college when she mentioned that she needed to stay on top of the news for her political science class. A woman in Missouri wrote, “Thank you for this amazing gift. I will cherish it and pass my copy along. Tears of joy.”
The Monitor provides news that every Christian Scientist can and should use, and that hearts everywhere can appreciate. This gift from Mrs. Eddy to us can be our gift to others.
