Article July 23, 2018 Issue

Join the conversation about the Christian Science periodicals

Whether you read the print editions of The Christian Science Journal and Sentinel exclusively or also subscribe to JSH-Online.com, we deeply value your commitment to the healing ideas we publish and are always grateful for your feedback. But we would like to learn much more from you, our readers. Here at Journal, Sentinel, and Herald (JSH), we see this as a time of great opportunity to take stock—to ask how we are doing and how we can do even better—beginning with the Sentinel.

The core of our Christian Science publications has been, and always will be, the divine Science found in the Bible and in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy—a message that, in turn, leads readers right back to these priceless and practical books. But how the timeless truths in these books are presented in the periodicals in each new era needs to be “abreast of the times,” according to the Manual of The Mother Church by Mrs. Eddy (p. 44).

And this is where we are reaching out for your ideas. In 1908, Mary Baker Eddy designated the mission of each of the periodicals in an editorial titled “Something in a Name” that appeared in the first issue of The Christian Science Monitor (see The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 353). Together, as the readers, writers, editors, and others who make up the JSH community, we need to ask deep questions: What do the missions of the periodicals demand of us in this era? Are we keeping these messengers of Truth recognizably relevant to our readers’ lives? And how can the periodicals resonate even more with Mrs. Eddy’s vision for them in today’s world? This year, we’ll be reaching out to you in a number of ways to share our ideas and listen to yours. Your honest feedback will help us ensure that the periodicals are primed for today’s thinkers and consistently contain content you consider to be both must-read and must-share.