Christian Science - Christian Science Monitor, Journal and Sentinel

Christian Science Monitor, Journal and Sentinel

The Christian Science Monitor is a well-respected newspaper run from the headquarters of the First Church of Christ, Scientist. It was founded by Eddy under the slogan: "To injure no man, but to bless all mankind". At its maximum it had a circulation of 200,000, but this had contracted to 60,000 by 2005. Printed paper copies stopped in October 2008, where it was making a loss of $18.9 million, and it is now available online. It was not made with the goal of conversion to Christian Science, but for providing news coverage.

The Christian Science church publishes a weekly periodical called the Christian Science Sentinel, a monthly publication called the Christian Science Journal, a non-English publication called The Herald of Christian Science. A project is currently under way to make all back issues of the Christian Science publications (Journal, Sentinel and Herald) available on-line. The Christian Science Journal and the Christian Science Sentinel include comments from individuals claiming to have had been healed through the use of Christian Science prayer. Testimonies of healings reported in Christian Science publications are sometimes drawn from cases in which a doctor confirmed the initial condition and the subsequent healing, according to the testifier. Typically these testimonies, which generally include nothing but a vague description, do not have doctors making the initial diagnosis. The verification process requires the contact information for three people (one a member of "The Mother Church") who "have either witnessed the healing or can vouch for its accuracy based on their knowledge of ," according to the Christian Science Publishing Society website.

In 2005 the Boston Globe reported that the church was considering consolidating Boston operations into fewer buildings and leasing out space in buildings it owned. Church official Philip G. Davis noted that the administration and Colonnade buildings had not been fully used for many years and that vacancy increased after staff reductions in 2004. The church posted an $8 million financial loss in fiscal 2003, and in 2004 cut 125 jobs, a quarter of the staff, at the Christian Science Monitor. Conversely, Davis said that "the financial situation right now is excellent" and stated that the church was not facing financial problems.