Change was what got the church in trouble in the first place. Officials at the Mother Church, which has been publishing The Christian Science Monitor since 1908, decided in the mid-1980s to expand into other publishing and broadcasting ventures, including radio and television programs. The Monitor Channel, which went on the air in May, was the newest and costliest offspring. Together, these operations have run up an estimated bill of $400 million since 1986. Although church officials hoped to break even eventually, losses this year may run to $90 million.
Until last week church officials had defended their strategy, claiming to be victims of malcontents. “At the moment, we are witnessing an all-out assault,” wrote Monitor Channel chairman John Hoagland in a memo this month to his employees. Hoagland and other in charge of the new ventures contend that they are enhancing the faith by drawing attention to Christian Science through a wide range of secular media outlets, in addition to the newspaper and strictly religious publication.
The split within the church became public last year, when the board of directors decided to publish “The Destiny of the Mother Church,” written by a deceased church member named Bliss Knapp. The church rejected the book 45 years ago because it deified church founder Mary Baker Eddy, a heretical view. Under the provisions of Knapp family wills, the church receives approximately $97 million if it publishes the book as “authorized” literature by May 1993. Otherwise, the money goes to Stanford University and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Officials say they published Knapp to give a different view of Eddy, but many church members are appalled. “Their real motive was the $97 million legacy,” says Katherine Fanning, a former editor of the Christian Science Monitor. Last month four respected editors of the church’s religious publications resigned in protest. Ironically, the church may never get the money. Stanford and the museum have challenged the church’s compliance with the will, saying the book has never been widely distributed. A probate court in Los Angeles will rule on the dispute in May.
There’s no question that the church could use a huge infusion of cash right now. According to a detailed accounting released last month, more than $40 million has been borrowed from the employee pension fund to keep the church afloat. Eddy once wrote that “God requires wisdom, economy, and brotherly love to characterize all the proceeding of the . . . Church.” In the current atmosphere, a little wisdom, economy and brotherly love would go a long way.
title: “A Church That Needs Healing” ShowToc: true date: “2023-01-26” author: “Leo Young”
Change was what got the church in trouble in the first place. Officials at the Mother Church, which has been publishing The Christian Science Monitor since 1908, decided in the mid-1980s to expand into other publishing and broadcasting ventures, including radio and television programs. The Monitor Channel, which went on the air in May, was the newest and costliest offspring. Together, these operations have run up an estimated bill of $400 million since 1986. Although church officials hoped to break even eventually, losses this year may run to $90 million.
Until last week church officials had defended their strategy, claiming to be victims of malcontents. “At the moment, we are witnessing an all-out assault,” wrote Monitor Channel chairman John Hoagland in a memo this month to his employees. Hoagland and other in charge of the new ventures contend that they are enhancing the faith by drawing attention to Christian Science through a wide range of secular media outlets, in addition to the newspaper and strictly religious publication.
The split within the church became public last year, when the board of directors decided to publish “The Destiny of the Mother Church,” written by a deceased church member named Bliss Knapp. The church rejected the book 45 years ago because it deified church founder Mary Baker Eddy, a heretical view. Under the provisions of Knapp family wills, the church receives approximately $97 million if it publishes the book as “authorized” literature by May 1993. Otherwise, the money goes to Stanford University and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Officials say they published Knapp to give a different view of Eddy, but many church members are appalled. “Their real motive was the $97 million legacy,” says Katherine Fanning, a former editor of the Christian Science Monitor. Last month four respected editors of the church’s religious publications resigned in protest. Ironically, the church may never get the money. Stanford and the museum have challenged the church’s compliance with the will, saying the book has never been widely distributed. A probate court in Los Angeles will rule on the dispute in May.
There’s no question that the church could use a huge infusion of cash right now. According to a detailed accounting released last month, more than $40 million has been borrowed from the employee pension fund to keep the church afloat. Eddy once wrote that “God requires wisdom, economy, and brotherly love to characterize all the proceeding of the . . . Church.” In the current atmosphere, a little wisdom, economy and brotherly love would go a long way.
